A Special Agent: Gay and Inside the FBI

Former Special Agent Buttino grew up in upstate New York, graduated from Colgate University and joined the FBI in 1968. After 20 years of service, an anonymous letter to his parents and the FBI revealed that he was gay. Buttino, who lives in San Diego, was fired. In this cautious, sensitive memoir, Buttino, assisted by his filmmaker brother, discusses his homosexuality, working relationships with his enforcement colleagues, details of his case work and how he found the strength and strategy to pursue a class action suit against the FBI for anti-gay discrimination. The case is still unsettled. Buttino's story, partially reported on 60 Minutes , is a courageous and movingly told account of a man seeking justice and fairness against insidious bureaucracy. The book is also a compelling argument against governmental bias. Photos not seen by PW. (June)