interesting- as many awful things as Hoover did, I felt like the author took every chance he could to speculate on the fact that he was probably more awful, even though proof was not yet available.That felt inappropriate.
The things that evidence exists for filled hundreds of pages with some prettyupdetting reading. an education ( )

I found Curt Gentry’s biography on J. Edgar Hoover to be interesting and enlightening. A solid 4 star book.

As with many men who aspire to or achieve greatness and Hoover was both, Hoover was a complex enigma of a man. A converted Presbyterian who considered 2 career path of either a Presbyterian Clergy or Law Enforcement he was a man of early and mid 20th century beliefs and biases.

To say Hoover brought a sense of purpose and professionalism to the FBI is without doubt. That his length of tenure was dramatically too long and that he betrayed many of the aspects of professionalism is also beyond doubt.

Hoover allowed his prejudices against minorities to color his priorities, specifically in his persecution of Martin Luther King Jr. His overriding belief in the evils of international communism led to many of his early successes but ultimately led him to pursue this overwhelmingly over other cases , even when the facts warranted other allocation of resources and colored his view if the anti war movement. His refusal to accept the existence of organized crime and the Mafia was unconscionable.

His insecurity allowed him to build few close relationships and led to him trying to find information to blackmail or or influence others to support him. His acceptance of internal corruption and willingness to engage in it himself was unpardonable for the head of the FBI.

A great man who was greatly flawed.

A wonderful book to gain insight into J. Edgar Hoover as a person and leader. ( )

This book is not only a great biography of J. Edgar Hoover, it is also a comprehensive history of the FBI and the early 20th century in America. ( )

The Epic biography of the longest serving FBI chief. There are some files important than those about nuclear deals and some people eminent than US Presidents.
An Eye opener about the man and his secrets.

A compelling and thorough account of America's Policeman.

It's very frightening to see how long one man can endure at such a high reach of power for so long, and be thought as indispensable and terrifying at once. His utterly calculating and harshly efficient personality led him through crises from disgruntled WWI veterans' riots through to the Watergate coverup - it was arguably his death that led to a collapse in Nixon's defenses, and his later resignation.

With all of these scary details, the biography makes for an interesting read. ( )