2024~44. G-Man

Beverly Cage. 2022.

This was one long-ass book.  But I learned so much about the Edgar Hoover and the shocking history of the FBI.  For sure, I knew some things about both the agency and its most notorious director, but I had no idea how much more there was to know and now I really, really know a lot about the topic!  I am not sure I retained all of it because there were some sections that were quite boring and parts where I am sure I let my attention wander.  In some places, it felt like the author had learned something that took her a long time to discover and she just really wanted to make sure it was included. I imagine her editor saying, "You know, we could cut some of this part because it is a little boring" and her response being so passionate and her defense of the passage so detailed and intense that it was easier to just leave it in than to cut it.  Even with that flaw, I found the topic fascinating and her obvious dedication to the material inspiring.  It will renew your paranoia about government overreach and commitment to making sure that civil liberties, particular of young radical left activists are protected. It is something more people should study and really sit with.

Recommend.

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