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Breaking Free: A Saga of Self-Discovery by a Gay Secret Service Agent
A deeply personal yet candid saga of a gay Secret Service Agent in the Obama era; an agent who was struggling with his own identity, marriage, discrimination, and balancing the demands that accompany being assigned to protect the most powerful people in the world.
Cory Allen delivers an amusing view into his adventurous life, with abundant historical and pop-culture references, twists and turns of his relationships, and an inside look into life as a gay Special Agent in the hyper-masculine career field. Through intense self-reflection he recounts the impacts it had on his life and the hardships imposed by a career in the spotlight.
At the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person. Struggling to break free from societal norms, creating his identity apart from his all consuming profession, and learning to listen to intuition are at the heart of this memoir.
"In this illuminating, powerfully personal story, everything and nothing is secret."
"The memoir raises profound questions about how we become who we are, discover ourselves all at once and then gradually, and how we choose to pursue what we need, together or separately. Sometimes we see in the dark, and sometimes we wait for the sun to rise. When you read a life story like this, one that illuminates sexual topics of the sort that casual acquaintances don’t usually talk about, it’s like putting on night-vision Everything and nothing is secret.”
- Independent Book Review
Cory Allen delivers an amusing view into his adventurous life, with abundant historical and pop-culture references, twists and turns of his relationships, and an inside look into life as a gay Special Agent in the hyper-masculine career field. Through intense self-reflection he recounts the impacts it had on his life and the hardships imposed by a career in the spotlight.
At the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person. Struggling to break free from societal norms, creating his identity apart from his all consuming profession, and learning to listen to intuition are at the heart of this memoir.
"In this illuminating, powerfully personal story, everything and nothing is secret."
"The memoir raises profound questions about how we become who we are, discover ourselves all at once and then gradually, and how we choose to pursue what we need, together or separately. Sometimes we see in the dark, and sometimes we wait for the sun to rise. When you read a life story like this, one that illuminates sexual topics of the sort that casual acquaintances don’t usually talk about, it’s like putting on night-vision Everything and nothing is secret.”
- Independent Book Review
- GenresLGBT
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 17, 2023
24 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Cory Allen
3 books12 followersAfter spending his career as a police officer, a Special Agent for the U.S. Secret Service and, more recently, a Supervisory Special Agent, Cory Allen realized he had some compelling tales to share.
His first book, an emotional, ground-breaking memoir titled Breaking Free: A Saga of Self-Discovery by a Gay Secret Service Agent was released in 2023 to great acclaim.
Cory wrote his newest work, an illustrated children’s book called Dada Takes a Trip (releasing February 2026), to help children and adults navigate the difficult and complicated feelings experienced when a parent leaves home on a work trip.
Dada Takes a Trip is published by Cory’s latest venture, his own publishing company: Cory Allen Books.
His first book, an emotional, ground-breaking memoir titled Breaking Free: A Saga of Self-Discovery by a Gay Secret Service Agent was released in 2023 to great acclaim.
Cory wrote his newest work, an illustrated children’s book called Dada Takes a Trip (releasing February 2026), to help children and adults navigate the difficult and complicated feelings experienced when a parent leaves home on a work trip.
Dada Takes a Trip is published by Cory’s latest venture, his own publishing company: Cory Allen Books.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 2, 2023
HE IS A LOCAL AUTHOR FROM BAY AREA. I saw on a Facebook group a post about this book and one of my reading goals this year was reading from a local not big publishers author. And being partf of the LGBTQ+ community I knew I had to read it.
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEMOIRS I’VE EVER READ.
HIS LIFE IS LIKE A MOVIE AND I COULD RELATE TO A LOT OF THINGS HE LIVED OR WANTED.
From being mad at the things he experienced during his early years with family and not being able to explore sexuality in an open way, which was some of the things I experienced when I was younger.
Having dreams that sometimes you can’t achieve, being told what to do and what not to do. Being lost, I was crying multiple times reading this book as it felt nice to think that someone had same feelings or experiences like I did, not being alone.
His life is like a movie, I would love to see this in a movie as I think is a unique life that possibly no one else has.
The job as secret service agent kept me wanting to know more about the tasks he had to do. And love life? There was a point when I was rooting for all of the ex boyfriends, it felt like a tv show when you have multiple ex boyfriends and you know he’s gonna end up with someone. I saw the author’s profile picture and I knew he had a boyfriend now and I was like. Is it Ben? Alex? Joe? (Hopefully not Joe). And since one of the was described as Asian i was like omg it’s gonna be Alex but the ending gave me a surprise. This is one of my favorite books of this year. And I wish I could meet with the writer to talk about life or Anything since I’m a big fan now.
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEMOIRS I’VE EVER READ.
HIS LIFE IS LIKE A MOVIE AND I COULD RELATE TO A LOT OF THINGS HE LIVED OR WANTED.
From being mad at the things he experienced during his early years with family and not being able to explore sexuality in an open way, which was some of the things I experienced when I was younger.
Having dreams that sometimes you can’t achieve, being told what to do and what not to do. Being lost, I was crying multiple times reading this book as it felt nice to think that someone had same feelings or experiences like I did, not being alone.
His life is like a movie, I would love to see this in a movie as I think is a unique life that possibly no one else has.
The job as secret service agent kept me wanting to know more about the tasks he had to do. And love life? There was a point when I was rooting for all of the ex boyfriends, it felt like a tv show when you have multiple ex boyfriends and you know he’s gonna end up with someone. I saw the author’s profile picture and I knew he had a boyfriend now and I was like. Is it Ben? Alex? Joe? (Hopefully not Joe). And since one of the was described as Asian i was like omg it’s gonna be Alex but the ending gave me a surprise. This is one of my favorite books of this year. And I wish I could meet with the writer to talk about life or Anything since I’m a big fan now.
April 6, 2023
An inspiring journey of perseverance, fortitude, and growth!
As someone who is always on-the-go, I typically prefer audiobooks, but I'm thankful that I took a moment to pause and read this book. It exceeded my expectations in every way.
The book is candid and authentic, and the writing style is both engaging and informal. Though I’ve known Cory for many years, the stories he shares in this book gave me a glimpse into his life behind the scenes - the stories he has never told before. I found myself resonating with his experiences in unexpected ways and reflecting on my own life.
For those in search of inspiration from real stories, this book is a must. It chronicles Cory's journey from a kid in a small town with humble beginnings to the immense challenge of self-discovery and ultimately finally 'breaking free' from societal pressures to live an extraordinary, exciting, and accomplished life.
For our straight allies - I wholeheartedly recommend this book as an insightful window into the ongoing struggles and apprehensions faced by LGBTQ individuals in their personal and professional lives on a daily basis.
As someone who is always on-the-go, I typically prefer audiobooks, but I'm thankful that I took a moment to pause and read this book. It exceeded my expectations in every way.
The book is candid and authentic, and the writing style is both engaging and informal. Though I’ve known Cory for many years, the stories he shares in this book gave me a glimpse into his life behind the scenes - the stories he has never told before. I found myself resonating with his experiences in unexpected ways and reflecting on my own life.
For those in search of inspiration from real stories, this book is a must. It chronicles Cory's journey from a kid in a small town with humble beginnings to the immense challenge of self-discovery and ultimately finally 'breaking free' from societal pressures to live an extraordinary, exciting, and accomplished life.
For our straight allies - I wholeheartedly recommend this book as an insightful window into the ongoing struggles and apprehensions faced by LGBTQ individuals in their personal and professional lives on a daily basis.
July 21, 2023
I finished this in a day! Was such an interesting and engaging read from start to finish. This autobiography is a really honest account of his journey of self-acceptance and personal growth that will invite you to reflect on and explore your own. A triumphant journey eventuates in his career and relationships, but only after facing many challenges and barriers from his American upbringing, and its norms of culture and society that still exist today. It also helps that the protagonist is very handsome. So we can’t wait for Part 2!
September 17, 2023
good read
Pretty good read. I was captivated by the story and the experiences he had. It helped me to put things into perspective in my own life
Pretty good read. I was captivated by the story and the experiences he had. It helped me to put things into perspective in my own life
April 24, 2024
[26] I picked up this memoir after seeing an interview with the former secret service agent who protected many important people, including the Obama family. What particularly caught my attention was his early realization that he's gay, but not wanting his sexuality to define his professional life and initially keeping that hidden. The subtitle is "a saga of self discovery" and this story really is about his personal life. It was almost like a journal with a close focus on where he lived, and what kind of car he was driving, and so many details/descriptions (including height, every time!) of his love interests and relationship status. I was perhaps expecting a little bit more about his work life and job and, while there were some oblique mentions of that, it was way more about his personal life than his professional one. Maybe intentionally, there were extremely few details about his work life (which seems incredible! what I wanted to hear more about!) and way too many details about his day-to-day personal life (which is obviously absolutely important for him, but I did not need specifics about!) so I was a bit frustrated and left wanting more. But still happy to get a peek behind the curtain and was fascinated about the bits about his experiences as (one of) the first married gay federal agents wanting reasonable benefits for his spouse and navigating homophobia in the workplace. An inspiring and unique life path.
#BreakingFreeBook #Memoir #Bookstagram #BookReview
Used Audible Credit on 11/29/23
Based on this interview - sounds like such a good story, inspiring guy:
https://cheddar.com/media/former-secr...
#BreakingFreeBook #Memoir #Bookstagram #BookReview
Used Audible Credit on 11/29/23
Based on this interview - sounds like such a good story, inspiring guy:
https://cheddar.com/media/former-secr...
March 26, 2023
A life journey of lessons learned…
It was a journey of Cory’s life of lessons learned and how people and events are placed in his life to help mold the person he is today. I whole heartedly enjoyed reading this book. It was very relatable, enjoyable, and full of emotions.
It was a journey of Cory’s life of lessons learned and how people and events are placed in his life to help mold the person he is today. I whole heartedly enjoyed reading this book. It was very relatable, enjoyable, and full of emotions.
June 22, 2023
This wonderful true story articulates that very ups and downs that come with finding oneself. The journey to being who we are as gay, and the friendships we make a long the way. Corey Allen intimately brings along on his journey, his fears, his hopes and his quest for love. This is a great book.
August 12, 2023
Great story archiving his life story. Very intriguing, open and honest.
December 9, 2025
Very important life Cory Allen has lived but this book was written more like a report (this happened, then this next thing happened, then this next next thing happened) which became very boring. And this guys’ life certainly wasn’t boring!! We got an enormous and very detailed list of all the cars he owned (20+?) what they were and when they were purchased, all the places of living including mortgages and administration details as well as every single friend met, their heights and eye color, etc. I really wished there was more reflection on how all these experiences impacted our author but the overall introspection was reserved for the last few pages. I was also SO DISAPPOINTED he gave an extensive background on all his ex’s but didn’t tell us even how he and his new finance met. I felt that would’ve been a nice piece at the end to help bring the book full circle especially after including so much personal info on everyone else.
January 2, 2026
I found Cory Allen on Threads and thought his book would be something I’d really enjoy. The premise was compelling, but it didn’t meet my expectations.
It felt less like a journey of self-discovery and more like a wandering account of personal immaturity, especially in relationships. Although Cory acknowledge that he doesn’t always slow down to reflect, the story itself rarely does either. I was also disappointed by how little the book focused on his work in the Secret Service, as most of the narrative centers on his personal life rather than his professional experiences.
Overall, I was bummed it didn’t offer more reflection or insight into his career alongside the personal stories.
It felt less like a journey of self-discovery and more like a wandering account of personal immaturity, especially in relationships. Although Cory acknowledge that he doesn’t always slow down to reflect, the story itself rarely does either. I was also disappointed by how little the book focused on his work in the Secret Service, as most of the narrative centers on his personal life rather than his professional experiences.
Overall, I was bummed it didn’t offer more reflection or insight into his career alongside the personal stories.
September 19, 2024
Fascinating
I loved that he took us along on his journey. I want to know more about the Secret Service life, but I don't know if he's allowed to talk about it. Seeing historic events through his eyes were interesting.
I'm happy that the Obamas are as genuine as they seem and am envious that he got to spend time with them.
I wish Mr. Allen all the happiness in the world, and would love to hear his take on certain events, including the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021.
I loved that he took us along on his journey. I want to know more about the Secret Service life, but I don't know if he's allowed to talk about it. Seeing historic events through his eyes were interesting.
I'm happy that the Obamas are as genuine as they seem and am envious that he got to spend time with them.
I wish Mr. Allen all the happiness in the world, and would love to hear his take on certain events, including the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021.
October 30, 2023
2.5 stars. I was really disappointed with this book. It could possibly be because I listened to the audio version, and the man who spoke was very dramatic, and that was kind of odd. I enjoyed learning about his trials coming out and being accepted, but so much of the book consisted of wild one night stands, and I found it difficult to understand. I honestly had trouble keeping up with which partner he was in love with when.
February 1, 2025
Interesting title; Normal life; lots of grammatical errors and reads like a police report
Most of the book is written in the passive voice; this distracted me when reading the book. What the author did is not as important as how he experienced the events in his life and yet, he barely goes there. Rather than enumerate places and locales, I would’ve preferred to read about how he *grew* and matured to be where he is. Sadly, he doesn’t share thoughts and feelings with us.
Most of the book is written in the passive voice; this distracted me when reading the book. What the author did is not as important as how he experienced the events in his life and yet, he barely goes there. Rather than enumerate places and locales, I would’ve preferred to read about how he *grew* and matured to be where he is. Sadly, he doesn’t share thoughts and feelings with us.
June 21, 2023
I recently read this book and thought it was great. I am in law enforcement and went through a similar challenge and it was amazing to hear Cory’s candid story of his life. This is a great book for those interested in law enforcement, those in law enforcement trying to understand gay colleagues and for for young gays starting their profession. Highly recommend.
January 23, 2024
This book was disappointing. The writing was poor and seemed like it hadn’t been edited (example, “Sampson and I’s relationship” and other awkward and inconsistent wording, verb tense, etc.). The content itself was mostly a laundry list of boyfriends, parties and sexual experiences, and the apartments, cars, and glitzy travel along his career path.
April 23, 2024
I saw this book advertised and thought it would be more about life as a secret service agent and the opportunities it afforded him. The fact he mentions the Obama, and other political figures was used as an excuse to sell the book.
It is mostly a story of his sexual hookups and Rolodex of partners. While I admire the work he does and its importance it was way too much information for me.
It is mostly a story of his sexual hookups and Rolodex of partners. While I admire the work he does and its importance it was way too much information for me.
March 25, 2025
It was nice to read a local author from the Bay Area with him telling us his most profound stories. I could relate as a bisexual man not being able to express himself entirely to find your true self. Sometimes, I got excited about the relationships and even thought about who Cory should end up with. Definitely an inspiring story.
August 11, 2023
Absolutely floored. Cory Allen brought me into his life and left a mark in my heart. I was not sure what exactly to expect but I knew this book would be an adventure and what an earnest journey it is.
May 1, 2025
I was looking forward to reading this book. It was a quick read and that was a plus. I think I was expecting more ie. More about his duties in the field. At times it felt more, for me, about cruising and living somewhat superficially.
April 9, 2023
What a fascinating read, truly inspiring to learn of the author’s dynamic journey of personal growth and acceptance. Could not put the book down!
April 18, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this memoir. I highly recommend it to anyone considering it!
August 15, 2023
The writing is painfully pedestrian. The protagonist is not interesting. He is too basic. This is the first book to which I give one star this year.
August 5, 2024
A well written very good read. Highly recommend as it is a interesting book.
February 22, 2025
Bravo! Enjoy this next chapter in your life.
March 18, 2025
Cory Allen's story of finding his way and coming to terms with who he is is quite compelling and complicated. This complex story seems like a "Volume 1" and I hope there will be a "Volume 2" in another 30 years or so to let his fans know how things turn out, and whether he gets the happily ever after he has been working toward.
The story is quite educational in some aspects regarding the inner workings of law enforcement, the Secret Service, and gay life in various locations. Allen does a great job of describing his hectic life as an agent: the constant travel, the multitude of details to address, and then the often mundane nature of standing and watching.
However, I feel the publisher, NFB Publishing / Amelia Press of Buffalo, NY, did Allen no favors by publishing his work without proof-reading it? These errors gave this reader an overall feeling of un-professionalism, which contradicts Allen's portrayal of himself. In the Author's Note at the beginning, Allen mentions his editor Jay Blotcher, and that he enjoyed working with him. I don't know what happened, but there are so many grammatical errors in this book that become an annoyance to the reader, it appears to me that the wrong version got published or something. About halfway through, I started highlighting the grammar errors. If a second edition gets printed, I hope the errors will get corrected. These errors alone are the cause of my two-star rating; this is not a reflection on the story itself. Worth the read, but be prepared if you are a fellow grammar nazi ...
The story is quite educational in some aspects regarding the inner workings of law enforcement, the Secret Service, and gay life in various locations. Allen does a great job of describing his hectic life as an agent: the constant travel, the multitude of details to address, and then the often mundane nature of standing and watching.
However, I feel the publisher, NFB Publishing / Amelia Press of Buffalo, NY, did Allen no favors by publishing his work without proof-reading it? These errors gave this reader an overall feeling of un-professionalism, which contradicts Allen's portrayal of himself. In the Author's Note at the beginning, Allen mentions his editor Jay Blotcher, and that he enjoyed working with him. I don't know what happened, but there are so many grammatical errors in this book that become an annoyance to the reader, it appears to me that the wrong version got published or something. About halfway through, I started highlighting the grammar errors. If a second edition gets printed, I hope the errors will get corrected. These errors alone are the cause of my two-star rating; this is not a reflection on the story itself. Worth the read, but be prepared if you are a fellow grammar nazi ...
October 28, 2023
Not so much about the job as it was his off duty escapades. Not what I thought from the cover.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews