Organizer
Oliver Wolcott Library
Category
History
Adults (21+)
Attend
Register
Description

In-Person & on Zoom:

February Selection: 

We will be exploring Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard - an Edgar Award Winner in 2012.


"Crisp, concise and revealing history. . . . A fresh narrative that plumbs some of the most dramatic days in U.S. presidential history." 

—The Washington Post 

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 became 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, The Destiny of the Republic brings alive a forgotten chapter of U.S. history.

Physical books are available at OWL to borrow and e-books and e-audio books are instantly available for OWL card holders to borrow. 

Click here to read more about this series and for registration & Zoom links.

When
Monday, Feb 9, 2026
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Where
Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South St
,
Litchfield, CT, 06759
How Much
Free