Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

<p><b>A<i> BOOKLIST </i> Notable Book of 2012<br></b><br>The extraordinary <i>New York Times </i>bestselling account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of <i>The River of Doubt</i>, Candice Millard. <br> <br>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, a renowned congressman, and a reluctant presidential candidate who took on the nation's corrupt political establishment. But four months after Garfield's inauguration in 1881, he was shot in the back by a deranged office-seeker named Charles Guiteau. Garfield survived the attack, but become the object of bitter, behind-the-scenes struggles for power - over his administration, over the nation's future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, <i>The Destiny of the Republic</i> brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.</p>