Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 29, 2012 Kay rated it really liked it

Shelves: medical, audiobooks, biogr-memoir, true-crime, available-mcpl, nonfiction, american-histry

Originally read in January 2012 -- listened to audiobook. Rereading in Oct-Nov 2016 in book format.

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Nov 14, 2016 Erica rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-history

I'm not a lover of presidential biographies, but this is a great one, focusing on the last months of Garfield's life, his cause of death (an insane assassin's bullet and the septicemia that doctors repeatedly induced in Garfield's body afterward).

For me, the highlights were the details of 19th century medicine (pre-Lister), and the role of Alexander Graham Bell. The opening chapter was by far the most delicious--a close look at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Expo and the way that all of these ...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Katie rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, history, female-author, book-club

I never would have picked up this book if it hadn't been for my book club. The book is about James Garfield, his assassination, and the people and events surrounding it. Given that I have little interest in the subject, I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would, and I am glad that I read it.

I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it moved faster. I know that good historical non-fiction books require quoting of primary source documents, but the quoting of letters and journal entries was ...more

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Dec 28, 2013 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, true-crime, biography, american-history, politics

A well-told story that would make an excellent companion piece to Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation - Millard does an excellent job showing what the nation lost as a result of Guiteau's bullets. Garfield's death was an unnecessary tragedy in many ways, but the loss had profound (and perhaps even positive) effects on the nation's politics and scientific understanding. A great read for fans of presidential history, true crime, the history of medicine/science, and politics. ...more

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Jun 04, 2020 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An excellent book about a president that heretofore I had known little or nothing about... and he deserves some credit for his service to the country.

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