A Higher Loyalty
Truth, Lies, and Leadership
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 30 days of Standard free
A Higher Loyalty
Buy Now for £10.76
-
Narrated by:
-
James Comey
-
By:
-
James Comey
Summary
The inspiration for The Comey Rule, the Showtime limited series starring Jeff Daniels premiering September 2020
The sensational number one bestseller about taking on the mafia, the Clintons and Trump.
In his Number One bestselling memoir A Higher Loyalty, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.
Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.
Critic reviews
Emotional and formative
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A book that shows a man that is puritanical and dedicated to his nation, a man that follows the rules even when it is not convenient or very challenging; a man that believes in honour and duty.
He wants us to know how he has lived his life and what his aspirations are, he wants us to understand that the president of the United States is a danger to his nation, a bully, that soils the country this man loves.
For me, the most memorable story in the book is the loss of his son and also the most telling in his humanity. I did not agree with him when he reopened the investigation on Hilary Clinton, but he had real reasons that and no good options, sadly he derailed an election and was one of the victims of his action; hopefully, this idiocrasy will end soon, and no greater harm is produced.
Trying to stay clean, when touched by garbage.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
History will say how factual his book has been or not.
Impartial.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would you consider the audio edition of A Higher Loyalty to be better than the print version?
With Comey narrating his own story, the audio version is really compelling. I wasn't expecting the touches of humour, the love and respect that comes through for his wife and children, his grief over a painful family tragedy, his shame at actions he regrets and most of all the sense that this is a man reflecting back on what his experiences have shown him about what leadership and public service means. Listening to him I found myself smiling, crying and really thinking about morality, about right and wrong, about choices. I strongly recommend getting this book in audio, it gives it a really valuable extra dimension.Who was your favorite character and why?
This isn't a book about Trump, it's a book about Comey. The first third or so focuses on the events and people who shaped him, from the impact of childhood bullying and an armed robbery to the significance of people like his parents, one of his first bosses and his wife, who showed him what ethics meant. He talks too about the work during his early years on the mafia, and what he learned. The book goes on to review his experiences working with the Bush and later the Obama administration, and includes powerful accounts of the role of Cheney and others in getting a sanction for what was effectively torture, and his experience of having a real back and forth with Obama on the anger in the black vs police issue. It's only in the last sections that you get to the Clinton investigation, the election and then Trump.This is very much a reflection on Comey's whole life, and there are a lot of lines and stories which stick with me. In discussing his meetings with the mafia he notes that 'evil has an ordinary face', he repeatedly comes back to the dangers of 'surrendering to the group' at the expense of your own moral compass, and there's a running question of what real leadership is. He focuses on the importance of listening, the dangers of putting partisanship before truth, and most of all humility (Rudy Giuliani makes an appearance early on as the antithesis of that). That kind of tone may not be everyone's taste but I found it really fascinating maybe because so much of what he's talking about relate to things I'm thinking through seeing what's happening in the world right now.
What does James Comey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
If I'd read the book, I probably wouldn't have resisted the temptation to jump to the Trump sections at the end, and that would have been my loss. Most of what was in those chapters I knew already and the main value add was hearing his comments on them, and understanding the references Comey makes to events in his past which influenced his views.The earlier sections of the book were for me far more interesting. His account of how Cheney and others in the Bush team were able to manipulate the system to allow torture to be used in interrogations is sickening but important. His personal anger over that comes through strongly and for me it did explain his response to be fired. There's also a lot of attention given to issues around Black Lives Matter and tensions with law enforcement. There's a lot more there I'd like to hear, not least given the Terry Albury revelations but it was nevertheless interesting to hear his perspective and I appreciate that he didn't gloss over it.
Most of all, this feels like a very personal book and the audio version really brings out the emotions he experiences throughout.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Under the skin of the FBIFascinating account of lifetime in public service
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read the book open minded, as I read all books I read, whether I agree or disagree with the content. I normally assume that the person I am listening to might know something I don't know.
I found this book an interesting read, with some amazing leadership lessons everyone can benefit from. Whether it all happened as written, and whether James Comey meant all he did as described is kind of irrelevant to the message he wants to share. Now, I haven't served under him in the FBI, so I don't know what kind of leader he in reality was. Nonetheless, the leadership principles and practical insights are priceless and serve an example for many.
Leadership lessons everyone can benefit from
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.