Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President Paperback – January 1, 2012

Ms. Millard does American history writing a service in Destiny of the Republic in several ways: 1) Rigorous research; 2) Shining a light on a sometimes neglected part of our history; 3) Providing a terrific narrative arc.Research: History writing gained steam after Shelby Foote, I believe, re-engaged the public through his Civil War trilogy. In the avalanche of history books in the following decades there are hits and misses, the misses sometimes due to factual errors or too-breezy text. Ms. Millard demonstrates the craft of fine research and writing in Destiny of the Republic, incorporating diverse firsthand sources into her work - diaries, news articles, court records and interviews, as well as important analyses from magazines and books between the 1880s and today. Her precision and attention to detail are excellent.The author's service to history readers extends to her portrait of Garfield who is easily overlooked in the line of chief executives. His demeanor and intellectual capacity are articulated well here. Re-introducing him to American history readers through this book brings him well-deserved attention even though he didn't have time to fully leave his mark on the nation's top office.Reviving the history of the late 19th century: Much has been written about the mid-century since The Civil War marks its 150th year in 2011. The early 1800s has been a hot topic through several books. The Oxford history series produced Empire of Liberty (1789 - 1815) and What Hath God Wrought (1815 - 1848). McCollough wrote the terrific biography of Adams that sweeps us wonderfully from the late 1700s into the 1800s, and his newest book, The Greater Journey, starts in the early 1800s and overlaps into the later 1800s, though its focus is Americans in France.A smart and notable book about the 1880s timeframe is Dark Horse from 2004, an important political look at Garfield and his contemporaries.Destiny of the Republic creates for us a framework for America at the time Garfield. America wrestled with various issues that we could easily not consider today. The assassination closely followed the Civil War and raised a question of renewed internal turmoil, American technology was at an inflection point, and our growing pains and pride were being exercised as we evolved from a frontier, still vibrant in the West, to a mechanized and just-emerging urban society in the East.Millard taps examples salient to this transformation of America, such as the medical theories of Joseph Lister that were not appreciated, and the tentative beginning that Bell experienced with his invention. Her use of these stories artfully brings the reader into a context of the time. The book solidly presents a needed perspective on the era via the thread of personal stories.Which brings me to the third point - the narrative arc of the book. In a September 15 Washington Post article, Ms. Millard says, "If I have learned anything about nonfiction writing, it is that the challenge is not in finding a great story to tell. More often than not, real life is so rich, complex and unpredictable that it would seem completely implausible in the pages of a novel. The difficulty lies in understanding the people you are writing about -- not their actions, or even their thoughts, but their deepest character."Recognizing that facet of history writing has proven critical and successful as Millard unleashes a narrative as engaging as any work of fiction. Destiny of the Republic pulls the reader in immediately. Its Prologue is storytelling craftsmanship that weaves suspense, a foreshadowing of murderous psychology and showing the reader that the author is going to provide rich elements to the history it explores.The book delivers a cohesive story. Other reviews have already applauded the narrative qualities of the book:In the Christian Science Monitor (September 13), Erick Spanberg says, "Millard builds a popular history that is both substantive and satisfying. Filled with memorable characters, hairpin twists of fate and consequences that bring a young nation to the breaking point ..."Another reviewer says "... Candice Millard's The Destiny of the Republic manages to do more than justify its existence. Indeed she manages to present a compelling, tense work of history, a book that has the potential to cross over in the way that Manhunt and Devil in the White City did."This book deserves to be mentioned in the company of those excellent books. Millard has crafted diverse facts into a colorful mosaic of the times. Regarding her research, she notes in her book's Acknowledgements: "...every time I visited one of these archives I found largely forgotten items that, more than a century after Garfield's death, brought him suddenly and vividly to life."Millard's joy of discovery translates well to her narrative. Her enthusiasm is contagious.

In 1881, when President James A. Garfield passed from this life, the entire nation was in mourning. Even though the wounds of the Civil War were still fresh in people's minds and thus made for a very divisive landscape, the attempt on Garfield's life brought America together like nothing else could have.So it might have come as a surprise to some when, shortly after Garfield died, the New York Times predicted that he would soon be forgotten as time moved on.The New York Times was right.Because its writers were so prescient, a book would be needed to give present-day readers a fresh look at our nation's twentieth president. Candice Millard does just that in her accessibly written, thoroughly documented volume, Destiny of the Republic.This book begins as a biography of two people: James Garfield and his assassin, Charles Giteau. In this, Millard does an artful job of showing a study in contrasts: where one excelled academically, the other one failed. Where one was a leader with gravitas who inspired many, the other was despised wherever he went, and in whatever occupation he held. Where one upheld honesty as a virtue, the other was a notorious cheat. Where one sought to live humbly, the other one had a magnified view of himself. And where one derided the spotlight and only sought power when it was thrust upon him, the other one had delusions of grandeur.Giteau believed that he had helped Garfield win the presidency due to a speech he had written (see delusions of grandeur, above). Therefore, he sought his reward from the president: to be appointed to the U.S. consulate in Paris. As it became clear that the Garfield administration viewed him as a pest to be ignored, Giteau became vengeful, and sought to kill the president.While Giteau did pierce Garfield's body with a bullet, this is not what killed him; and in this lies the true tragedy of the story. A Doctor Bliss quickly arrived on the scene, and appointed himself to be in charge of Garfield's recovery through sheer force of personality. In the process, he did everything wrong, medically speaking. It was Bliss' errors, not Giteau's bullet, which led to Garfield's death three months later.But there is also another character of note whom Millard rightly draws attention to: Vice President Chester A. Arthur. Placed on the 1880 Republican ticket to mollify the power-hungry Senator Roscoe Conkling, Arthur was ill-respected; in fact, having him on the ticket seemed to many to be a solid life-insurance policy for President Garfield!However, when news reached Arthur of the assassin's bullet, and of Garfield's subsequent demise, he was visibly affected, and wept bitterly. When he became president upon Garfield's death, President Arthur rose to the occasion, thanks in large part to a then-anonymous fan. So ultimately, Destiny of the Republic is just as much about Chester Arthur as it is about James Garfield and Charles Giteau.Another point of interest: early on, nearly an entire chapter is devoted to Alexander Graham Bell, who was fresh off his invention of the telephone. One initially wonders why; as great as Bell was, this early section seems like a major distraction. But later, Millard's method is seen: Bell became a major figure in the attempt to save the president's life, working day and night to create a type of metal detector to try and locate the bullet lodged in Garfield's body.For these reasons, Destiny of the Republic is a very compelling story about a forgotten tragedy of U.S. history. But it is also about a man who, had providences been different, could have become one of our nation's great presidents (Garfield); and two men who were Garfield's polar opposites, albeit each in his own way. One of them, Giteau, would achieve his ambition of fame, but not nearly in the way that he had hoped. The other one, Arthur, became a changed man who rose to the occasion when his nation needed it most.I highly recommend this book, both for historical accuracy and excellent prose.