The Temple of Music by Jonathan Lowy

Well, this is another book I never thought I'd finish. The Temple of Music is a historical novel that is based in fact. It is basically the story of the people and events that led up to President William McKinley's assassination in 1901. 

Mostly what made this book a bit difficult for me was the format; it is totally different than any other book I remember reading. The author skips from one character to another to tell their particular story in a particular time. The sequence of events is not necessarily chronological, making it a bit of a "keeping you on your toes" reading experience.

From the book jacket:

America is starkly divided between the haves and the have-nots. A Republican president seeks reelection in the afterglow of a war many view as unnecessary and imperialistic. He is bankrolled by millionaires, with every step of his career orchestrated by a political mastermind.  Religious extremists crusade against the nation's moral collapse. Terrorists plot the assassination of leaders around the world. And a lonely, disturbed revolutionary stalks the President . . . .

This book was interesting, but I knew next to nothing about this snippet of American history. I wasn't even sure when McKinley was president before reading The Temple of Music, which refers to the building at the 1901 Buffalo World's Fair where Leon Czolgosz shot President McKinley in a receiving line.

All in all, I like The Temple of Music:  I learned about the McKinley era/assassination, the writing was very good, and the author's filling in the blanks made the historical facts come alive.

 
Book Read: The Temple of Music

Author:  Jonathan Lowy

ISBN:  0-609-60819-3