A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James B. Comey

Ok, yes, you got me, I read this because of all the hype. I expected my anger over Comey's part in the outcome of the election, his bad calls (my opinion) in what he said and when about the Clinton emails, to make this book either unreadable or at the very least not a good read. But I was wrong. 

Comey does at times come off as overly arrogant. But what really comes through is his love of the agency he led for a little while, and for the justice system and country. The best parts of this book are when Comey drops the arrogance and allows a sense of humor and his love of his wife and children to show. 

Ok, I will also admit that I chuckled when I read this part:

And Comey is at his worst self, admittedly, when he forgets what he has learned about leadership and being benevolent. I still disagree with his handling of announcements around the election day approach but he does a good job explaining why he did what he did. As I just said, I still think he didn't make the right choice but I can now understand his thought process and why he did what he did. 

He says he wrote this book because "I also hope it will be useful to readers long after the flames are doused, by inspiring them to chose a higher loyalty, to find truth among lies, and to pursue ethics leadership."

What I am walking away with is a stronger desire to be ever vigilant and to think before I speak with less missteps and to appreciate opinions different from my own. I will continue to try my best to be compassionate and fair minded and to speak up, to speak truth to power, even when it is hard, but to do it in such a way that invites conversation not shuts it down. 

Be aware that while it didn't ruin the book for me, in fact it made Comey seem more human and real to me, there are times when the self pat on the backs and justification for the impact he had on the election become too much. But he has a good message and writes pretty darn well. 

(Finished April 19, 2018)