Review: I Am a Secret Service Agent: My Life Protecting the President

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agentI Am a Secret Service Agent: My Life Spent Protecting the President by Dan Emmett  (Author), Charles Maynard (Author)

Book Blurb:

Dan Emmett was just eight years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. From that moment forward, he knew he wanted to become a Secret Service agent, one of an elite group of highly trained men and women dedicated to preserving the life of the President of the United States at any cost, including sacrificing their own lives if necessary. Armed with single-minded determination and a never-quit attitude, he did just that. Selected over thousands of other highly qualified applicants to become an agent, he was eventually chosen to be one of the best of the best and provided protection worldwide for Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush.
I Am a Secret Service Agent skillfully describes the duties and challenges of conducting presidential advances, dealing with the media, driving the President in a bullet-proof limousine, running alongside him through the streets of Washington, and flying with him on Air Force One. With fascinating anecdotes, Emmett weaves keen insight into the unique culture and history of the Secret Service with the inner workings of the White House. I Am A Secret Service Agent is a must read for young adults interested in a career in federal law enforcement.

REVIEW:
This book is aimed at young adults and it does this very well. The author Dan Emmett was a Secret Service Agent for many years, and gives some remarkable insight into the service. His life was one of dedication, hard work, and continual practice at striving to be the best. He talks about significant moments that impacted his decision as a kid, how he had to double-down to enter the military, the sacrifices he made to become one the most elite law enforcement officers in the world, and small moments to make the reader smile, such as the first time he met the POTUS.

As I said, this book is aimed at younger readers, but I found myself rather enjoying the emotion, the determination and the discipline the author speaks of, and how those can be used in any career a young person may choose. I would highly recommend this book for any high school student considering the military or law enforcement, as well as any adult who likes a simple, unpolticial look inside Washington, D.C.