 
|
|
 |
|
The Confession
by James E. McGreevey
| List Price: |
$26.95 |
Unavailable for
purchase at this time |
|
Hardcover
Publisher: Regan Books
Format: Bargain Price
In August 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey of New Jersey made history when he stepped before microphones, declared "My truth is that I am a gay American," and announced his resignation. The story made international headlines—but what led to that moment was a human and political drama more complex and fascinating than anyone knew. Now, in this extraordinarily candid memoir, McGreevey shares his story of a life of ambition, moral compromise, and redemption. From childhood, McGreevey lived a kind of idealized American life. The son of working-class Irish Catholic parents, named for an uncle who died at Iwo Jima, he strove to exceed expectations in everything he did, meeting each new challenge as though his "future rode on every move." As a young man he was tempted by the priesthood, yet it was another calling—politics—that he found irresistible. Plunging early into the dangerous waters of New Jersey politics, he won three elections by the age of thirty-six, and soon thereafter nearly toppled the state's popular governor, Christie Todd Whitman, in a photo-finish election. Four years later, he won the governorship by a landslide. Throughout his adult life, however, Jim McGreevey had been forced to suppress a fundamental truth about himself: that he was gay. He knew at once that the only clear path to his dreams was to live a straight life, and so he split in two, accepting the traditional role of family man while denying his deepest emotions. And he discovered, to his surprise, that becoming a political player demanded ethical shortcuts that became as corrosive as living in the closet. In the cutthroat culture of political bosses, backroom deals, and the insidious practice known as "pay-to-play," he writes, "political compromises came easy to me because I'd learned how to keep a part of myself innocent of them." His policy triumphs as governor were tempered by scandal, as the transgressions of his staff came back to haunt him. Yet only when a former lover threatened to expose him did he finally confront his divided soul, and find the authentic self that had always eluded him. More than a coming-out memoir, The Confession is the story of one man's quest to repair the rift between his public and private selves, at a time in our culture when the personal and political have become tangled like frayed electric cables. Teeming with larger-than-life characters, written with honesty, grace, and rare insight into what it means to negotiate the minefields of American public life, it may be among the most honest political memoirs ever written.
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| What's the Big Deal? |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
 |
|
What's the Big Deal?
McGreevy, James. "The Confession". Regan Books, 2006
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
I don't know how any of you feel about James McGreevy, the former governor of New Jersey who will be remembered for time immortal by making that famous statement, "My truth is that I am a gay American." I, personally, do not think much of him but I wanted to read his book to see what he had to say.
In August, 2004 McGreevy made history when he made that public statement and then immediately resigned from public office. The story was big news and the statement he made was heard around the world. Yet his statement merely opened the door a tad to a very complex and international human and public political drama. In "My Confession" McGreevy attempts to set the record "straight" about his life of "ambition, money, compromise and redemption. Truthfully I was not impressed. Sure, I read the book just as all of us do. But a book is just printed words upon a page. No matter how erudite McGreevy is I found the book not to be an answer for a life gone astray.
As a child, McGreevy never knew the word "want". Although he was the son of working class parents, he was a striver and a doer. He considered the priesthood but decided upon politics as a life goal. By the time he was 36 years old he had won 3 elections and then became the governor of New Jersey at a young age. Yet there was something here that was not quite honest. During his adult life he had been forced to suppress an aspect of his life that prevented him from being complete. Worst than that was the fact that he lied to himself. The fact that he knew he was gay caused him to live a life in the closet since living as a straight man was the only option a politician could have. (Really, McGreevy, you can't be so naïve as to believe that). What happened was that he split himself in two--living as a straight man on one hand and as a tormented gay man on the other. Politicians supposedly demand ethical behavior (right George W?) and that ethical behavior involved cut -throat political tactics and shady backroom deals. He says, "Political compromises came easy to me because I'd learned to keep myself innocent of them". (At least until he got caught). The political triumphs of his term as governor did not last and he was haunted by the sins of his staff. It took a disgruntled lover to threaten to expose him to bring him to his senses. It was only then that he could accept himself for who he was.
Some call the book a memoir of coming out. I am not sure I agree that this is a coming out story. In fact, I am not quite sure what this book is. It is extremely readable but it is not as exciting as we were wont to expect. As McGreevy tries to forge the rift between his public persona and his private life in the shadows, he comes out and does so with a great deal of support.
The book is written with style and grace---would we expect less from a "gay American"? It supposedly honest and it does give insight on being a political figure. What he does tell in this book that we did not know before was that he did not tell the federal government of a $50 million extortion plot against him because he was afraid that it would expose his secret life. It seems as if this plot was hatched by a former male lover. The book also goes into great details of his inner battles with his gayness, his double life as a twice married man with children and his political rise. He gives his side to the story of how we had sex with the man whom he alleges blackmailed him and this sexual liaison took place while his second wife was in the hospital delivering their new daughter.
His account of how he and his blackmailer had sex on the day after Christmas 2001 is hot and heavy. "We undressed and he kissed me. It was the first time in my life that a kiss meant what it was supposed to mean---it sent me through the roof...I pulled him to the bed and we made love like I'd always dreamed: a boastful, passionate, masculine kind of love." And then this guy whom he made love with, this Golan Cipel was appointed to be in charge of New Jersey's counter terrorism efforts even though he had no experience and has claimed over and over that he is not gay. The lover and his non gay friend continued their affair and McGreevy's wife even confronted him about his sexuality and he decided to say nothing about it. Two years later Cipel told McGreevy that he had told his parents that they had had an affair and demanded to see him. McGreevy said no and Cipel told him, "If I don't see you I am going to begin to take action." McGreevy decided at that point that he had to go public and when telling his wife, her response was, "Where are you going to live?" His father simply said, "You make a choice Jim--Coke or Pepsi...why don't you make your choice?" McGreevy answered, "Dad, I've known my whole life. This is who I am."
Today, after all of this dirty laundry has been done so publicly, McGreevy has accepted himself and is working as an educational consultant and lives in New Jersey with his millionaire partner, Mark O'Donnell.
Now it is my turn to do a little laundry. I do not begrudge McGreevy a good life but what I want to know is why he needs all the hoopla and attention from the national media. I am sure that there are many other stories like his that need to be told and would better serve the needs of the gay community. He, after all, has a very good job and has a millionaire for a lover. Some in the gay community are lauding McGreevy for his honesty and courage and there are those that are calling him a role model. Likewise there are many of us who are just reveling in his gossip and having a really good sneer about the whole affair. McGreevy was forced to accept himself and come out because of blackmail and scandal. When he did come out, he did not do so nobly and he should not be regarded as a hero. It made me ill to see Oprah, a strong champion of gay rights, hug him and her audience show him love. Did his coming out made it any better for anyone than he himself? Did he pay a price for coming out? Sure, he lost his job but was he punished in any way for betraying the oath of office which he had committed himself to? Did he not risk the safety of the people of New Jersey buy giving an important security post to an unqualified "trick" in exchange for sexual favors? Today he is living with a multi millionaire financier in a million dollar mansion of 17 rooms in New Jersey and is becoming a celebrity. Let him have a good life--we all deserve that, but let us not forget how he got there.
Is he good for the gay community? What we see now when we look at his life story is incompetence, corruption, blackmail, adultery, arrogance, exploitation and promiscuity. Are these the qualities our role models should have? Others see his pain and suffering, his sad life in the closet and the courage to come out and deal with the past. These are the things that make books sell. The Oprah show and the hype about the book will increase sales and we, the gay community are dragged yet again though another dirty, sleazy, shabby, shady, disgusting soap opera.. I think that we, as a community, have a responsibility and an obligation to not just question McGreevy's book, "The Confession" but to do so aggressively. Is it indeed a coming out story? I think it is just a self serving apology from another corrupt politician who is banking on the fact that he is "a gay American."
In closing, I must state that the book is good--well written, easy to read and extremely interesting. However, the subject matter leaves a great deal to be desired and I am just amazed at those of us who can't call an elephant an elephant. My inner self tells me that as corrupt as he appears in the book, he has not really cleaned up his act. The fact that he wrote this book tells me that. What makes it so hard to review is that it is a good book but then the Brothers Grimm also wrote a good book--one of fairy tales.
|
| Gives new meaning to the term, New Jersey Turnpike rest stop. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
l have to make a confession, l loved this book! Jim McGreevey is proof that with hard work and dedication, any boy can grow up to be Queen of New Jersey. This gets my vote.
|
| His Exposé of NJ Politics |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
 |
|
A "confession" is an admission of wrongdoing, or, a statement of beliefs. Was his secret ("a gay American") known to insiders? Only the public was kept ignorant by the corporate media (else it would have surfaced in election time). JEM was adept in living his secret life, so this book has his self-serving statements. Politicians, like actors, live to fool the public to get their votes and money (p.5). JEM's early life was training to be "a perfect child" (p.23). Did he read too much (p.24)? Was he a fastidious dresser (p.25). Why didn't he fit in (p.28)? Was he precocious (p.36)? Were people secretly spying on him (p.38)? JEM knew his future (p.42). JEM backed Nixon (p.52)! JEM's admission of homosexuality could not have been a shocking surprise to those who knew him. Aren't party bosses and patronage a continuation of the feudal system (p.84)? Isn't that how corporations operate? The purpose of any government is to control the economy. Political power leads to wealth (p.85). Is a "strong governorship" a symptom of corruption that leads to high taxes (p.92)? JEM doesn't tell how the Kean campaign smeared Shapiro because he married a divorced woman (p.111). Did Merck buy him a seat in the NJ Assembly (p.112)? Chapters 8 and 9 give JEM's views about local politics. Florio's tax increase was "a bitter pill" because it extended and raised the sales tax.
As mayor of Woodbridge JEM borrowed $42 million from politically connected underwriters (p.134). The Florio gun ban violated the "ex post facto" clause in the Constitution (p.142). JEM seems confused about politics, business, and self-interest (p.143)! Did Woodbridge really have "six, seven feet of snow" "month after month" (p.145)? The solution for high electricity prices is municipal-owned utilities (p.151). Big insurance companies drove up costs (p.158). Did Whitman loot NJ and cause high property taxes (p.161)? JEM's "punishing" schedule implies a lack of delegation (p.172). Does his meeting with Golan Cipel sound funny (p.209)? That detailed knowledge sounds like a set-up by an intelligence service to acquire an asset. Politics is business (pp.205-206). The job of governor is "very rewarding" (p.207). Who double-crossed JEM (p.208)? "The biggest hypocrite in the world"? Pages 209-211 provides news that is censored by the Media. Are voters that naive (p.213)? Was Golan an adventurer (p.214)? JEM named his biggest contributor to the Port Authority (p.224), but that was not a payback.
"Cooking the books" to create a budget shortfall for the new governor isn't new (p.242). The result of a "strong governor"? Reduced corporate taxes? Personalities affect politics (p.244). "It was a big error in judgment" (p.248). Can any governor have a "secret life" (p.250)? JEM blames his faults on his security detail (p.252)! Was JEM "a bad judge of character" (p.270) or a "machine politician off the assembly line" (p.269)? Did people love JEM like he loved himself (p.270)? Chapter 14 is most revealing about the intrigues of the ruling class. JEM tries to explain away his use of the code word "Machiavelli" (p.280). Did a fixer procure women for JEM? NJ politicians hug each other to check for a hidden recording device (p.292)! What did JEM do about "auto insurance" (p.295)? New developments lead to rising taxes (p.296). Charles Kushner paid NY spooks for that sex blackmail (p.300). Were Federal laws broken? JEM's final crisis was a suit for sexual harassment (p.304). Why did he have to resign (p.322)? Why does JEM need punishment (p.324)? Do other politicians resign over a sex scandal when no laws were broken (p.327)? JEM's sins are also pride and vanity (p.336). JEM's "reform" made the political bosses more powerful (p.337)! Awarding contracts to political supporters is how government works by nature. JEM's skills could make him a talk show host. It worked for Jerry Springer and other lawyers.
|
| McGreevy's Story is Mine |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
It took me a long time to buy both of the books, I'm glad I did...
Bravo Jim McGreevy & Forbidden Love with a Married Man: E-mail Diaries by Dennis Schleicher, you both are brave men by telling us all your stories. Memoir's like this and other's like "Forbidden Love with a Married Man; E-mail Diaries" by Dennis J. Schleicher, "The Other Man," show men remaining closeted that heterosexually marrying will continue until society hears from these individuals. As you both experience an emotional time all who read your stories will understand the circumstances you both face as Gay American's. I would love to see more press on you this and will buy any sequel's you both do. Thank you Dennis for you support in my own Coming-Out and helping me to read "The Confession."
Best of luck,
Craig Davis
Boston, MA.
|
| here's the point |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
i have never actually responded to what the reviewer's are saying about a book, but i am now. how the hell did this piece of crap get a high rating. are people that off base that a clear right and wrong is that hard to see.
this guy is a dirtbag. he lied to just about everyone, used his office to get a job for his lover, and only fessed up when he was caught. it's assinine to excuse this behavior because he was conflicted about being gay. regardless of your race, sexual orientation, religion, or environment, unless you have a gun pointed to your head, you have free will. this guy did have a choice to be honest, and he DIDN'T.
also, he not only put his life in danger but the life of his unborn child. condoms are NOT a 100% gaurantee against STDs and HIV. I know there are some that buy into that myth, but it's the truth. Many STDs are are now showing up that are resistant to antibiotics. STDs can cause blindness and mental retardation in babies. HIV is still mutating and advancing through our population. The drugs out their prolong the life, but that's a far cry from a cure.
anyone who endorses this kind of behavior is just stupid. this guy is scum. being gay does not excuse that. safety, honesty, and some kind of moral compass trump that. right is STILL right. i could care less who you are. all human beings should be held to the same standard. ALL. NO EXCEPTIONS.
|
|
