I didn't know much about J. Edgar Hoover before I began this book. Sure, I'd heard the same characterizations of him that most people have, but I couldn't really tell you many facts about him. This book gives fascinating insight to Hoover by someone who actually knew him. Paul Letersky's telling of his time on the periphery of the famous FBI director is compelling. He doesn't just give easily knowable information - he builds the set around the centerpiece. It shows a side of Hoover that - like him or not - doesn't often get conveyed. He tells us about those closest to Hoover on a daily basis, which gives the reader a better understanding of how he really was. I enjoyed the book, not just for details about Hoover, but about Letersky, who's had a pretty interesting life himself.

I was intrigued by this book because the author worked closely with J. Edgar Hoover. The first part of the book explores what it was like to work within the FBI in headquarters and later he describes his work in field offices including in Hijacking cases. Fascinating read! I felt like I had a good inside view of the inner workings of the FBI as well as relationships with the Presidents and Attorney Generals. In general, Letersky tries to paint a balanced view and is clearly biased in favor of J. Edgar Hoover. Some of what he says I take with a grain of salt about how he depicts "the bad guys" but he does talk about some of the arrests he had to make that he did not feel comfortable with so that helped convince me that he was not just touting the party line. In general, this was a very interesting read and I definitely learned new things about J. Edgar Hoover's personality as well as others.

I completely devoured this memoir in one sitting courtesy of NetGalley.

The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover by Paul Letersky completely drew me in from the first sentence--nobody cried at his funeral. Peter Letersky, a former FBI Agent, details his early days as an FBI desk assistant giving glorified tours to the public, essentially writing Hoover's replies to fan mail and doing basically whatever grunt work is asked of him when he gets promoted to working directly for Hoover.

I'm a huge fan of memoirs that tell us how the sausage is made or give a little inside baseball, and this is exactly that for those who are curious about what it was like to work for the FBI toward the end of its glory days as well as in the turbulent, culture shift from the 1950s to 1970s.

There are lots of intriguing anecdotes about Letersky's daily interactions with Hoover, his early days as a desk jockey as well as his eventual field work as a special agent. By far my favorite "character" lurking in these pages was Helen Gandy, a totally unknown female historical figure--and the highest ranked (G-17) and highest paid woman ever at a government agency--that I was very pleased to learn about. It made me want to dig deeper into her life as well.

For me this was a total page turner--informative and engrossing.

The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover by Paul Letersky is a wholly fascinating read. The author, a former FBI Agent, recounts his early days when he worked in the Director’s Office, in Washington D.C., during Hoover’s later years as the head of the organization.

The author comes out right in the beginning and lets the reader know that this is not going to be one of the many works about Hoover based on rumor and supposition. Instead, he provides the reader with what it was like, from the perspective of one of the few who worked in the outer office and encountered his boss daily.

The first third of the autobiography is strong. The author recounts how he fell in love with agency and was called to serve within. Throughout this portion of the book, there are plenty of interesting anecdotes, many of them having to with his observations each day in the office. With the opening strong, I was not surprised to see the middle portion of the work lag just a bit. As soon as Mr. Letersky leaves Hoover’s office, the reader gets a look at what it was like for him in the field, with more interesting recounting, but of course these lack direct insight to Hoover. Still, it all comes together in the final section. Paul is called back to the Office to serve as a companion at the funeral to Hoover’s secretary. This leads to more of his firsthand observations, and insights.

For those who are interested in the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, the ways of D.C. in the 1970’s, there is plenty of interest here. Though the read slowed a bit for me in the middle, as described above, I still found it an engaging page turner.

An honest look at the F.B.I. under. J Edgar Hoover. Paul Letersky was there as his assistant and a former Special Agent. It’s a rare glimpse into a storied man

An easy to read, intriguing look into J Edgar Hoover. Told by a former FBI agent who was just beginning his career, when he was assigned as basically an office assistant to Hoover's DC office. There he witnessed the intrigues, the maneuvering, the strategies, and the conspiracies that Hoover employed and was subject to.
Letersky manages to make Hoover a much more human character than I was used to, full of good points and bad. Capable of instilling an almost god-like aura from those who worked for him.
I enjoyed the insights into Hoover's life, as well as the political jockeying from those who were around him. Despite the excesses Hoover might have participated in, I think that we were lucky to have him as a steady hand through some of our country's most confusing times.
I found the book hard to put down.

There have been many books and films about the FBI and its superior powered director J. Edgar Hoover.
Paul Letersky, Hoover assistant and former Special Agent offers a keen eyed, well observed view of the devilish man behind the bureau. Hoover ruled ‘his’ agency with a well gripped fist. Known for his vision and the ‘modernizing’ of this institution, he was equally vindictive, secretive and odd as he was feared. He kept files on politicians, radicals and celebrities and used illegal methods to collect information abusing the power and jurisdiction of the FBI. A man of great complexity, he played his cards close to his chest while protecting his mysterious personal life.
A page turning read, I’d like to thank the author, NetGalley and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

A book written by someone who actually knew Hoover is rare and very interesting. Well written full of the real DirectorI enjoyed seeing the real man through the authors eyes.#netgalley #scribber

This was a wonderful boo,k, a fun and easy read for anyone who loves reading about oversized personalities. J Edgar deserves far more positive coverage than the "drag" exploits he has been rumored for in the past few years. Better yet, this book was written by someone who is most qualified to do it, someone who knew him..