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FULL DISCLOSURE As most any reader of my reviews knows, I am not a fan of the current POTUS. I was North Dakota Hillary Clinton delegate to the state convention and also was elected to preside over the national delegate selection committee. Still, I am reviewing the writing of this book, and will refrain from any thoughts I have regarding its impact on President Trump or on the Mueller investigation of any possible collusion. As I prepared to write this review, I searched for the most apt quote. Instead of one, I found two that summarize James Comey’s take on serving in government: ‘Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good. - Joe Paterno Demakis, Joseph. The Ultimate Book of Quotations (p. 466). Unknown. Kindle Edition. A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. - George William Curtis Demakis, Joseph. The Ultimate Book of Quotations (p. 387). Unknown. Kindle Edition. After a too-long introduction, Comey recounts an experience he and his brother endured while quite young. The re-telling of this tale is riveting and indicative of a serious, thoughtful man that impressed me far more than any appearance he has made before congress or the media. I hope every reader will consider what young Comey went through, while going through a predicament that had him contemplating his own death twice, one evening. His frank discussion of his own weakness while confronting a thief is not what one would expect from a man now standing 6-foot eight-inches tall. To admit his cowardice and thoughts for self-preservation requires courage. Most of the early pages read more as a memoir than as the anticipated, and hyped, expose on President Donald J. Trump. Are these pages necessary content? I will let others decide. The writing, however, is far more engaging than I expected. What is interesting is the life lessons the author flashes back on while a young attorney (idolizing Rudy Giuliani, initially, then learning of his hero’s demand for the spotlight at all cost), and then harking back to earlier lessons as a teen and as a college student. Often, I am put off while trying to track through shifts in time, back and forth, in the way this book wrenches us. With this story, though, it worked okay. BLUSH FACTOR As with most modern books on politics and crime, there are a few profanities, so consider this while sharing with others. For me, though, the mention of such is notable because of the writer’s penchant, in public, to use such Boy Scout clean phrases as “Lordy” to substitute for more profane forms of exclamation. Still, I had no personal issues with the very few cuss words. HOW & WHERE SHOULD I READ THIS? I bought, both, the Kindle and the Audible version. I probably also will purchase the hard cover in time, for this is a book I want to refer to again and again. It is that prescient. However, the most gratifying version, for me, is the Audible copy, as it is narrated by James Comey, himself. While listening to him read his own words, I feel, I get a better sense of what he tried to communicate, and to his own character. HOW MUCH CONTENT IS DEVOTED TO TRUMP & COLLUSION? Basically, the first 40 percent of the book is devoted to other considerations, including memoir and such. So, if you’re looking for juicy stuff, be prepared to skip over the first half. As you do so, though, be aware that you will be missing the most entertaining, informative writing I’ve come across in recent years. At least as compared to other people who’ve served us in government. I’ve probably already irritated many readers with so much discussion. Still, I felt my take might help others understand that this story is far more than a few salacious sound bites that critics have been repeating to us in the media. I mean, Comey’s life story is outstanding and the telling to us is far better written and more engaging than I ever anticipated. EXCERPT Patrice and I were planning to stay in Richmond forever. We had good public schools, and a nice and relatively inexpensive house in a safe neighborhood. After Collin’s death, we had a healthy baby girl in 1996 and added another in 2000. We would raise the five kids in Richmond. I would do work I loved. We were set. Then the country was attacked on 9/11, and my phone rang. I was home from work one day in October 2001, watching the two youngest girls. Patrice was at church for the foundational meeting of a women’s group she was starting. She spoke inspiringly to the women about growing old together. But she couldn’t hear our phone ring from there. I heard it at home and answered. The man said he was calling from the White House because the president would like to know if I would be willing to return to Manhattan as the United States Attorney, the chief federal prosecutor. I assumed it was one of my hilarious friends, so I began to say, “Yeah, why don’t you kiss my a—” when the man cut me off, saying this was not a joke. President George W. Bush needed to appoint a new United States Attorney, there was something of a political logjam in New York over the pick, and they had decided I was the right person: I had worked in that office, I had done terrorism cases, and I would be acceptable to Democrats and Republicans. Would I do it? It is difficult at this distance to capture the feeling of the fall of 2001, a time of unity and purpose and anxiety in the country. Of course I will do it, I replied, “but my wife’s not home right now. I will call you back if she has a problem.” I hung up the phone, abandoned my caregiving responsibilities, and went out to stand in the driveway to wait for Patrice, my heart pounding. After what seemed like hours, she came driving up in our red Ford minivan. She got out, took one look at my face, and asked, “What’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong,” I answered, standing in the driveway without my little girls. “A guy called from the White House and asked me to be the U.S. Attorney in New York.” Her eyes started to well up. “You can’t say no.” “I didn’t say no. But I told him I would call back if you had a problem.” She began crying, her open hands covering her face. “I’m going back to New York. Oh my God, I’m going back to New York.” We were going back to New York, where the World Trade Center site still smoked. I would lead 250 prosecutors with hundreds of cases, ranging from terrorism to violent crime to corporate fraud, including what would be one of the most high-profile cases of my career. Patrice opened the minivan’s sliding door and the large ceramic plate that had held the bagels she took to church slid out. In a moment that was hard not to take as a prophetic metaphor, it shattered on the driveway. Comey, James. A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership (pp. 48-49). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition. BOTTOM LINE I was prepared for a letdown. And, due to the media blitz and concentration on how much detail the writer spent on Trump’s appearance, I was prepared to even offer negative thoughts. Upon reading it, and especially upon listening to James Comey read his own words, I have concluded that what James Comey experienced, and what James Comey has reported, is classic Donald Trump versus Government. Unfortunately, Trump now IS the government. We are in for a rocky time. Five stars out of five. I trust readers of this review will offer up some advice as to what I did well, and what I did poorly in summarizing what I liked and what I did not like about this book. All viewpoints are respected and welcome, if provided in a similar vein. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my thoughts and, especially, for taking a moment to pass on your thoughts.