Dem's Reviews > Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

A fascinating non fiction story, Murder, politics and a medical mystery all in one.

I had passed up on this book on so many occasions. I just could not summon enough interest in an American president that I had never heard about to bother purchasing a book. But the reviews were so compelling that I had to source a second hand copy and what a surprising insightful and fascinating read this one turned out to be.

James Abram Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wonderful Scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nations corrupt political establishment. Four months after he became president he was shot by a deranged office seeker named Charles Guiteau. In this book, the author meticulously researches the before during and after the assassination , the men who tried to save the president, the medicine used and lack off and of course the details of the man who shot the president.

This is a book that is extremely well written from start to finish and I just couldn’t put it down, plenty of photos which really added to my enjoyment of the book. I loved the details and got a wonderful sense of mid 1800s American. You really came to care about James A Garfield and cant help wondering if he had survived what his legacy would have been.
This is one of those books that not only entertains but also educates the reader. A vivid and suspenseful read, certainly a book I will remember many years from now.

I am so grateful to all the reviewers of this book here on Goodreads as it is with your gentle persuasion and compelling reviews that I finally got a copy of this one onto my real life favourites shelf. <\b>