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The Anarchist

John Smolens

3.37 · Rating details · 183 ratings · 36 reviews

On a stifling, hot afternoon in September 1901, a young anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, who has been stalking President William McKinley, waits in line to meet the president, his right hand wrapped in a handkerchief and held across his chest as though it were in a sling. But the handkerchief conceals a .32-caliber revolver. When the president greets him, Czolgosz fires two ...more

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published December 8th 2009 by Broadway Books (first published December 1st 2009)

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Nov 13, 2009 Ron Charles rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, political-fiction

Alleged White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi never posed any threat to the president, but they reached him so easily at a time of heightened security that the parallels to a tragic encounter 100 years ago are truly frightening. In 1901, as today, America was suffering economic turmoil while battling shadowy zealots trying to destabilize Western governments with acts of terror and assassination. These early-20th-century anarchists disrupted markets and kept political leaders in a Alleged White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi never posed any threat to the president, but they reached him so easily at a time of heightened security that the parallels to a tragic encounter 100 years ago are truly frightening. In 1901, as today, America was suffering economic turmoil while battling shadowy zealots trying to destabilize Western governments with acts of terror and assassination. These early-20th-century anarchists disrupted markets and kept political leaders in a state of constant anxiety. Given the threat level, the rumors about plots against the president's life and the unprecedented security arrayed to protect him, how could a young man walk up to President William McKinley and murder him? That shocking breach of security is the subject of John Smolens's smart and compelling historical thriller.

Although the story takes place in Buffalo, it's at a time when the influence of Washington, D.C., is flooding over that city. Newly reelected President McKinley is coming in a month with his fragile wife to see the Pan-American Exposition and deliver the most important speech of his career. He's determined to be accessible, even with the murders of Lincoln and Garfield still haunting the nation. A Pinkerton detective named Jake Norris has been sent ahead from the capital to investigate any possible threats, but the leads are so numerous that "it's like trying to hold water in your palm." On the first page, one of Norris's recently hired spies is pulled from the Erie Canal; someone beat her to death with a rope. So begins a frantic search to stop a man who will eventually alter 20th-century history.

Smolens creates the whole spectrum of 1901 Buffalo, from the garish whorehouses where assassins' plans are whispered, to the elegant residence where the McKinleys and their entourage prepare for the largest crowd that has ever seen a president. But beyond the rich detail of an era rushing from horse-drawn carriages to newfangled automobiles, the novel is very much invested in its ensemble of characters, both real and invented. The relationship between McKinley and his wife is drawn with such tenderness that the dim sepia-toned images of our 25th president -- so long eclipsed by Teddy Roosevelt -- will be forever replaced in your mind. Detective Norris is a striking figure, too, an arrogant, brutally efficient man determined to maintain the Pinkertons' reputation without any qualms about civil rights. But the real hero of the novel is a canal worker named Moses Hyde, whom Norris enlists to spy on an anarchist who's been talking about shooting the president.

The Pan-American Exposition has never attained the mythic status of Ford's Theatre or Dealey Plaza, but if you're interested in a historical novel like this, you already know what's going to happen to McKinley in Buffalo, which makes creating suspense a serious problem. Smolens surmounts that challenge by placing the assassination just a third of the way through the novel. While the tragedy plays out with sober inevitability, it's still an extraordinarily gripping scene, slowed to quarter speed and realized in small, intimate details.

Leon Czolgosz (Shol-gosh), the calm young man who walks up to McKinley and shoots him twice with a handgun, is a haunting presence throughout "The Anarchist." Convinced that "as long as there are leaders, none of us will ever be free," Czolgosz won't defend himself or help his court-appointed lawyers enter an insanity plea during the cursory trial. Smolens has no interest in exonerating this lost son of Polish immigrants, but he presents the assassin in all his odd contradictions and tragic naivete. The man who sometimes went by the name "Neiman" ("Nobody" in German) is eerily gentle and egotistical, alternately fragile and impassioned, and deeply entranced by the rabble-rousing of Emma Goldman. Seeing the mob trying to break into the prison and kill him, he's pleased: "He had done this," he thinks with pride. "He had caused them to come together. Hatred and anger were necessary to change. . . . Perhaps this one act, assassinating William McKinley, would spark the revolt and thousands of workers would rise up." It's a terrifying example of the danger posed by one lonely, messianic man. "You're perfectly rational," a psychiatrist tells Czolgosz in prison. "People like you will be a great threat in the future."

Have you ever cut yourself on a piece of glass without realizing it? Just like that, Smolens slides through gruesome episodes in such muted, unadorned prose that you barely realize what's happened until you see the blood. The genius of this novel is the tension he creates by moving quickly from quiet, moving scenes in the president's sickroom or Czolgosz's prison cell to raw, startling flashes of violence during the criminal investigation. As the country burns with paranoia, anarchists, socialists and communists are rounded up, beaten and detained, while Norris and Hyde race to catch a conspirator who may kill them first.

It's an enthralling descent into the dark byways of the criminal mind and the vast system of canals that ran through Buffalo. Here is the crime that launched the 20th century, the unlikely imprint of a lonely man's delusion on the soft metal of the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/... ...more

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Jul 25, 2018 Javier Romero rated it liked it

This main story was driving enough for me to finish the book but there wasn't much enthusiasm as I did so. At the time of my reading I didn't have another book to read so it filled my time as that. The assassin character has his drives and I kept reading out of a want to see how the author tied it all up.
It wrapped up fine and after reading I didn't really care one way or the other.

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Nov 13, 2019 Terry rated it it was amazing

I liked it.

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May 10, 2010 Ciara rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2010

historical fiction about leon czolgocz, who assassinated president william mckinley in buffalo in september 1901. the book follows czolgocz starting a few days before the assassination, up until his final incarceration in the prison where he was to be executed. there are some side stories, as well, including the relationship between the mckinleys & their executive doctor, who hides mrs. mckinley's frail health from the public. the most dominant story was about moses hyde, a canawler on the historical fiction about leon czolgocz, who assassinated president william mckinley in buffalo in september 1901. the book follows czolgocz starting a few days before the assassination, up until his final incarceration in the prison where he was to be executed. there are some side stories, as well, including the relationship between the mckinleys & their executive doctor, who hides mrs. mckinley's frail health from the public. the most dominant story was about moses hyde, a canawler on the erie canal who was recruited by a pinkerton detective hired to arrange security for the president's buffalo visit. the pinkerton needed hyde to act as an informant within the local anarchist community & keep him appraised of any plots to assassinate the president or otherwise disrupt the visit. hyde immediately stumbles upon czolgocz & just as immediately figures out what he's planning to do. he introduces czolgocz to a prostitute he likes to visit, a readheaded russian named motra. hyde is in love with her. czolgocz doesn't seem that comfortable with ladies, but he gives her a copy of looking forward & promises to help her learn how to read english better. czolgocz visits her again the day before the assassination. they are interrupted by hyde, who discovers the gun. motra clocks him over the head with her chamber pot, thinking he plans to shoot czolgocz, allowing czolgocz to escape & carry out the assassination.

& the other big side plot involves a little crew of anarchists, led by herman gimmel, who want to either bust czolgocz free from the clutches of the criminal justice system, or kill him in the process, turning him into an anarchist marytr. the pinkertons enlist hyde to infiltrate this group, which he does, & shenanigans ensue, including the kidnapping of the very pinkerton who put hyde up to the infiltration, hyde's foiling of gimmel's plan to blow up the train taking czolgocz to prison, etc.

so what did i think? honestly, as a lady, i did not really enjoy reading this book. the only lady characters are frail, epileptic mrs. mckinley, who mostly has various fits & has to be cared for by her husband & various doctors; clementine, a prostitute who is brutally murdered before the book even begins (the pinkerton's original anarchist infiltrator); & motra, the prostitute hyde is in love with, who gets a happy ending but not a lot of personality or humanity. there are many, many allusions to emma goldman, but a shocking percentage of them are from pinkteron detectives & law enforcement officials laughing about how much they'd like to rape her & how they've heard that all those radical women are ravenous sluts.

this is exactly why i don't really go out of my way to read a lot of books by men. this kind of writing about women, where women are archetypes & serve mostly as sexual foils for more nuanced & multi-faceted male characters, is not fun for me to read, as a woman. i don't especially enjoy reading about women being raped (which does happen in this book) or women being beaten to death (which also happens). i don't care if that sort of thing really does happen, or if it makes for narrative tension or whatever. i don't care if we are supposed to dislike the men who perpetrate these crimes. i wonder what the authors of books that treat women in such a cavalier, inhumane way expect from their audiences. did john smolens imagine any women reading his book? or was it merely an exercise in historical masturbation cloaked in a shallow veneer of contempt for anarchism as a political philosophy?

i didn't hate this book, but i can't say i'd really recommend it to anyone. there's better historical fiction out there, there's better historical fiction about anarchism, there's better historical fiction about presidential assassinations...this was just nothing special. even its vague misogyny was very humdrum. ...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Timothy Bazzett rated it it was amazing

This is my seventh Smolens boook and his newest. I've reviewed all of them, except, I think, his collection of stories called My One and Only Bomb Shelter. I read that back before I began reviewing, I think, but it's equally good. I'm running out of superlatives for Smolens' work. This one is every bit as good as the others, and bears the Smolens stamp of superlative (there's that word again), plot, pacing, suspense and - especially - characters. The extra element here is an obvious attention to This is my seventh Smolens boook and his newest. I've reviewed all of them, except, I think, his collection of stories called My One and Only Bomb Shelter. I read that back before I began reviewing, I think, but it's equally good. I'm running out of superlatives for Smolens' work. This one is every bit as good as the others, and bears the Smolens stamp of superlative (there's that word again), plot, pacing, suspense and - especially - characters. The extra element here is an obvious attention to extensive and careful research about the era - 1901. One would think that an "historical" novel like this would be difficult to present as a "suspense" novel, since you kinda know what happened. But nope. Smolens pulls it off. I'm not sure exactly how he did this hat trick either. Probably a combination of things. One, he introduces a few fictional characters and subplots which all come stunningly together in a powerful conclusion. Two, probably not too many people actually know a whole lot anymore about the McKinley assassination now, over a hundred years later. It never got the attention of, say, Lincoln's murder. Since this is a book about the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, the historical figures are there too. McKinley, his wife, his personal physician and a few other minor political figures. But it's the assassin who takes center stage among these real-life figures, and I suspect because not a whole lot was ever known about Leon Czolgosz, there may be more literary license taken with him. And Smolens uses that license to drive much of the story. I might say the story appealed to me even more because of the Midwestern characters - McKinley from Ohio, and Czolgosz from Detroit and Cleveland. But that really didn't figure into my appreciation of the story, since most of it took place in and around Buffalo during the Exposition. Like all of Smolens' books, this is simply flat-out terrific writing. There is something very cinematic about Smolens' novels. As you read them, you can easily picture them playing out on a big screen. The descriptions of places, people and action are like script directions, and the dialogue is simply pitch-perfect. What a fantastic film The Anarchist would make. I don't go to many movies anymore, but I would gladly get off my old duff to go see this one. How about it, Hollywood? ...more

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Apr 17, 2010 Lou Yonke rated it really liked it

This is another in an ever-growing list of historical fiction novels that I really enjoyed reading. Reading about President McKinley's 1901 assassination made me feel like a time-traveler. John Smolens taught me about a very specific time in history that my teachers had quickly glossed over during high school history class. What people thought about the future in times past always makes us rethink our own ideas about the future.

One character says "River commerce, canals - even your horse will ...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Brandi rated it really liked it

I enjoyed the book, primarily because I'm from Canton, Ohio and I realized what little I knew of William McKinley. The monument is quite beautiful and worth a visit if ever in the area, but it's more for workouts than anything these days. I think I will revisit it and read more on this man. The book gave me enough information to understand how he was killed, but because it was based on a fictional character, he didn't delve into McKinley very much. I thought the storyline was ok. There were ...more

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Sep 09, 2016 Art rated it liked it

The Anarchist is Leon Czolgosz (Chol-gosh), who assassinates President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in September 1901.

This novel captures the mood of anarchy of the time extremely well. World leaders were being killed by anarchists who thought they were advancing the cause of world peace and the unity of the workers by doing away with leaders.

Knowing this -- and under fairly tight security -- it is amazing that Czolgosz was able to stand in line for hours and shake ...more

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Feb 16, 2010 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, class-issues, crime, immigrants, early-20th-century, fictionalized-historical-characters, politics, adult-fiction, tom-read, 2010

I should probably state at the onset that John's an old friend,but I do think he's out-done himself here, moving into Doctorow territory. While I do miss his ability to describe landscape and nature (sacrificed in a story that has urban roots), he does apply his ability to build a scene towards the feel of 1901 Buffalo, New York. This story of McKinley's asassination builds a little slowly at first as characters are introduced, but then it takes off like a shot (okay, bad metaphor..). The turn ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Darryl Mexic rated it liked it

Mystery writer and college English professor, John Smolens, weaves a fictional plot around the factual account of the assassination of President William McKinley by anarchist Leon Czolgosz, a young loner driven by the passionate speeches of Emma Goldman (aka Red Emma) and a belief that it is his duty to kill the president in support of the common working man. The fictional part involves Moses Hyde, an orphaned canawler working on the Erie Canal and hero of the novel, a Russian immigrant ...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Rowena rated it it was ok

It's hard to imagine presidents once met with the public on a face-to-face basis with limited security. He mingled with them, and even shook hands (without hand sanitizer, too. gross). On a warm August afternoon in 1901, President McKinley was shot twice by a man firmly entrenched in his belief that the world should exist sans government. Needless to say, future presidents limited their public engagements from that point on.

My summary is brief simply because not much happened in this book. Sure, ...more

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May 22, 2010 Matthew rated it it was amazing

Excellent book,exciting, and encouraging in a number of ways. GK Chesterton says in his book the Everlasting Man that historical fiction is perhaps the most accurate historical writing of all because it includes emotions, motivations, and passion, for the acts commited throughout histor. The emotions and thought of the asassin in this novel may not be those of the actual killer of McKinley, they are fascinating to contemplate.

Another interesting, and valuable aspect of this book is to learn that ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 River rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction-about-anarchists

This book is based on the assassination of President McKinley by Leon Czolgosz. It's been a while since I've read much about the history of Czolgosz and the assasination, but from what I remember there isn't much of a historical record about Czolgosz and he had relatively few connections to the anarchist movement at the time.

Author John Smolens takes advantage of this, weaving a story that integrates prostitution, sexual perversion, and all sorts of other stuff into the anarchist struggle. There ...more

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Dec 08, 2009 Crown Publishing rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

I really liked this book. I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but this book felt different than the other I've read. It was dark and had noir / detective elements to it - plus it was informative! When you think about the U.S. Presidents who have been assassinated you rarely read about William McKinley, but the story behind his assassination is fascinating.

My favorite scenes in the book feature Theodore Roosevelt, who was McKinley's VP. The author does a great job of making his ...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Jesse rated it liked it

Fictional historical narrative of Leon Czolgosz assassinating President whats-his-face written by a sympathetic liberal English professor. Not bad. Readable. Interesting. The protagonist is a anarchist-sympathizer who is actually a Pinkerton spy. Author does the whole I-agree-with-their-ideas-but-disagree-with-their-tactics thing, so the villains are the coppers and the bomb-throwers and the heroes are Czolgosz and the President. Hmmm. Worth a read for those who care about anarchist history, but ...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Jen added it

The Anarchist is the best kind of history lesson. It takes the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 by anarchist Leon Czolgosz, builds on the foundation of real people--Czolgosz, McKinley, McKinley's wife Ida, vp Teddy Roosevelt, and Emma Goldman--mixes in a cast of original characters--a canawler, a prostitute, a Buffalo police captain, and a Pinkerton detective--to create an inventive thriller. This is a great book to give to a brother, husband, or father--but only after you've read it ...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Tina rated it it was ok

Shelves: abandoned

Really struggling with this book. I haven't found any characters that I care about and am bored out of my mind. I hate to put a book down once I start reading it, but I may need to do just that. It does put me right to sleep every night, however.
Stick a fork in me, I'm done. My time is too valuable.

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Sep 12, 2010 wally rated it it was amazing

Shelves: smolens

excellent portrayal of the story about leon czolgosz (i learned how to pronounce the name--that's in the story, as well, but alas i don't have a page number), september 1901, and when president mckinley meets leon, leon fires two shots.

interesting read, in light of the tragedy of a more recent september, 9/11.

this is a real good story, captivating and real.

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May 11, 2011 Mark rated it really liked it

This historical fiction was both entertaining and educational. It brought to life the early 20th century problem of anarchists which was an ever present threat, much like terrorist are today. The book flowed really well up until the assasination but seemed to slow to the finish. I would defineately reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in history but needs it in an entertaining fashion.

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Jun 27, 2011 Rob Mentzer added it

Pretty silly. I am sort of interested in the politics of the time (early 1900s) and thought it might be fun to read a novel about it. It was a little, small bit of fun, was all. Sort of a clumsy potboiler overall.

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Jul 26, 2011 Tom Buske rated it liked it

A decent fictional account of the assassination of President McKinley by anarchist Leon Czolgosz in 1901. It is a good companion piece to the Dennis Lehane book set in Boston in the 1910s "The Given Day".

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Apr 02, 2012 Patrick DiJusto rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012

This is historical fiction about Leon Czolgosz and the assassination of President William McKinley. I know more than a bit about this event, and historically the book is wonderfully accurate. The story weaves in and out of the known facts, and really evokes the time and place.

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Nov 18, 2012 Karen Rudisill rated it really liked it

Interesting book about the assissination of President McKinley that seems to have received little historical attention. Interesting insight into the time of anarchists (would we call them terrorists today?) at the turn of the centruy.

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Jun 28, 2015 Orioles2013 rated it really liked it

Interesting historical fiction. I knew nothing about anarchism in the United States. Book focuses on the anarchist who assassinated President McKinley. It has wetted my appetite to read more about the anarchist movement in the early 20th century.

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Feb 16, 2010 Joel rated it did not like it

Pretty disappointing. I never really cared about anyone in this book. It didn't suggest any new or interesting insights into the historical even it was supposed to be dealing with. Read Caleb Carr's Alienist books instead. Much more interesting.

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Jun 08, 2010 JoeM rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-10

Multiple storylines around the assassination of William McKinley. I like the detail to clothing and the characters' environment. I think I wanted more detail about life on the canal. At times, the stories felt forced together - but I did enjoy the book. It was a good summer read.

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Feb 19, 2013 Vicky rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club

Not for me. Had to read it for book club and I got through it. I did like the end though.

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May 29, 2010 Allen Elggren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The assination of Pres. McKinley. Early 1900 Buffalo and intrigue on surrounding the Assination and efforts by other anarchists to disrupt the country.

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Nov 26, 2009 Shandra Jackson rated it liked it

Wow the descriptions of Cleveland and the surrounding areas is like so real.

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Jan 30, 2011 Deborah Harless rated it really liked it

I heard this author speak at a book festival, and it sounded so interesting I bought the book on the way out. It was great, a quick read and really interesting

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About John Smolens

John Smolens

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According to Northern Michigan University's website, John Smolens "...has published five novels Cold, The Invisible World, Fire Point, Angels Head, and Winter by Degrees, and one collection of short stories (My One and Only Bomb Shelter.) Cold was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and the Detroit Free Press selected Fire Point as the best book by a Michigan author in ...more