Destiny of the Republic is the story of James Garfield, his tragic death, his assassin, and his short term as President of the United States.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

Genre/Categories/Setting: Nonfiction, Biography, U.S. History, Presidents, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. Locations.

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

The twentieth president of the United States, James A. Garfield, was born into poverty, earned distinction in the Civil War, served as Congressman from Ohio, nominated for President against his wishes, and loved his family. Four months after his inauguration, he was shot by a mentally ill assassin and died a few months later from infection. Destiny of the Republic is the tragic story of both men.

My Thoughts:

#NonfictionNovember #NarrativeNonfiction

Destiny of the Republic is a book that caught my attention for Nonfiction November. Plus, I’m always looking for narrative nonfiction (nonfiction that reads like a story).

The Structure

In the first half of the book, a great deal of time is devoted to the assassin, Charles Guiteau. It was shocking to read that even after the assassination of President Lincoln sixteen years earlier, the President was not more protected from the public. The latter half of the book focuses on the injury, the medical care, and President Garfield’s fight to survive a raging infection.

Medical Care in the early 1880s

One word: SHOCKING! I can imagine that modern medical professionals will be distressed at reading the detailed descriptions of Garfield’s medical care.

Established doctors with excellent reputations (Garfield’s team) didn’t believe in germs because germs couldn’t be seen. Young doctors just exiting medical school were more open to the concept of germs, and Garfield’s life might have been saved if one of these young doctors had been a part of the medical team or if Garfield’s doctor had been open to medical advances.

A common practice like hand washing was only supported by anecdotal evidence and not standard protocol. Garfield’s gunshot wound would have been more successfully treated even a few years later.

An interesting part of the book involved Alexander Graham Bell and his desperate attempts to invent a machine (a metal detector) that could locate the bullet. If doctors had not attempted to locate the bullet, he might have survived. It was the futile attempts to locate the bullet through probing that introduced germs, causing the infection.

Garfield, the Man

Serving for only a few months (March-September), Garfield didn’t have time for significant political/presidential contributions. We know that he believed passionately in improving the lives of African Americans after slavery. While Lincoln emancipated the slaves and believed in their right to live free, he could never envision how integration would work (And There was Light). Garfield had visions for improving the lives of African Americans.

Personally, Garfield was well respected, popular, charismatic, kind, intelligent, gracious, and moral.

Content Consideration: medical content

Recommending Destiny of the Republic:

Fans of presidential biographies and U.S. history will appreciate this well-written and detailed account of President James Garfield, his assassination, and the man responsible for his demise.

My Rating: 4 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of Destiny of the Republic, Candice Mallard

Candice Millard is the author of three books, all New York Times bestsellers and named one of the best books of the year by publications from the New York Times to the Washington Post. Her first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a Book Sense Pick, won the William Rockhill Nelson Award and was a finalist for the Quill Awards. It has been printed in Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean, as well as a British edition. Millard’s second book, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President, won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, the PEN Center USA award for Research Nonfiction, the One Book-One Lincoln Award, the Ohioana Award and the Kansas Notable Book Award. Her most recent book, Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill, was an Indie Next pick, a top ten critics pick by the New York Times and named Amazon’s number one history book of 2016. Millard’s work has also appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, the Guardian, National Geographic and Time magazine. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and three children.

You can follow Candice Millard on Twitter at @candice_millard and on Facebook @CandiceMillardauthor.

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QOTD:

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