Three Truths and a Lie: a memoir - Paperback

by Graham E. Fuller (Author)

This is the compelling tale of Luke, a Korean adoptee who comes to an American family at age one and who gradually loses his life's way-to die from crack cocaine at age 21. It is also a story of his adoptive father, a CIA officer, who offers an unsparing and vivid account of his own efforts-wise, misguided, passionate, naïve, creative, ultimately unsuccessful-to save his son. Luke is warm, likeable, funny, quick to win friends-and a skilled deceiver, able to impress others with a seeming maturity and urbanity. But the image he works to create for himself is increasingly belied by the darker realities of his life and the black hole he creates around his family. The tale chronicles a poignant and tumultuous quest to grasp the meaning of Luke's life-and death-against a broad international backdrop from Afghanistan to Latin America. It explores the mysteries of adoption, identity, addiction-and grace.

Author Biography

Graham E. Fuller was a career operations officer at CIA, serving 17 years overseas. He was later vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council at CIA. After retiring from CIA he served as a senior political scientist at RAND for twelve years. He is a well-known Middle East specialist who has written dozens of articles and ten books on Muslim world politics, Islamic fundamentalism, and is finishing a first novel. He has two daughters. He now lives with his wife in British Columbia where he is an adjunct professor of History at Simon Fraser University; he devotes much of his spare time to eagles, salmon and bears.