Tim Weiner

This book could have been a fascinating history of our nation from the perspective of the FBI. It was not. The story was told without much context to what was happening politically or culturally in our nation or the world.

In fairness to the author, had that been included it would have made for a much longer book. It was long enough.

The book was mostly a very long list of crimes. Some of those crimes were committed by the FBI. It did not lower my esteem for the organization or my opinion about the challenges they face today.… (more)

I received this book as a gift in 2008 or 2009, and finally got around to reading it in 2023. It was a very interesting history, which, though lengthy, moved along quickly through each time period and historical event, almost a page turner at times. Though I was aware of the questionable covert practices during battles to combat terrorism, I was surprised to read the long history of apparently botched missions and minimal effectiveness in gathering and analyzing intelligence. After finishing the book, I learned that the CIA put out a statement refuting the conclusions of the author, and although the book was favorably reviewed in the journalistic arena, it was criticized in some academic circles. It would be interesting to read an account of what has transpired following the publishing date of this book, and views from a different perspective.… (more)

Here's a quick summary of why you might want to read this: it's a well-researched and documented history of the FBI, including all the good and they bad, about Hoover in particular, but the good-bad stuff didn't end with him of course. Hoover led the FBI for 55 years (about 2/3 of its existence) and so there's a lot about him and his relationships with the many presidents who came and went over during his tenure. The last third of the book takes on the post-Hoover decades: how it slowly rose from the disgrace of Hoover's decline and the Nixon years, through the shock of the terror attacks of the 90s and early aughts. It ends around 2010, so our man Comey hasn't come along yet (except in a fascinating vignette as the Deputy Attorney General).

This book gave me a lot more context in which to place the FBI (and Comey) today, to say nothing of simply being a well-written (the author won a Pulitzer for his history of the CIA) and fascinating history.… (more)