The destiny of the republic
James A. 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, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back. But the shot didn't kill Garfield. The drama of what happened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in turmoil. The unhinged assassin's half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his condition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet. Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic will stand alongside The Devil in the White City and The Professor and the Madman as a classic of narrative history. - Publisher.
Stats for nerds
4recommend
7mentions
6people
2017–2025years
71% recommend29% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I was surprised - and very happy - to see "River of Doubt" mentioned here. That is indeed a very good book, and kicked off a fascination for me with TR in general.
The author, Candice Millard, has two other books which I also enthusiastically recommend: "Hero of the Empire", about Churchill's escape from a POW camp during the Boer War, and "Destiny of the Republic" about the assassination of President Garfield.
- If the second paragraph of "A Short Biography" is at all interesting, then you should definitely read The Destiny of the Republic.
It covers Garfield's unexpected rise to president, his assassination, Bell's attempt to save him, the nutter who shot him, and more.
For me it was also an interesting coverage of a time period I knew basically nothing about, immediately after reconstruction.
- John Lee is one of my favorite narrators and his reading of the Count of Monte Cristo is wonderful (even at 47 hours).
Ron Chernow’s biographies of Grant, Hamilton, and Washington.
Candice Millard‘s “Hero’s of the Empire” (about Winston Churchill) and “River of Doubt” (Theodore Roosevelt) are both interesting looks at important historical figures in situations we don’t often prescribe to them. Her first book “Destiny of the Republic” (James Garfield) is also good but the other two are superior.
“David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell.
- I'll give you my 3 favorites of the year:
- The Destiny of the Republic, by Candice Millard. The shooting of Garfield is the framing of this book. It covers a time period I knew such little about (~1880s), so I learned so much reading it. Just a crazy, interesting story in many ways.
- The Forever War, by Filkins. Sort of a series of vignettes by a reporter covering Afghanistan, then Iraq during the war. I still don't know what to think / feel about it, but I've recommended the book several times.
- Barbarians at the Gate, by Burroughs, Helyar. A classic that I put off reading for years because I thought it would be a slog (it's sort of long), but I finished in a week. I love business history / case study books, and this is one of the most famous, for good reason. If you like this also check out Predator's Ball, which I read this year. It's about Milken and the junk bond era.
- Candace Millard's book "the destiny of the republic" covers this and is pretty good. Garfield seemed like the type of person who could have done great things in office, given his apparent intelligence and humble upbringing. I also think the journey of his assassin -- a mentally troubled individual with no real reason to target Garfield -- is still relevant given the long US history struggling with this subject.
- Garfield was in many ways the most personally appealing and brilliant of the American presidents, rising from poverty and obscurity by being absurdly talented across many fields and eloquent.
He was assassinated early and barely got to serve. The story of his life, the shooting, and the subsequent medical drama (featuring even a cameo by Alexander Graham Bell improvising a diagnostic device) are so epic you have to wonder if time travelers are messing with us.
His legacy was the nonpartisan professional civil service, a key part of his agenda that his successor felt obligated to carry out, an accomplishment that recently came under particularly heavy attack.
Netflix just came out with the miniseries about him, 'Death by Lightning,' based on the book 'Destiny of the Republic.' His earlier life is featured prominently in '1861: The Civil War Awakening' by Adam Goodheart. There are a few great C-SPAN/Book TV videos by some of the authors that tell the story concisely and convey why some of us are so fascinated by that history.
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