Destiny of the Republic (Candice Millard, 2011)

This past Wednesday I had the joy of completing my first 5-star book of the star, Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. It's not really a presidential biography on Garfield, though I certainly gained a greater appreciation for the man after reading this. It's more of an intersection in the lives of Garfield, Alexander Graham Bell and Charles Guiteau (Garfield's assassin). I think the real "bad guy" of the book was Dr. Doctor Bliss (yes, his first name was Doctor), who's barbarian medical practices ultimately killed the president. We usually think of presidential assassinations as "bang...dead" type events, but Garfield lived for almost three months after being shot. That was surprising and painful to learn. Other interesting bits included the unlikely rise of President Arthur and the significance of Bell, being more than just the "telephone guy". About the only thing more I could have asked for was about Lucretia Garfield's ultimate landing in Southern California, which would explain the abundance of "Garfield" names around Los Angeles and Pasadena!