A Higher Loyalty

Truth, Lies, and Leadership

By: James Comey

Narrated by: James Comey

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

The number-one New York Times best seller, now with a new preface!

In his audiobook, A Higher Loyalty, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as US attorney for the Southern District of New York and the US deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance and overseeing the Hillary Clinton email investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.

©2018 James Comey (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Comey's conversational tone instantly connects with the listener, and hearing him deliver the book's highly charged contents in his own voice brings authenticity and immediacy to the presentation.... This greatly anticipated, revelatory memoir needs to be heard." (AudioFile)

"It was essential that Comey himself narrate this book, not only because his absence would have distracted listeners familiar with his voice but also because only the author could credibly convey the range of raw emotions emanating from the experiences he shares from this most eventful of lives." (Booklist, starred review)

Excellent audio book, not JUST headlines

If you could sum up A Higher Loyalty in three words, what would they be?

Surprising good book.

No, it's not just the stuff you saw on the news, but the back story behind a man's entire life.

Yes, you will hear all the other interesting details that you saw in the television interviews and in the media hype BUT you also get to hear about a normal kid, a regular guy, and how he got there in the first place. Even if Comey never had become the Director of the F.B.I., he still would have had a fascinating life.

Any additional comments?

This book is a keeper. And Comey himself is a very good narrator as well.

Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves -- Oscar Wilde

In The Ballad of Reading Gaol, perhaps the poet prisoner's most famous work, Wilde enumerates ways, for the most part vicious or cowardly, that people kill the thing they love. In James Comey's new work, A Higher Loyalty, Comey offers another way: by adhering to overly high principles.

From his encounter at the age of 16 with the Ramsey Rapist to his toe-to-toe stand-off with Dick Cheney and David Addington regarding illegal wiretapping of American citizens, James Comey holds actors on the world stage to a higher standard and is extremely disappointed when they fail, as repeatedly they do, to live up to them. Amazingly for a Republican in law enforcement, Comey permits and encourages his wife and family to criticize him and listens attentively to their criticism which they have no problem offering free of charge. When his wife, Patrice, tells him, "Don't be the torture guy," he says, "I can't talk to you about this." She says words to the effect, we're not talking about it, I'm just telling you, don't be the torture guy. And that advice resonates when Comey, as Deputy Attorney General, is put under tremendous peer pressure to sign off on water boarding and other forms of torture during the Iraq War. When he laments that it is hard to find recruits who can diversify the FBI's all-white culture, his son tells him, "You're the man. No one wants to work for the man." So Comey cut back the starched white shirt, tie and jacket in the office culture that marked the Bureau since Hoover's time.

Personally, I had a hard time comprehending the on-again/off-again Clinton e-mail fiasco when it was happening. After reading this book I understand: Dudley Do-Right had to follow the letter of the law even as a character on par with a James Bond villain stood in the wings to ascend to the presidency. I understand now Comey's dilemma but I, as a person with much less integrity than James Comey, would, also for the good of the country, have made a different decision.

Donald Trump deserved an FBI director like J. Edgar Hoover who, when asked for his loyalty would have reminded the president that rather HE must have the president's loyalty or video and audio recordings as well as photos and testimony now in the director's possession would have him impeached BEFORE he went to prison. James Comey is not that guy. He promised the new president honesty which for Donald Trump is not nearly enough.

I found this book and Mr. Comey's reading of it moving, enlightening, and thought provoking. His thesis on the difference between intelligence and judgement is especially useful. I doubt very much that we have heard the last from James Comey. We have and have had much worse men as president than he is, and his wife would clearly make a spectacular First Lady. Hearing him read this book has given me profound respect and affection for this author.

I Didn't Think I Could Be Shocked

Would you listen to A Higher Loyalty again? Why?

This man lets us into the devious world of political clout from the perspective of a freakin' boy scout. He's a rare animal in these times--he's honest. And he's as merciless in revealing his own character flaws as he is about describing his interactions with the politicos with whom he interacted; not someone who is blind to the unfortunate necessity of ruthless action, but someone who knows how to hold the boundary between forceful action and the dangerously caustic effect of lawlessness. He also explains very clearly, to a world so sedated by sensationalism that they're no longer aware of the foundations on which they stand, WHY adhering to the utter truth is important to every institution we hold dear. This book goes far beyond being a banal "tell-all" about Donald Trump; it's a screaming whistle-blower on the poor and sometimes illegal choices made by our elected officials for over a decade.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Higher Loyalty?

I couldn't even begin to tell you. My copy of the book is so full of highlighted passages that it glows in the dark.

What about James Comey’s performance did you like?

There's a self-deprecating tone to his voice that I found quite humanizing. He doesn't seem to put himself on a pedestal and this encouraged me to think of him more as a peer than a superior--like some unpretentious but fascinating individual that you might meet at the neighborhood barbecue.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I can't imagine.

Any additional comments?

This is an absolute MUST read book. Having it on Audible made it possible for me to absorb it while working on PHotoshopping images.

Definitely worth it!

An engaging listening read more like a memoir I am not a Comey fan however could not help enjoying the book.

Warm. Truthful. A book that is loyal to the nation

People attacking Comey for this book did so before reading it and on both sides of the aisle have an axe to grind. They are so far beyond his own personal ethics and higher loyalties that they cannot recognize actual sincerity and positive values.

This book was an informative, educational and inspiting memoir, only a small portion of which covers the Trump presidency. Any details mentioned do nothing to diminish Comey at all. The limited descriptions are there to either illustrate the scene or to make a point. There is nothing gratuitous or self-serving. What surprised me is how well he can tell a story and how intimate and genuine the book felt. Comey is a person in whom you build a reservoir of trust through knowimg his story and his consistent and admirable life philosophy. He admits to .any errors, but you can always trust that his efforts are sincere and more importantly, thathos judgement is sound. Anyone with an ethcial center and appreciation for our democracy, placed in his shoes, would have to make similar decisons and those decisions by nature of the fact patterns are complex, subtle and are rarely a choice between a good answer and a bad one, but often a bad one and a catestrophic one. I am left much impressed by the man in his weaknesses and doubts as well as his confidence to be humble and yes, he is humble. This book makes me wajt to be a better person and I am grateful that it has been written.

Every young person should hear this book.

I worried initially about the salacious tone of the ‘hands and hair’ portion. Full disclosure, I almost regretted getting it on pre-order. I was wrong. This book is not ALL about Trump, it’s about what the title portends....it is a book about a Murdochesque acknowledgment that we each battle realities of the fallibility of being human, and the great leaders never forget that fact and strive to overcome. In this respect Comey writes this reality; embraces uncomfortable facts about his own decisions and character. To this extent you forgive for the occasional self aggrandizement. If you presume this book is ONLY about Trump, you’re happily wrong. Comey is not defined by the Trump administration. This book assigns Trump to an obviously important, but still only a moderate place in a man’s life. I had read that Comey had let himself and the FBI down. I disagree. If anything it is a love song to American justice. He tells a story in his own voice and I’m glad that he does. So should every parent and educator be. They can now make this available to tomorrow’s generation and I think that they should.

AMAZING on so many levels, highly recommend!!

This is AMAZING on so many levels, I highly recommend this and would encourage anyone to check it out, I honestly don't believe they would be disappointed!!

inspirational.

gripping beginning, chilling present, hopeful future. if you didn't read it all don't judge it

Couldn’t stop listening!

I loved everything about this book. The history of how James Comey got to his different positions, the death of his son, the leaders that inspired him....plus all of the TRUTHS that this very (proven) ethical man has spoken publicly. The Epilogue needs to be public.

Comey for president!

This book was amazingly inspiring. If you want to understand what has been happening with the Trump presidency in clear and concise language, this is the book. As a lifetime career prosecutor Mr. Coney is precise and accurate in his portrayal of the highly questionable events surrounding his engagements and eventual firing from the FBI. Additionally Mr. Comey addresses a number of other cases and other litigation offices across the federal government from his earlier career. The book is extremely well written using examples from Mr. Comey's lifetime to help the reader understand intellectually and emotionally the events and outcomes of the last 2 years. Mr. Comey shows he is human and makes mistakes. He also shows us the benefit of learning from our mistakes and making better decisions as all great leaders should. He inspires us to remember the America we know and love. He calls us to action to stand up against tyranny and lies. Complacent as many voters have become, Mr. Comey calls us to a higher purpose. Although Mr. Comey is not a Republican or a Democrat I truly believe he would make an amazing president. We need more non-partisan highly ethical leaders running our country and Mr. Comey has spent a lifetime being this type of person.