Destiny of the Republic, by Candice Millard. A history of James A. Garfield, possibly the best President of the U.S. who never quite was. A genuinely admirable, talented man, who reluctantly became President at exactly the time the nation needed a great leader, and very well could have been that person, only to have been assassinated by a delusional monomaniac religious fanatic four months into his Presidency. Brilliant book.
Millard previously published another terrific historical nonfiction book, The River of Doubt, about Theodore Roosevelt's last major expedition, and an equally wonderful read. I recommend both.
caw