Do You like book J. Edgar Hoover: The Man And The Secrets (2001)?
Curt Gentry's biography of the FBI's first and longest-tenured director reads like one of Hoover's famously lengthy memos - a bloated chore. While well researched, Gentry shows little affection for the lay reader, introducing voluminous casts of characters that pop up periodically without warning or explanation, requiring frequent page-turning for those not well-versed in the history of the Bureau - or the federal government for that matter - from the years 1925-1990. What begins as great promise for an in-depth look at the secretive life of the much-maligned founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation quickly becomes what's known among journalists as "notebook dump." Gentry's work is little more than 700 pages of extremely well-researched fodder slapped together in what can only be called an incoherent narrative that reads as an overlong expose without substance.I may be a bit too hard on the book, which was published in 1991 and likely shocked many of those still reeled in by Hoover's cult of personality as something of an American folk hero, but little of what I read in Gentry's work surprised me or changed the way I felt about the man or the agency he created. An almost deplorable lack of information on Hoover's early life, before a career in the federal government gripped him, is present - unfortunate because it is the most compelling content for the casually interested reader (such as myself) and ends far too quickly, but teases them to continue on.That is how I would describe my experience with "The Man and the Secrets": three days of very entertaining reading followed by a month of bureaucratic memoranda regurgitation. Gentry provides a great history, but for those wanting more the book reads hollow. Another edit, with an eye for narrative flow, would have benefitted the text greatly.
—Kip
Holy moly.First of all, it took me a month to read this book. I picked it up after I saw the movie J. Edgar, with Leonardo Dicaprio, and wondered how historically accurate the movie was. I also realized that while my education taught me a lot about the American Revolution, the Civil War, and tons of European history, it was woefully inadequate when it comes to recent US history.Also, there were several reasons it took so long, besides the fact that it's 700+ pages long.The author spent 15 years writing this book and it is meticulously researched. The amount of info in the text is mindblowing. There are also a lot of people, and sometimes I would lose track of who someone was and have to backtrack to remind myself. It's also heavily footnoted, which slowed me down.The government really loves its initials too. FBI, CIA, OSS, HUAC, ABC, XYZ...again I frequently had to backtrack to remember what a particular agency or committee was all about. And having never heard the expression "feet of clay" before, sometimes I had to look things up.I also, like many reviewers, would put the book aside to do further reading on topics covered very minimally in the book.Like many reviewers, I found this book to be slightly one sided. It's obvious Gentry has a deep dislike for Hoover. I'm not convinced that his attitiude is unwarranted--Hoover was a frightening man. (As a side note, I'm sure Hoover is spinning in his grave these days. It's entertaining to wonder what he would make of Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer et al, gay marriage, 9/11 or Cindy Sheehan.)All in all, I really really enjoyed it.
—Kayris
Lengthy bio on this most complicated man. Gentry relates Hoover's beginnings to his ascent and eventual dominance of the F.B.I.. The numerous characters that surrounded Hoover's life are considerably featured: Dillinger, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Rosenbergs, Joseph McCarthy, the Kennedys, etc.. The author reveals the many-faceted sides of Hoover's personality, from ardent patriot and founder of the modern F.B.I. to a vindictive and malignant control-freak responsible for the ruination of numerous individuals and proponent of notorious activities like COINTELPRO. He also doesn't shy away from the Director's personal life, discussing controversies like Hoover's relationship with celebrities, his paranoia, and his alleged homosexuality. Despite the author's obvious bias against his subject (if Hoover was as completely bad as Gentry makes him out to be, then why does the F.B.I. still exist?) the title is one of the best books on the man.
—Takipsilim