The Confession

In August 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey of New Jersey made history when he declared "My truth is that I am a gay American," and announced his resignation.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, and he strove to exceed expectations in everything he did. He won three elections by the age of thirty-six, and four years later nearly...
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In August 2004, Governor James E. McGreevey of New Jersey made history when he declared "My truth is that I am a gay American," and announced his resignation.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, and he strove to exceed expectations in everything he did. He won three elections by the age of thirty-six, and four years later nearly toppled the state's popular governor, Christie Todd Whitman. When he ran again, in 2001, he won by a landslide.Throughout his adult life McGreevey had been forced to suppress a fundamental truth: that he was gay. He knew 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 that becoming a political player demanded ethical shortcuts at least as corrosive as living in the closet.Written with honesty, grace, and rare insight,The Confessionmay be among the most honest political memoirs ever written.