4.44/5
Author: Candice Millard
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2012
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover,Kindle,Audible Audiobook,Audio CD
Rating: 4.44/5 out of 51152
Publisher: Anchor Books
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A Booklist Notable Book of 2012
The
extraordinary New York Times bestselling account of James
Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the
dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling
author of The River of Doubt, Candice
Millard.
James Abram Garfield was one of the
most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty,
he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned
congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the
nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after
Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged
office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but
become the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for
power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and,
hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously researched, epic in
scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity
narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a
forgotten chapter of U.S. history.
Oct 21, 2011
In recent years I've been attracted to books about obscure presidents. When I read about the Candice Millard book on James Garfield I was instantly intrigued. I mean no one knows much of anything about Garfield including myself. He is easy to pass over because he barely survived 6 months into his term as president and a good portion of that time he was fighting for his life. The only time his name is brought up in conversation is when someone is struggling to remember the names of the four In recent years I've been attracted to books about obscure presidents. When I read about the Candice Millard book on James Garfield I was instantly intrigued. I mean no one knows much of anything about Garfield including myself. He is easy to pass over because he barely survived 6 months into his term as president and a good portion of that time he was fighting for his life. The only time his name is brought up in conversation is when someone is struggling to remember the names of the four assassinated presidents.Feb 22, 2012
If most people were to be asked today what they thought of Garfield, they would most likely offer an answer about a cartoon cat, and not the 20th president of the United States, the president who served only 200 days in office, the second president to be assassinated, and one of our great losses as a nation.Jun 08, 2017
I'm excited that I'm excited!!!! Does this make sense?? Have you ever been excited that you are REALLY EXCITED???Dec 24, 2011
If you're like me, I'll bet you haven't given President James Garfield much thought either. Have you? Come on, admit it. He was elected in 1880, shot in 1881 and gone in months, and suddenly it was all Chester Arthur, all the time. But here's a book that manages to make mountains out of this molehill of a Presidency. First, the author persuades us that Garfield was a truly likable, magnetic, wonderful human being. Honest, thrifty, salt-of-the-earth, up from the farm, a true man of the people in If you're like me, I'll bet you haven't given President James Garfield much thought either. Have you? Come on, admit it. He was elected in 1880, shot in 1881 and gone in months, and suddenly it was all Chester Arthur, all the time. But here's a book that manages to make mountains out of this molehill of a Presidency. First, the author persuades us that Garfield was a truly likable, magnetic, wonderful human being. Honest, thrifty, salt-of-the-earth, up from the farm, a true man of the people in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, a scholar and a gentleman, respectful and progressive in his attitudes toward blacks, magnanimous toward his enemies, he did not seek power, but found it thrust upon him, and had he lived, the case is made, might have been a truly great President. So that's for starters.Sep 26, 2016
“When [President James] Garfield walked in, [Charles] Guiteau was standing right behind him. This, Guiteau realized, was his chance to kill the president, and this time he was not about to let it slip away. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised the revolver he had been carrying with him for nearly a month and pointed it at Garfield’s back. So complete was his composure that he might have been standing at the edge of the Potomac aiming at a sapling, instead of in a crowded train station about “When [President James] Garfield walked in, [Charles] Guiteau was standing right behind him. This, Guiteau realized, was his chance to kill the president, and this time he was not about to let it slip away. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised the revolver he had been carrying with him for nearly a month and pointed it at Garfield’s back. So complete was his composure that he might have been standing at the edge of the Potomac aiming at a sapling, instead of in a crowded train station about to shoot the president of the United States…â€Nov 06, 2015
"There would come a time when the story of James Garfield's early life would be widely admired. Throughout the nation and around the world, his extraordinary rise from fatherlessness and abject poverty would make him the embodiment of the American dream."Mar 22, 2017
This is another fascinating history book from Candice Millard. Destiny of the Republic is about the life of President James Garfield and Charles Guiteau, the deranged man who assassinated him in 1881. There's also great stuff on the history of medicine, including how long it took before American doctors believed in the importance of sterile instruments and in the dangers of infections in wounds.Feb 16, 2016
Although I am a history buff, I imagine that "Destiny of the Republic" would be a page turner for any reasonable reader. When nonfiction is well done it is nigh on unbeatable and this text easily fits that bill. I had never heard of its author, Candice Millard, before but I will pick up her other book based solely on how much I enjoyed this one. The subject matter of her previous book, "The River of Doubt" does not sound all that interesting to me, but in her capable hands I am sure I will enjoy Although I am a history buff, I imagine that "Destiny of the Republic" would be a page turner for any reasonable reader. When nonfiction is well done it is nigh on unbeatable and this text easily fits that bill. I had never heard of its author, Candice Millard, before but I will pick up her other book based solely on how much I enjoyed this one. The subject matter of her previous book, "The River of Doubt" does not sound all that interesting to me, but in her capable hands I am sure I will enjoy it. What a testament to her skills as a writer and historian.Feb 02, 2016
What drew me into Destiny of the Republic was a PBS Special that aired not too long ago. We all had a skeletal understanding of the assassination of James A. Garfield. Garfield, unfortunately, became an elusive name in the litany of former presidents. Ah, dear readers, this man was so much more.Jul 08, 2019
5Mar 26, 2013
I learned a lot of facts from this account of the 1881 Garfield assassination, and I was moved by the plight of good people handicapped by the lack modern advances in presidential security and medical care. But I wasn’t enthralled with how the pieces of the book came together or with the limited reflections on the big picture.Aug 15, 2012
If a mentally ill person had not been able to get his hands on a gun, the secret service was doing the job that it does today, if doctors didn’t consider the science of antisepsis the way the anti science crowd considers climate change today, Ohio would have had a significant president in James A. Garfield.Oct 22, 2016
Surprisingly very good audiobook. Who ever knew anything about this president?Aug 31, 2012
This well-written and tragic story has been revised and can now be found in a place of honor at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.Dec 16, 2013
Reading the Presidents: POTUS #20 – James GarfieldJan 09, 2019
In an interesting, quasi-biographical piece, Candice Millard explores the brief presidency of James A. Garfield and the assassination attempt that would eventually take his life. While it would seem a clear-cut task, Millard broadens the story to include a few additional individuals, whose actions play a key role in better understanding events surrounding the president’s lingering before finally succumbing in September 1881. Millard opens the narrative at the Centennial Exposition, where In an interesting, quasi-biographical piece, Candice Millard explores the brief presidency of James A. Garfield and the assassination attempt that would eventually take his life. While it would seem a clear-cut task, Millard broadens the story to include a few additional individuals, whose actions play a key role in better understanding events surrounding the president’s lingering before finally succumbing in September 1881. Millard opens the narrative at the Centennial Exposition, where celebrations surrounding one hundred years of American nationhood were taking place There, as Congressman James A. Garfield wandered around the grounds, two men were also present, prepared to discuss some of their scientific findings. The first, British surgeon Dr. Joseph Lister, who sought to explain to his American colleagues the importance of antisepsis. Struggling as he was, Lister could not sway those present of the importance of a sterile field while working or of the need for utmost cleanliness when handling open wounds. His words, which were impacting the way European doctors were handling patients, would prove to be foreboding in the years to come. The other man, shuffled away at the Exposition, was Alexander Graham Bell, a Scot who was trying to show off his telephone, which was still in its infancy. Bell did receive some takers, though the process of being able to hear someone’s voice when they are a distance away was still baffling. Millard peppers the narrative with backstories and mini-biographies as she advances the successes of Garfield, particularly when he went to Chicago in the summer of 1880, host of the Republican National Convention, to put forth a nominee for president. By the end of the gruelling voting process, Garfield was handed the nomination, which he reluctantly accepted. A powerful speaker, Garfield was respected by his peers and was seen to be a sure winner when he faced his Democratic opponent in November. In a parallel narrative, the reader learns all about Charles Guiteau, a failed lawyer and evangelical preacher, who soon became fixated on all things related to Garfield. When the ballots were cast and Garfield won the presidency—something that Millard describes as being a prize Garfield accepted without much fanfare—Guiteau began an eerie communication with the president-elect, first congratulating him and then stalking him for a posting in the new government. As Millard illustrates, Guiteau was known around town as a swindler who would not pay his bills, though he was adamant that he should have a prominent role in the Garfield Administration, more because he was first to ask than meriting anything in particular. When nothing came from the president, Guiteau continued and appeared around the White House, partaking in an awkward discussion with the First Lady, who remembered his presence in her diary. Eventually, Guiteau realised that Divine Intervention, which had already guided Garfield to become president, was now calling for the president’s death. Guiteau plotted and planned, eventually choosing a train station, where he fired multiple times into Garfield. The shots were not immediately fatal, though a doctor who quickly attended the president sought to probe the wound—on the dirty floor of the station—with his bare finger. Lodging it into the wound, the doctor surely introduced much grime and bacteria, thereby pushing it deep into the president’s body. After the panic of securing the president and arresting Guiteau, who voluntarily handed himself over, medical staff attempted to help Garfield and save his life. Enter, Alexander Graham Bell, who had been thinking about how to use some of the technology surrounding his telephone to locate the bullet, which might aid in saving the life of President Garfield. Before the invention of the x-ray, Graham’s use of sound through current induction and blockages would likely be able to help locate the lead bullet, preventing sepsis and other potentially fatal issues. As the days moved along, Garfield’s health ebbed and flowed, even as Bell attempted to use his makeshift invention. While Bell was able to see the president and introduce some of this early medical technology, the bullet was not located or extracted. Days turned to weeks and Garfield became weaker, with abscesses appearing all over his body, pus seeping out when they were punctured. All the while, Guiteau remained in custody, writing and pondering what might happen next. After a hot summer and doctors trying to alleviate stagnant air, which might be the cause of much distress for Garfield, September came and the president’s health took a significant drop. Each passing day saw his condition worsen until he finally succumbed to the gunshot wounds. The 20th President of the United States was dead, his assassin in custody, and the vice-president, Chester A. Arthur, equally disinterested in the role of president, assumed the role of America’s leader. Alexander Graham Bell was beside himself with grief, but knew he had done all that he could. In an interesting closing segment of the book, Millard documents the autopsy of President Garfield, which revealed abscesses and a body riddled with infection, particularly along the pathway the bullet took and a finger probed. Had Dr. Lister’s warnings been heeded those years ago, it is quite possible that President James A. Garfield could have lived and served a full term in office. Then again, history is filled with ‘what if’ moments, some of which would surely have changed things in a significant manner. A brilliant look at Garfield, Guiteau, and a few others whose decisions impacted the short Garfield presidency in a significant manner. Recommended for presidential history buffs, as well as those who enjoy seeing some of the lesser known aspects to the Garfield presidency and assassination attempt.Jul 19, 2019
Okay,this IS the best thing I've read all year,maybe ever.I knew that Garfield had been assassinated,and that's all.This read like a novel.The research Millard went through was awe inspiring,and her writing skill is peerless.I had read her book,The River of Doubt,and gave it a huge rating as well.Because of Candice's book,James Garfield is now one of my two favourite presidents.The other of course is Theodore Roosevelt.Apr 19, 2019
The 23rd most smashable US President finally gets the spotlight in this astonishing reconsideration of a man who, lest you forget, was singlehandedly responsible for...for...what did he do again?Oct 27, 2016
Wow! Who knew?! When I saw that our Minneapolis Institute of Art book club had picked this for the October book tour, I knew I would read it, but was unsure about whether I would like it. (Although the stellar reviews from my GR community were encouraging.) I did not just like it, I LOVED it. And it was so appropriate to where we are right now in the States with the election just a couple of weeks away.Feb 25, 2016
"I never meet a ragged boy in the street without feeling that I may owe him a salute, for I know not what possibilities may be buttoned up under his coat." James A. GarfieldAug 09, 2018
Philadelphia, 1876, the city hosted a centennial event celebrating the first 100 years of the United States, where people from around the world demonstrated their inventions. Among those present were Alexander Graham Bell and Joseph Lister. Bell was showing his invention, the telephone, and Lister was promoting the discovery of germs and the benefits of antisepsis in medical operating rooms.Aug 26, 2018
I read this book as an answer to a prompt: read a book of narrative non-fiction. ANYTHING with historical content is on my favorites list. But when a book is both true AND reads like a novel, that is my truly, next to my heart, favorite genre.Apr 09, 2016
This book was amazing. Seriously. It will also turn your stomach and cause you to hate certain segments of the population.Jan 14, 2017
Excellent history, engagingly written. I give it ***** as I couldn't put it down. The story focuses on the assassination of James A. Garfield, but it became a really riveting story for me as it detailed the doctors' efforts to save the life of Garfield. I was aware that, unlike Lincoln, Garfield could have been (easily) saved by present-day medical practice. But I didn't know that he could have been saved in 1881--if the doctors had used up-to-date methods of the time. Dr. Joseph Lister in Excellent history, engagingly written. I give it ***** as I couldn't put it down. The story focuses on the assassination of James A. Garfield, but it became a really riveting story for me as it detailed the doctors' efforts to save the life of Garfield. I was aware that, unlike Lincoln, Garfield could have been (easily) saved by present-day medical practice. But I didn't know that he could have been saved in 1881--if the doctors had used up-to-date methods of the time. Dr. Joseph Lister in England had demonstrated the life-saving value of antisepsis to prevent infection--but most American doctors did not accept it. So it was not the lunatic Charles Guiteau who actually killed Garfield, but Dr. Willard Bliss and the other doctors who had unsterilized fingers and instruments inserted into the wound, searching for the bullet--and causing the infection of the wound which killed the president. Candice Millard makes it clear that the loss of the 20th president was a tragedy for the nation and I would add it was a very preventable one... ...moreApr 01, 2017
James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, assassinated by a disgruntled office seeker. I remember those exact words from my childhood lessons in American history, as I suspect do most other Americans. Millard makes the case for a more meaningful historical legacy. Between his inauguration on March 5 and the shooting on July 2, Garfield was an active opponent of the “spoils systemâ€. Despite the distraction of his wife Lucretia's near fatal illness in May, he installed his own James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, assassinated by a disgruntled office seeker. I remember those exact words from my childhood lessons in American history, as I suspect do most other Americans. Millard makes the case for a more meaningful historical legacy. Between his inauguration on March 5 and the shooting on July 2, Garfield was an active opponent of the “spoils systemâ€. Despite the distraction of his wife Lucretia's near fatal illness in May, he installed his own appointee as Customs House Director for the port of New York City, defying intense pressure from Roscoe Conkling, the powerful senator from New York. The appointment was significant. It established Garfield's commitment to an independent executive branch, and it blocked Conkling's access to a lucrative lever for corruption. Over 90% of all customs duties came through the port of New York City.Take your time and choose the perfect book.
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