This is the 2nd book by
Candice Millard; my book group also read her
River of Doubt, which I found equally engrossing. She is able to tell a good tale about actual historical events, chock full of detail about people as well as places and happenings. The title says it all. I knew nothing about James Garfield but according to Millard's website, "James Abram 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." Not only do we follow the assassin's (Charles Guiteau) paranoid descent into a conviction that God wants him to kill Garfield, but we learn almost more than we want to know about the state of medicine in the United States (the
NYT called Millard's description "fascinating, if appalling") that very probably was the actual cause of Garfield's death. Of course she tells us about the political machinations that got Garfield nominated and elected along with his wildly unpopular vice president, Chester A. Arthur. And we learn about the role of Alexander Graham Bell in trying to save the president with one of his inventions after Garfield was shot. It is truly a fascinating account and if you are a fan of Erik Larson, you will be happy to read this also.
Appropriately laudatory reviews from
The New York Times,
Kirkus,
The Washington Post, and
Publishers Weekly.
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