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Customer Reviews (27)

Insightful and well-timed
An insightful piece given the current election. Many of the very issues we're voting on in November go back to the time of the Carter administration. Wish all of the presidents released a diary so that we could really see what prompted their actions when other members of their party (or their opposition) are/were speaking for them.

Will be interesting to compare this book with George W. new piece.

My first presidential vote was for Carter, but...
I didn't make it two votes in a row when he was up for reelection. That said, I've very much enjoyed three of his other books that he wrote, one on Palestine, one about his first political campaign, and one about the Middle East (Blood of Abraham).For each of those other books, I found his writing style engaging and insightful.However, I do not have the same compliments for this latest of his autobiographies.Yes, his other books were all part autobiographical as he cannot help but interject his presidency into all of his books (that I've read) even at the occasional sacrifice of the larger points that he is making.

I looked forward to this latest bio since it was to be devoted to his presidential years.Unfortunately, he presents the story as a straight diary and my goodness that is tedious.I wonder if he is planning to write his "definitive" account of his presidential years and he published this one to wet the appetite or judge public reception.If he is intending an actual presidential autobio, then he best get on with it 'cause he ain't getting any younger.If he does, I'll try again because with this being the only dud book of the 4 I've read, I think he deserves another effort on my part.

This "Diary" is not worth the reader's effort and frankly, I gave up before the end.It's written in a manner that made me feel like I was on the back end of a field plow with each chapter as another row in the field.Also, what were the revelations here?In so many of his other writings and published talks, he has basically gone over everything already.All that is left is for him to place his presidency in context in one whole reading.Unfortunately, I will have to wait a bit longer for that book to be written.

BTW, I gave this 2 stars so as to not be confused with some of the Carter haters who seem to pop up whenever he is mentioned.

much better than I expected
I was impressed by three things:
1. The incredible work load in the day-to-day job
2. The Camp David Accords
3. How many problems of Carter's term still exist

Apologia Pro Vita James Earl Carter
Good ole Jimmy finally gets around to enligtening us all about what it was like being president while contending with kooky, murderous Iranian radicals and his brother, Billy, who liked beer and liked to rid himself of it (after consuming it) on airport runways.

I am a lifelong Democrat. I voted for this guy because he had brains and seemed like he would think before pulling the nuclear trigger in an international crisis.

I will confess that at the nominating convention when the crowd went wild for Sen. Edward Kennedy, and all that crowd needed from Sen. Kennedy was a word or gesture and it would have nominated Kennedy in Carter's place, I noticed a frightened rabbit look in Carter's eyes and wondered if he really had backbone to be a president.

When Carter began stumping for this book of his, he started slamming Sen. Kennedy. Turns out Carter has a creepy side after all and for a former US Navy officer not much stomach for tough waters, i.e. the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which he botched in spades. He developed a rescue plan, an accident occurred, which resulted in his folding his tent and going home. He deserved not to be re-elected for not having staying power in the face of the enemy.

I don't need "the jottings" from his diary to tell me that Reagan was dishonest, probably not mentally there and that being President of the United States is not a 24/7 fun job.

What you have is the sour grapes of former President Carter, ruminating on the lost second term. I do not recommend this Apologia.

Carter:Maybe not as we remember him
President Carter's latest book, White House Diary, is an rare look into the daily operations of the White House and Presidential Management Style.Any student of the Presidency should read this book with an open mind, as rare as that may be today.Carter simply presents his daily diary entries, no edits, no deletions.For many entries he includes updates and historic perspective.Should give everyone a better understanding of the unique challenges a President faces each day he/she's in office. ... Read more

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PRESIDENT CARTER'S COURAGEOUS ASSESSMENT OF WHAT MUST BE DONE TO BRING PERMANENT PEACE TO ISRAEL WITH DIGNITY AND JUSTICE TO PALESTINEAmazon.com Review
The crowning achievement of Jimmy Carter's presidency was the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and he has continued his public and private diplomacy ever since, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his decades of work for peace, human rights, and international development. He has been a tireless author since then as well, writing bestselling books on his childhood, his faith, and American history and politics, but in Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, he has returned to the Middle East and to the question of Israel's peace with its neighbors--in particular, how Israeli sovereignty and security can coexist permanently and peacefully with Palestinian nationhood.

It's a rare honor to ask questions of a former president, and we are grateful that President Carter was able to take the time in between his work with his wife, Rosalynn, for the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity and his many writing projects to speak with us about his hopes for the region and his thoughts on the book.

A big thank you to President Carter for granting our request for an interview.

An Interview with President Jimmy Carter

Q: What has been the importance of your own faith in your continued interest in peace in the Middle East?
A: As a Christian, I worship the Prince of Peace. One of my preeminent commitments has been to bring peace to the people who live in the Holy Land. I made my best efforts as president and still have this as a high priority.

Q: A common theme in your years of Middle East diplomacy has been that leaders on both sides have often been more open to discussion and change in private than in public. Do you think that's still the case?
A: Yes. This is why private and intense negotiations can be successful. More accurately, however, my premise has been that the general public (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) are more eager for peace than their political leaders. For instance, a recent poll done by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem showed that 58% of Israelis and 81% of the Palestinians favor a comprehensive settlement similar to the Roadmap for Peace or the Saudi proposal adopted by all 23 Arab nations and recently promoted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Tragically, there have been no substantive peace talks during the past six years.

Q: How have the war in Iraq and the increased strength of Iran (and the declarations of their leaders against Israel) changed the conditions of the Israel-Palestine question?
A: Other existing or threatened conflicts in the region greatly increase the importance of Israel's having peace agreements with its neighbors, to minimize overall Arab animosity toward both Israel and the United States and reduce the threat of a broader conflict.

Q: Your use of the term "apartheid" has been a lightning rod in the response to your book. Could you explain your choice? Were you surprised by the reaction?
A: The book is about Palestine, the occupied territories, and not about Israel. Forced segregation in the West Bank and terrible oppression of the Palestinians create a situation accurately described by the word. I made it plain in the text that this abuse is not based on racism, but on the desire of a minority of Israelis to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land. This violates the basic humanitarian premises on which the nation of Israel was founded. My surprise is that most critics of the book have ignored the facts about Palestinian persecution and its proposals for future peace and resorted to personal attacks on the author. No one could visit the occupied territories and deny that the book is accurate.

Q: You write in the book that "the peace process does not have a life of its own; it is not self-sustaining." What would you recommend that the next American president do to revive it?
A: I would not want to wait two more years. It is encouraging that President George W. Bush has announced that peace in the Holy Land will be a high priority for his administration during the next two years. On her January trip to the region, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for early U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. She has recommended the 2002 offer of the Arab nations as a foundation for peace: full recognition of Israel based on a return to its internationally recognized borders. This offer is compatible with official U.S. Government policy, previous agreements approved by Israeli governments in 1978 and 1993, and with the International Quartet's "roadmap for peace." My book proposes that, through negotiated land swaps, this "green line" border be modified to permit a substantial number of Israelis settlers to remain in Palestine. With strong U.S. pressure, backed by the U.N., Russia, and the European Community, Israelis and Palestinians would have to come to the negotiating table.

1/18/2007

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From Publishers Weekly
The term "good-faith" is almost inappropriate when applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a bloody struggle interrupted every so often by negotiations that turn out to be anything but honest. Nonetheless, thirty years after his first trip to the Mideast, former President Jimmy Carter still has hope for a peaceful, comprehensive solution to the region's troubles, delivering this informed and readable chronicle as an offering to the cause. An engineer of the 1978 Camp David Accords and 2002 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Carter would seem to be a perfect emissary in the Middle East, an impartial and uniting diplomatic force in a fractured land. Not entirely so. Throughout his work, Carter assigns ultimate blame to Israel, arguing that the country's leadership has routinely undermined the peace process through its obstinate, aggressive and illegal occupation of territories seized in 1967. He's decidedly less critical of Arab leaders, accepting their concern for the Palestinian cause at face value, and including their anti-Israel rhetoric as a matter of course, without much in the way of counter-argument. Carter's book provides a fine overview for those unfamiliar with the history of the conflict and lays out an internationally accepted blueprint for peace.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews (741)

Many facts presented but terribly biased
Former President Carter is obviously endeared to this land and the Palestinian people.He took the time to get to know the Palestinian leaders from all sides of the political spectrum, civilians, and educated authorities in the area.Unfortunately, he did not take the time to mention if he had similar meetings with equivalent Israelis.Carter lays much blame for the failed peace process on Israel, with the continuous settlement building.However the Arabs retaliate by suicide bomb attacks.Carter fails to mention that nearly every Israeli that has lost their life in these wars has been a civilian.Israelis couldnt go out to eat, go to the grocery store, go to school without fearing that they will be murdered.Israel is criticized for their retaliation, but why shouldnt they use the arsenal they have? The Arabs would...Their terrorist leader, Yassir Arafat, had a similar belief as the Iranian leader does today, destroy Israel.Yet when Israel retaliates, they do kill civilians as collateral damage.The Arab militants hide among the civilians so its near impossible to get them alone.The main issue with this book is that while there is some blame pointed at the palestinians, it does not mention the slaughter of palestinian suicide bombings enough.There is a lot of blame to go around and according to Carter, most of it lies with Israel.But suicide bombings lead to security fences and check points.Carter doesnt blame the inability of the Palestinians (even to this day) to have somewhat of a unified voice.without knowing who is empowered to not just agree to terms, but to ensure they are adhered to is a major problem.

His point of view is way too unbalanced and biased.There is a section of the book dedicated to understanding the Palestinian public, not the Israelis.Also it seems every proposal sent to Israel has key issues that are not acceptable to Israel, yet they are continuously brought back to the table.Of course they will fail Jimmy!No means no. Israel is stuck living in a situation that every neighbor wants them gone.Leaders of countries willing to deal with Israel have been murdered for doing so.Israel must do what they need to do to ensure the safety of their citizens.

The big problem is that despite what has happened, the Palestinians dont do anything to educate themselves.they only go to schools that teach Islam.They need to learn how to read, write, communicate and use math to contribute in the global society.where is the desire for inginuity and education?When Israel left gaza in 2005, it was a flourishing land.The Palestinians turned it into a ghetto and have no growth.The Israelis left fertile land behind, but its obviously not being used.The Palestinians, 5 years later, are still dependant on Israel to provide electricity and water to them in gaza.if they want their independence, they need to do this all by themselves.

Jimmy Carter ranks among the worst US Presidents.Its no wonder that in the 1970s our nation faltered, Carter spent a lot of time meeting with Arabs.All this time spent, one would think that he would have negotiated oil prices for the US for years to come.Jimmy obviously cares, but he needs to take a more balanced approach in the process and his writing.

If you're interested in reading books on this subject, Alan Dershowitz has written a few that I found to be a lot more direct and even about who's responsible for the issues.

The Hobo Philosopher
Palestine

Peace not Apartheid

By Jimmy Carter

Book Review

By Richard E. Noble

This book is a synopsis or outline of President Jimmy Carter's many years of attempting to solve the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

It is organized, simple, straight forward and to the point. The Israeli Government was very upset with the ex-President's analysis of the problem. I think this is because Mr. Carter views the Palestinians as justified, legal cohabiters in the right to ownership of the territory involved in this dispute rather than from the Israeli perspective that the Palestinians are terrorists and anarchists who are unfortunately living within the borders of Israeli lands whose goals include fomenting insurrection for the purposes of destroying and undermining the Israeli homeland and government. This is an obviously large gap in perspectives.

Jimmy starts the book with a brief analysis of all the countries involved. In a few short pages he describes each country and the stability and direction of their political systems. This was very enlightening to me. It was surely an oversimplification of each country, maybe even considered a caricature by experts, but perfect for the purposes of those of us who are not educated in the modern history of the various countries involved and only know what we "read in the papers"and hear on the nightly news.

The book contains an appendix with all the various resolutions and compromises that have been suggested and sometimes agreed to over the years.

Mr. Carter's analysis is cold and blunt. If the President has a defect it is probably his inability to temper what he considers the truth.

The book is not filled with belly laughs but I did get an occasional smile. Like when he spoke to a group of Israelis at a political forum in Israel and mentioned to his audience that he was surprised that the questions from the Israeli audience received considerably more applause than his answers. And after you have read the book the reason will be clear.

The Book closes with The President's ...
Bottom Line: "Peace will come to Israel and the Middle East only when the Israeli government is willing to comply with international law, with the Roadmap for Peace, with official American policy, with the wishes of the majority of its own citizens - and honor its own commitments - by accepting its legal borders. All Arab neighbors must pledge to honor Israel's right to live in peace under these conditions. The United States is squandering international prestige and goodwill and intensifying global American terrorism by unofficially condoning or abetting the Israeli confiscation and colonization of Palestinian territories.
It will be a tragedy - for the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the world - if peace is rejected and a system of oppression, apartheid, and sustained violence is permitted to prevail."

After reading this book and several others on the subject I have a personal and much more cynical bottom line.
I think that peace will come to that area when either the Palestinians or the Israelis vacate the area and find another home.

The Israelis are not leaving and they never will. Israel is the Jewish last stand. They will do whatever they feel is necessary to survive ... whatever!

The Palestinians receive token and guilt money from their Arab brothers but no Arab country wants the Palestinians in their territory. They have been chased out of every country in the area that has been strong enough to do so. Even their Arab brothers wish that they would disappear. The Palestinians should cut their losses, take as much land as they can negotiate and petition the Israelis and the governments of the world for as much money as they can get in the name of world peace. I feel the world and even Israel and the U.S. would be willing to commit substantial amounts. With that land and money they should build themselves a country of their own where all Palestinians are welcome.

Whether they have been treated justly or not is no longer of any concern.

Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie" Salisbury Beach, Lawrence YMCA
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" Novel - Lawrence, Ma.
"The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.
"Noble Notes on Famous Folks" Humor - satire - facts.
"America on Strike" American Labor - History
"A Baker's Dozen" Short Stories.
"Just Hangin' Out, Ma" Anecdotes - Lawrence, Mass

a different perspective
I liked the book. I believe Mr Carter has the right perspective on the situation. Israel will not resolve this problem because they do not wish to recognize the rights of the Palestine people. Mr Carter analogy of "Apartheid" fits the situation. I did not vote for Jimmy Carter but respect him and his opinions. I wish the American Government would do the right things and not be influenced by the Strong Jewish interests. The United Nation have resolutions (242)against Israel, that the US Government and Israel will not recognize.

Sad but true
I commend and admire Jimmy Carter for having the courage to take a politically unpopular view and write this book. I am sure he did this in the face of much opposition. Even though anyone who does not unconditionally support Israeli policies if often called anti-Semitic, I think he takes as fair and objective position as possible (much more unbiased than the U.S.). As sad and discouraging as it can be at times, the truth is the truth. This book should be required reading for all Americans, many of who are unaware or misinformed of this situation, and especially for our young people as part of their reading curriculum in high school. Sadly, given our political climate, this has a very slim chance of ever happening. In closing, I will just say Carter comes across in the book as exactly what he is: a man of great patience, peace and faith. "Blessed are the peacemakers..."

Stong Bias is Evident
This is my criticism after reading the book:

In the first chapter of the book Carter gives three unnegotiable conditions for the founding of a two state solution
among these are denouncing violence and recognizing Israel's right to exist. Although neither of these condtions have been met, he seems complacent criticizing Israel for non-withdrawl of the territories. Other area's which he attacks (walls, checkpoint, ect.) are also to prevent terrorist activities which he began the book so vehemently opposing.

Furthermore he spends plenty of time discussing times when Israel refused to agree on a peace agreement, but somehow is able to skip over the multipule times Palestinian leaders sabotaged effots. For example when first mentioning the Camp David 2000 Summit he alocates about a sentence describing how Arafat declined, and spends more time talking about how the Israeli's wouldn't have accepted it anyways. ... Read more

Product Description
In this urgent, timely, and passionate book, Nobel Peace Laureate and former President Jimmy Carter argues that the present moment is a unique time for achieving peace in the Middle East—and he offers a bold and comprehensive plan to do just that. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (109)

Thoughtful, insightful, and a nice change
If you're a Jewish American zionist, you're probably so comfortable with your life here that you will not appreciate any of what he said, and you have no business reading a book written by a peace-seeking leader.If you're not so much a zionist, and/or and Israeli, or objective, you will like this book.

It goes into the cultural causes and effects and very objective view of the regional conflict.It is summarized with how all these are resolved, leading to two peoples to share the land.

I thought this book would be boring but it wasn't.His perspective (former President) and insight (caring Christian) helps to put things on a very grass roots level.I didn't like the aspects of geo-politics that he glossed over (military-industrial complex, US lobbyists, ect) but this book is focused on the subject on hand, and written for the common person (not the historian or student who needs a source document).

Good Background Information, But Not Much of a Plan
The beginnings of this book deal with the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Staring back in the 1970s, when Carter first became interested in the conflict, he documents the attempts made at peace and the obstacles that popped us along the way. A vast majority of the book is information from the 1970s to the current time and gives the reader a good feel for the situation and how it has developed.

It becomes very clear that Israel does not appear to really want peace with its neighbors. Any time that the Palestinian groups get to a place where they are willing to quit fighting and seriously negotiate, the Israeli government changes the game and the negotiating tactics. This "game" seems to have been going on for decades.

The one tactic that appears to have worked well and what drove the Israelis to the bargaining table quickly was the cut off of financial and military aid to the country by Bush 41. They quickly resumed talks and were making significant progress. Sadly, he prematurely resumed aid and they backed away from the table again. It would seem to me that the tactic of cutting aid, while not popular in the US., would force a return to negotiations. The difference would be to have measurable bench marks set and aid would be resumed in increments when and if the bench marks are accomplished and maintained. Talking and negotiating via the Carter process will not, in my opinion, work.

Good, but not for me....
I wanted to read this book because I have always had a very strong respect for Jimmy Carter's humanitarian stance on many issues. I readily admit that I didn't have very detailed knowledge of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict before starting this book, and I hoped the book would bring me up to speed. Carter does an excellent job of explaining the centuries-old conflict in the Holy Land and the importance of the roles of various important players on both sides. He also explains in vivid detail (from entries in his personal journals) various meetings and negotiations with key government officials on all sides, and I found those chapters fascinating. Although I found the book to be interesting and well-written, I have had a very hard time staying with it. I've been picking it up and putting it down for about ten months and still haven't quite finished it. I fault myself more than the book, but will call it quits for now. I tried!

More rhetoric from Jimmy Carter - this is not politically motivated...
This book says nothing new.His stance on Israel has been very clear - he is very anti-Semitic.The book is ridiculous as it is merely a platform for the unbelievable amounts of meddling that Carter has presented the world with.He defends his meeting with terrorists (yes, terrorists), like the PLO, Arafat, Abbas, and other groups as being nothing more than "working for peace."The Israeli government does not even recognize Carter due to his anti-Semitic remarks...

STAY FAR AWAY from this book if you don't want to end up burning it for being full of lies.

Great Book!
Very informative book by Jimmy Carter. It made me curious to buy the other book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid"! ... Read more

Product Description
President Jimmy Carter offers a passionate defense of separation of church and state. He warns that fundamentalists are deliberately blurring the lines between politics and religion.

As a believing Christian, Carter takes on issues that are under fierce debate -- women's rights, terrorism, homosexuality, civil liberties, abortion, the death penalty, science and religion, environmental degradation, nuclear arsenals, preemptive war, and America's global image.Amazon.com Review
Even at his most irate, Jimmy Carter projects cool, communicating with a poise that commands attention while gently signaling to opponents that they better do their homework before mounting any sort of debate. Perhaps that's why the former president, Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and bestselling author ranks as one of the planet's most respected voices in the areas of human rights, diplomacy, and good government. And when a clearly agitated Carter suggests America is on a slippery slope, globally speaking, as he does throughout Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, it's wise to pay heed even if the book's overriding Christian perspective may trip cautionary bells in secular readers.

More a set of loosely connected essays than a single, precise argument, Our Endangered Values outlines Carter's worldview while pondering what he posits are key problems looming in the 21st century. Thematic touchstones such as the war, environmental negligence, civil liberties, the rich-poor divide, and the separation of church and state form the book's backbone, with Carter filtering each through the prism of his own vast experience. He doesn't much like what he sees. Though much of the data Carter presents to support his arguments is familiar, it's worth repeating that "the rate of firearm homicides in the United States is nineteen times higher than that of 35 other high-income countries combined." That "In addition to imprisonment, the United States of America stands almost alone in the world in our fascination with the death penalty, and our few remaining companions are regimes with a lack of respect for basic human rights." That when it comes to sharing the wealth with poor nations "Americans are the stingiest of all industrialized nations. We allow about one-thirtieth as much as is commonly believed [or] sixteen cents out of each $100 of the gross national income." America: land of the free, home of the brave? Try global bully with a bad attitude and reckless sense of entitlement.

Carter spends significant time contextualizing his own spirituality, as if to underscore the urgency of his message that fundamentalism in any form is bad, especially when it encroaches on government. Indeed, Carter persuasively links fundamentalism to harmful policy, the subjugation of women, general xenophobia, and a host of other ills occurring all around him. And while George W. Bush in particular and the current administration in general take fewer clips on the chin than might be expected, Carter's arguments for common-sense change are deeply resonant nonetheless. --Kim Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (284)

A Gloomy Book that doesn't reveal anything we don't already Know
Although I agree with Mr Carter's values, and believe he may be the best living president, I didn't like this book because it describes what is wrong with America, yet doesn't give any advice on how to correct it.

What a depressing read.I believe Mr Carter could have written a better book if he would have added advice on what people that share his views could do to improve the situation.Am I to believe there is nothing that we can do?Is that why he has a look of dispair on the front cover?

A "highwayscribery" Book Report
At highwayscribery we like to say Carter's the best mistake America ever made.

His book "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis" is something of a radical tract done in a civil way. The treatise, a searing indictment of the Bush administration, provides left-wing viewpoint with the "cover" of Carter's being a good Christian. He prays, but he still thinks things stink (stunk); much the way the guy with dreadlocks and drum in the street has been saying for, oh, ever now.

Not everybody loves Carter, and this literary, frontal assault made him no friends among the screeching heads.

Which is why people in other countries do things like invite him to monitor the fairness of their elections and give him Nobel Peace prizes. Because then we'll have to pay at least a little attention to him.

The book provides a nice (Christian) insider's view of how fundamentalists slowly assumed leadership of Christian movements in the U.S. and committed them to political action. Very similar, Carter points out, to what we are grappling with in the Muslim world (and everywhere else).

Rather than go back over the book we'll discuss how the Bush crowd bungled the whole business with North Korea by way of example.

According to the book, Carter had then-President Clinton's blessing to work out a deal with Kim Il Sung, dad of the current leader, Kim Jong Il. What he got was a commitment by North Korea to cease its nuclear program at Yongbyon and permit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to ensure that spent fuel stayed spent fuel.

Sung died and Jong kept the old man's word. In South Korea, Kim Dae Jung held out a whole bouquet of olive branches to the northern nemesis and gained the Nobel Peace Prize for 2000.

Peace, compromises and olive branches.

Then came W.

"North Korea," Carter writes, "was publicly branded as part of an `axis of evil,' with direct and implied threats of military action against the isolated and paranoid nation, and an official policy was established that prohibited any direct discussions with the North Koreans to resolve differences."

Things fell apart, of course. IAEA inspectors got booted from the Korean peninsula and N.K. dropped out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a document Bush has never cared much for either, according to Carter.

Everybody hated everybody and nuclear testing ensued; the diplomatic equivalent of the middle finger, but more dangerous than a mere symbol. Now this nut has the bomb.

What happened? Here's the former prez: "The primary obstacles to progress are a peremptory United States demand that North Koreans renounce all nuclear activity and a decision that communication between our two countries will be accepted only within six-nation forum, while Pyongyang leaders have insisted on resumption of bilateral discussions and a clear statement from Washington that American leaders have `no hostile intent' against them."

Bush wouldn't give them that and so we got nothing.

You can't just talk to people you like around the world. You have to talk to those you don't like. That is the essence of diplomacy. The news out of Pyonyang was the essence of its failure.

Anyway, Carter's book is blessed with things you didn't know, but should. He's been there when a lot of stuff has gone down, sat in the meeting as it were, and the eyewitness expertise lends weight to the argument and a degree of fascination to the account.

Our Endangered Values
I agree with those reviewers who think all Americans should read this book.Since leaving the White House with a rather dismal accomplishment record, Jimmy Carter has established himself as the sage of Plains and a much sought after public figure.His work with Habitat for Humanity and the establishment of the Carter Center have brought much good to the world.

This book is a testimony to a man whose views speak of common sense and offers alarming insight into many problems facing modern day America.Many of these problems America has either created or helped bring upon itself.We are a people willing to allow our leaders to misguide us and who are often unaware that soe of the problems even exist.Both Democrats and Republicans share the blame, but recent White House leadership shoulders much of the responsibility for America's loss of status as a true leader in the world.

Our nation cannot "lead" just because we have bigger and more guns than anyone else.Iraqi insurgents are proving this to be true.We cannot lead if we fail to recognize the world is heading in one direction and we another.We cannot lead if our people do not realize fewer and fewer nations look up to us as champions of our own beliefs.We are not leaders if we fail to recognize "all men are created equal" or that there is only one God of all, not a separate God for America and another for everyone else.

Carter tries to show how his Christianity is in part responsible for our deplorable image in the developing world.The SOuthern Baptist Convention has hijacked American policy and ethics and corruted our image from campaigns if misinformation and the joining of church and state.Carter seeks a new course for his religion and the country in general.Unfortunately, he misses one point in his belief that if America just change its ways we may once again be the true leader of the world.He fails to understand that many countries do not want us to be their leader and will do anything to prevent it.

But still this is a well written and well thought out book.I found myself in either full or partial agreement with Carter on many of his points.He truely is an idol many should and could look up to if they only would take the time to read this and other works by Carter.He's the perfect example of how an ex-president should conduct himself.The is just simply a very, very good book.

An examination of American policies
Many books have been published in the last few years about America's lack of consistency in the last 9 years or so. Former Vice President , Al Gore, wrote The Assault on Reason which was a bold move for a former politician. Carter's 'Our Endangered Values' is in a similar vein.

Carter, backed by meticulous statistics, shows issues that are often overlooked by the popular press. For example, the US budget for malaria has been $90 million, but 95% is spent on consultants, and less than 5% on mosquito nets, drugs, and insecticide spraying to fight the disease. Federal policies from global warming to preemptive strikes are criticized.

Why didn't Carter do anything while president some might ask. Carter goes over his administrations policies and views, which almost all were removed by succeeding presidents.

There is hope. Many countries (The Netherlands, Germany, etc) are staunch on reducing carbon emissions, increasing peace, and increasing foreign aid. America can quickly follow their lead if people demand so.

Hope for America again
I've recently read Jimmy Carter's book Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis. Written with great influence from his Christian perspective, the book veers from the oft touted rhetoric of many of today's more outspoken Christians, but aligns with the growing number of those who are calling themselves "red letter Christians".
I wasn't politically aware during President Carter's administration, but have been extremely impressed with the work he has done since his time in office. Through The Carter Center, the Nobel Peace Prize winner has worked exhaustively to promote peace and social justice, and has served as a shining example with his work with Habitat for Humanity. Though his presidency doesn't stand as highly revered or auspicious as many others who've served in my lifetime, his track record of having a relatively bloodless administration and the humanitarian efforts he has championed since give me great hope that there are still good leaders alive in America.
Throughout the course of the current administration, I have found it harder and harder to hold my head up high as a proud American. From entering into a pre-emptive war to opting out of the Kyoto protocol and not doing our part to protect the environment, there have been many times that I have actually felt ashamed. And with the rise of fundamentalism overtaking Christianity through heightened judgment and lust for war, I all but dropped my association with that tradition.
However, reading President Carter's book, with its call to uphold the true values of both America and Christianity, I am given new hope in the future of both. I feel that I can once again say "God bless America" without feeling like a hypocrite. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A Time to Reflect
This book provides insight into the man.It is open and it feels human and honest.It is an interesting read particularly for those of us who lived through those years and, unfortunately, felt that he was inadaquate in the job.Now, upon reflection generated by his book, I have to question my world view of the time.

Too Honest for the White House
I met Jimmy Carter in 1991, when he and I were in Zambia at the same time. It is hard to meet a former US Presdient, and ironic to meet him in Africa.I was resident in Kenya at that time, working as a linguist designing language and culture training programs for foreigners coming to work with Christian churches.

I happened to be visiting in Zambia at that time investigating local resources for organizing a language programs for the language of the Lozi people, who live along the Zambezi River in Zambia and surrounding countries. Jimmy was there with staff from his Carter Foundation monitoring the elections of the country for a transition to democracy after a long period under the first president, really a dictator, Kenneth Kaunda.

I was invited to attend a meeting of American missionaries he was scheduled to address. He was a wonderfully unpretentious and personable person, a real person meeting other real persons. He spoke formally and then informally at a general reception with us. After the meeting with the gorup, I had a further opportunity to visit with Jimmy personally. I joined the leader of the mission group that had arranged the meeting to talk informally with President Carter as he sat in the open door of his van, while waiting for the final security checks to be finished by his Secret Service officers before his departure.

In this book Jimmy Carter presents his experiences and memories of his one term in office as President of the United States. He expresses himself in the same personal, unpretentious and humble style he exhibited when speaking to us in person. He writes in an honest and confessional style to present his experiences.He writes notin terms of a catalogue of events, but in personal terms of his thoughts and feelings as the events unfolded.

He starts off with the Iran hostage affair, which was not finally resolved until a few minutes after he had already relinquished his office to Ronald Reagan at the January 20 swearing-in ceremony.It was clear to us who observed this sad situation from an overseas view that the Iranian Revolutionary government had conducted this affair over the last year of the Carter Presidency primarily to undermine the US, but specifically as a slap at President Carter.

This in itself is ironic, because the general reaction to President Carter from overseas, and epecially the "Third World," was that now we had a US president who could be trusted, who tried to meet the rest of the world on its own terms, and who wanted to do what was best for the whole world community -- to do what was right.

Carter expresses the same disappointed concept of the Iran hostage affair. Perhaps the Revolutionary government of Iran had already been given some word from the Reagan Republican campaign that they would get a special under-the-table deal on arms if Carter were defeated.Who knows why they thougth this was the right approach towards America and its conciliatory president?

In this book Carter reveals his approach to personal and international affairs. He wanted to be honest, consistent in his moral consideration for both private and public responsibilities and decisions. This approach to life and relationships was proven in the unprecedented success and acclaim he has been awarded in his post-presidential activities of international diplomacy, peacemaking and counseling to many governments, heads of state and the whole international community.These accomplishments and contributions far outstrip beyond what he do with the restrictions and political hobbles inherent in the jealousies of Washington.

Washington, and indeed much of the country at large, could not understand a leader who never hid his sincere, honest and consistent desire to be a moral person as the leader of the nation. They could not understand the approach that decisions were made on the basis of universal principles of right and wrong, not political advantage.

This book is inspiring, informative, endearing and challenging in its presenting of a goal of personal integrity in all aspects of life, expressed by this great man.

Great book by a great man
Growing up in the 1990s, I was never familiar with President Carter or his specific policies.This book gives a very thorough and honest review of the major policy issues confronting President Carter in the late 1970s.If you think his presidency was a failure, you should at least take time to read about why he acted the way he did.He explains the seemingly endless energy debate in great detail and also what led him to give his infamous "crisis of confidence" speech.He gives a practically minute-by-minute account of the hostage crisis and how he worked (successfully) to win their release without nuclear weaponry or massive bloodshed. His coverage of the 1980 election was somewhat superficial so I suggest those interested in that election look elsewhere.If you are a die-hard Republican intent on bashing President Carter, this book is not for you, but if you are sincerely interested in knowing more about the Carter administration, then by all means buy it.Carter does try to justify his actions, but what presidential memoir doesn't?This is a great book that some of the other reviewers seem not to have read.

Embarassingly terrible...
I am one of those people that has to finish a book once I begin, whether it's great or terrible. I wished I wasn't after the first page of President Carter's memoirs.

My opinion of Jimmy Carter as a President aside, this book is an exhaustively boring collection of boring anecdotes, embarassing international incidents, and cowardly Presidential acts and statements. I'm too young to remember the Carter Presidency in any detail, but I can only imagine how truly miserable a time that must have been for our nation with the author of these memoirs at the helm.

I've read many Presidential memoirs and autobiographies, particularly those of the last half century. Interestingly enough, I'd skipped right over Carter's, jumping from Ford to Reagan without much concern. The historical void that doing so created left me feeling better off than having now read "Keeping Faith." No other work authored by a president or past president has left me feeling more insecure at the thought of that man having been the most powerful in the world for a time.

A good man but a bad president
Jimmy Carter is like Herbert Hoover in more ways than one.Hoover's memoirs are among the most lucid and insightful that any president has ever written.So are Carter's.Hoover was one of the most intelligent presidents we've ever had.So was Carter.Hoover translated Christian charity into concrete action all his life.So has Carter.But Hoover's presidency was one of the century's worst.Regrettably, so was Carter's.

The Camp David Accords and the Panama Canal Treaties were his only notable successes.These were grievously outweighed by his failures -- double-digit inflation, double-digit interest rates, the ill-considered "crisis of confidence" speech, the fall of Nicaragua to the Sandinistas, and the fall of Iran to medievalist radicals.On this last point, Carter's refusal to let the Shah come to the US to die was motivated by a desire not to offend the Islamic militants who hated him.(Don't take my word for it; read Carter's own explanation in "Keeping Faith.")For all Carter's moral courage, this episode is one of the most despicable examples of moral cowardice in the history of the presidency.

The message of American weakness was not lost on the rest of the world.Our allies in Europe, doubting America's commitment to them, proposed to base intermediate-range nuclear missiles on their own territory, which led to so much danger in ensuing years.The Soviets invaded Afghanistan.And the Iranians seized the US embassy and held the hostages for 444 days.That they were released at the very moment of Reagan's inauguration was no coincidence.

Carter's book is not very candid.It lays much heavier emphasis on the few successes than on the areas of weakness and failure, and has a flavor of rationalization and self-justification.And his discussion of his meetings with Reagan during the transition after the election of 1980 is bitter and petty.

If he could rewrite his memoirs today, I suspect Carter would do it differently.His life since then has been so exemplary that he no longer needs to worry about history's judgment of his failed presidency.For that judgment will be eclipsed by history's judgment of him as a man. ... Read more

Product Description
The first work of fiction by a President of the United States -- a sweeping novel of the American South and the War of Independence

In his ambitious and deeply rewarding novel, Jimmy Carter brings to life the Revolutionary War as it was fought in the Deep South; it is a saga that will change the way we think about the conflict. He reminds us that much of the fight for independence took place in that region and that it was a struggle of both great and small battles and of terrible brutality, with neighbor turned against neighbor, the Indians' support sought by both sides, and no quarter asked or given. The Hornet's Nest follows a cast of characters and their loved ones on both sides of this violent conflict -- including some who are based on the author's ancestors.

At the heart of the story is Ethan Pratt, who in 1766 moves with his wife, Epsey, from Philadelphia to North Carolina and then to Georgia in 1771, in the company of Quakers. On their homesteads in Georgia, Ethan and his wife form a friendship with neighbors Kindred Morris and his wife, Mavis. Through Kindred and his young Indian friend Newota, Ethan learns about the frontier and the Native American tribes who are being continually pressed farther inland by settlers. As the eight-year war develops, Ethan and Kindred find themselves in life-and-death combat with oppos- ing forces.

With its moving love story, vivid action, and the suspense of a war fought with increasing ferocity and stealth, The Hornet's Nest is historical fiction at its best, in the tradition of such major classics as The Last of the Mohicans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (83)

THE HORNET'S NEST
PRESIDENT CARTER HAS DONE IT AGAIN - A GOOD READ DESCRIBING THE BIRTH OF OUR COUNTRY.

Will someone please teach Carter to show, not tell?
I hoped to like this book.I have a great deal of respect for Carter, and he clearly knows his historical subject in detail.I also have lots of patience and even enthusiasm for historical detail in fiction--I'm currently reading Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver series, which has a similar level of clearly well-researched detail included.However, Carter's fiction writing style is some of the most tedious I have encountered.I bravely soldiered on to page 90something before giving up in glassy-eyed despair.Every page is exposition, beginning to end, even the dialogue!Characters consist of historical explanations of the details of their lives.I felt like I was reading a long-winded description of a novel, or perhaps of the lengthy backstory notes for a novel, rather than the novel itself.I wish Carter the best, and hope that his fiction writing improves with experience.

A Good Read
It is said in this book that Jimmy Carter is the only US president that ever wrote a novel and it is true. I was surprised to find a novel written by no less than a US president.

The Hornet's Nest is a fascinating tale of many families whose lives have become intertwined because of the struggle for American Independence in the late 18th century. The stories of courageous men and women who fought the British forces so that they can realize their ultimate dream of independence gives great inspiration to our country's own struggles for independence, even up to this day.

The story is quite balanced taking into consideration the good deeds done by the British and the bad effects that the American Struggle for Independence had on the Native Indians. I was astonished to learn that the Native Americans actually sided with the British during the struggle for Independence.

Early on, it showed greed existed among many American families who saw independence as a way to enlarge their estates and plantations. Even after the Americans defeated the British, slavery went on as the backbone of the American industrial revolution. Jimmy Carter has done a remarkable job in presenting the life of ordinary Americans during that war. I would hope that one of our Philippine presidents would one day also write a story on the life of ordinary Filipinos during the Philippine Revolution for Independence in 1896 - 1898. It is a very interesting read especially for those who want to better understand why America is the superpower it is today.

Satisfied customer
My book was in the condition as promised and came in at a timely fashion.

Would order again.

Starts off good, but fizzles out.
This book is divided into three sections.With the first section being by far the more interesting and best developed one.It is phenomenal the amount of detailed and intimate knowledge the author has on the early colonial period lifestyle.Every sentence has an incredible amount of fascinating history in it. The main flaw is that the author doesn't let the characters develop throughout the story. He'll just state the whole courtship in one paragraph. I wasn't too thrilled with the outcome of the story either. The main character committing adultery is not my thing.
In sum, the history is fascinating but the characters lacking after the first section. I ended up skipping a hundred pages in the middle because it got to be too dull. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the first section or "book" has it is called. ... Read more

Product Description
A Remarkable Mother is President Carter's loving, admiring, wry homage to Miss Lillian Carter, who championed the underdog always, even when her son was president.

A registered nurse, pecan grower, university housemother, Peace Corps volunteer, public speaker, and renowned raconteur, Miss Lillian ignored the mores and prejudices of the racially segregated South of the Great Depression years. She was an avid supporter of the Brooklyn Dodgers (because she happened to attend the first major league baseball game in which Jackie Robinson, from Cairo, Georgia, played), was a favored guest on television talk shows (usually able to "steal the microphone" from hosts such as Johnny Carson and Walter Cronkite), and an important role model for the nation. Jimmy Carter's mother emerges from this portrait as redoubtable, generous, and forward-looking. He ascribes to her the inspiration for his own life's work of commitment and faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

A Son's Tribute
President Jimmy Carter's tribute to his phenomenal mother "Miss Lillian" can be read in one sitting. He traces her ancestory, writes of her young life in South Georgia, her training and work as a nurse, her time in the Peace Corps, and her support or his presidency as an unofficial ambassador to many countries abroad. She reminded her famous son, however, that she usually only got sent to "represent our nation at funerals of distinguished foreign leaders."

Through the eyes of President Carter, we see a woman not afraid of hard work, a loving but firm parent-- though one who cut more slack than her husband Earl and who dished out lighter punishments to her four children than their father did-- and someone light years ahead of her contemporaries when it came to matters of race. Carter remembers that "my mother was the only white adult I ever knew who had a similarly [referring to his own early childhood] equal relationship with our [black] neighbors.

Miss Lillian loved soap operas, especially "All My Children," and family members knew that she neither answered the telephone nor went to her front door in Plains during the time that soap was on. She also liked a good shot of bourbon once a day, loved professional baseball and wrestling and was an avid reader her entire life. More importantly she instilled the joy of reading in each of her four very different children. President Carter retells the famous quotation of his brother Billy when he was accused of being eccentric: "I've got one sister who spends all her time on a motorcycle, another one who is a Holy-Roly preacher, a mother who is in the Peace Corps when she is seventy years old, and my brother thinks he's going to be President of the United States. Which one of our family do you think is normal?"

President Carter reminds us that his beloved mother was famous or infamous, depending on your point of view, forboth her wit and her tendency to speak her mind. When he drove from Atlanta to Plains to tell her he was going to run for President, she responded, "President of what?" Then she opined that if he were elected President of the United States, that Plains might then get a decent restaurant. After President Carter's inauguration, after admonishedby Press Secretary Jody Powell to not talk to the press, she told Powell to "go to hell. I'll talk to whom I please." She was immediately asked by a reporter if she was proud of her son. "She quipped: "Which one?" Then there is the famous Miss Lillian quote heard around the world and my favorite. During an interview with a reporter from the WASHINGTON POST, the reporter quizzed her on her son's comment that he had never told a lie and would never lie to the American public. Miss Lillian responded that perhaps Jimmy had told a "little white lie" now and then. The over-zealous reporter thought she smelled bloodand responded, "Aha! Aha? And what do you mean by a 'little white lie'?" Miss Lillian responded: " Well do you remember a few minutes ago when I met you at the door and said that you look very nice and that I was glad to see you?" Now that's a woman you can tip your hat to!

Perhaps the most poignant passages in this tribute are those in which Mr. Carter reflects on his mother's time in India. She was appalled at both the severe caste system and concomitant poverty. When her family sent her cheese and peanut butter and other small items, she routinely gave them all away. She wrote home of a heartbreaking experience when she was told by the doctor she worked for to ignore a woman dying of leprosy: "Miz Lilly, don't try to change us in the short time you'll be here. Whatever you do, don't feed her. The sooner she starves to death, the better off she'll be She has infectious leprosy and must not be touched." Finally on her seventiethbirthday, just before returning home, Miss Lillian wrote these most moving and beautiful words: "I didn't dream that in this remote corner of the world, so far away from the people and material things that I had always considered so necessary, I would discover what Life is really all about, sharing youself with others---and accepting their love for you is the most precious gift of all." Surely a mother who spoke such words would have been proud of what President Carter said, when asked by a reporter, as I recall, on his eightieth birthday, what he would most like to be remembered for. He responded that during his presidency, that no American soldier died in a war.

Remarkable mother, remarkable son.

A heartfelt biography from a prolific President
It's clear from the very opening of "A Remarkable Mother" how deeply Jimmy Carter loves his mother, and the book comes across as a very warm, affectionate, and loving tribute that avoids becoming a hagiography of Miss Lillian.By turns Miss Lillian is tough, outspoken, loving, and complex; quite different from the stereotype of women of her era.What emerges is how great an influence Miss Lillian was on shaping all of her children's character, and with Jimmy especially his sense of social justice and political ambition.What is most interesting is Carter's style of prose.It's so very conversational it sounds as though he's sitting in the room with you, relaying stories from the heart and he pulls in conversations with friends and family about their remembrances of Miss Lillian.Carter touches on virtually every facet of Lillian Carter's life: her courtship with her husband Jimmy Sr., her marriage, her many careers, her widowhood, and in the process Jimmy Carter's political rise, fall, and rehabilitation.And Jimmy doesn't sugarcoat anything about his mother.While it is a reverential book it is warts-and-all, touching on her outspokenness that sometimes got her and son Jimmy into some hot water or made her the butt of jokes.In the end it was Lillian's own humility and outspokenness that kept Jimmy honest and humble.

What emerges is a portrait of how extraordinary Lillian Carter was for her age.At a time when most married women were homemakers, Lillian was working as a nurse and health care provider, and she explains why without pulling any punches.And much of her work was often volunteer work, as well as long hours, sometimes as much as 20 hours a day, evidence of a selflessness of character that would be imprinted on her son Jimmy.Her strong principled stand against segregation in the time of Jim Crow marked her as being quite different from most women in South Georgia of the era; proof she was no ordinary woman.In some ways Lillian Carter is almost akin to an American version of Mother Teresa; albeit one who drank bourbon and loved to watch wrestling on television.It is her boundless intelligence, wit and humor, wisdom, and charm that emerge, along with her passion for public service and selflessness."A Remarkable Mother" is equal parts love and devotion mixed with inspiration and a sense that you too can aspire to do more.

A heartfelt biography from a prolific President
It's clear from the very opening of "A Remarkable Mother" how deeply Jimmy Carter loves his mother, and the book comes across as a very warm, affectionate, and loving tribute that avoids becoming a hagiography of Miss Lillian.By turns Miss Lillian is tough, outspoken, loving, and complex; quite different from the stereotype of women of her era.What emerges is how great an influence Miss Lillian was on shaping all of her children's character, and with Jimmy especially his sense of social justice and political ambition.What is most interesting is Carter's style of prose.It's so very conversational it sounds as though he's sitting in the room with you, relaying stories from the heart and he pulls in conversations with friends and family about their remembrances of Miss Lillian.Carter touches on virtually every facet of Lillian Carter's life: her courtship with her husband Jimmy Sr., her marriage, her many careers, her widowhood, and in the process Jimmy Carter's political rise, fall, and rehabilitation.And Jimmy doesn't sugarcoat anything about his mother.While it is a reverential book it is warts-and-all, touching on her outspokenness that sometimes got her and son Jimmy into some hot water or made her the butt of jokes.In the end it was Lillian's own humility and outspokenness that kept Jimmy honest and humble.

What emerges is a portrait of how extraordinary Lillian Carter was for her age.At a time when most married women were homemakers, Lillian was working as a nurse and health care provider, and she explains why without pulling any punches.And much of her work was often volunteer work, as well as long hours, sometimes as much as 20 hours a day, evidence of a selflessness of character that would be imprinted on her son Jimmy.Her strong principled stand against segregation in the time of Jim Crow marked her as being quite different from most women in South Georgia of the era; proof she was no ordinary woman.In some ways Lillian Carter is almost akin to an American version of Mother Teresa; albeit one who drank bourbon and loved to watch wrestling on television.It is her boundless intelligence, wit and humor, wisdom, and charm that emerge, along with her passion for public service and selflessness."A Remarkable Mother" is equal parts love and devotion mixed with inspiration and a sense that you too can aspire to do more.

Fast Shipment
Very quick service.I got this book for my mom for Mother's Day and she loved it.I recommend it to anyone and use Amazon.

What a lovely book....
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.It was lovingly written by a son who adored, respected, and loved his mother very much.Lillian was such a force in the White House, and it sounds like everyone from every country who ever met her just loved being with her. She's was a woman that we could all learn from....she didn't take from anyone...even the President.The book was inspiring to me...she went into the Peace Corps at 70....enough said....very good book! ... Read more

Product Description
This is the story of President Jimmy Carter's post-presidency, the most admired and productive in the nation's history. Through The Carter Center, which he and Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982, he has fought neglected diseases, waged peace in war zones, and built hope among some of the most forgotten and needy people in the world.

Serving in more than seventy nations, Carter has led peacekeeping efforts for Ethiopia, North Korea, Haiti, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uganda, and Sudan. With his colleagues from The Carter Center, he has monitored more than sixty-five elections in troubled nations, from Palestine to Indonesia.

Carter's bold initiatives, undertaken with dedicated colleagues, have eliminated, prevented, or cured an array of diseases that have been characterized as "neglected" by the World Health Organization and that afflict tens of millions of people unnecessarily. The Carter Center has taught millions of African families how to increase the production of food grains, and Rosalynn Carter has led a vigorous war against the stigma of mental illness around the world.

"Immersing ourselves among these deprived and suffering people has been a great blessing as it stretched our minds and hearts," Jimmy Carter writes. "The principles of The Carter Center have been the same ones that should characterize our nation, or any individual. They are the beliefs inherent in all the great world religions, including commitments to peace, justice, freedom, humility, forgiveness or an attempt to find accommodation with potential foes, generosity, human rights or fair treatment of others, protection of the environment, and the alleviation of suffering. This is our agenda for the future." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

PRESIDENT JAMES EARL CARTER: A WORLD ICON OF ULTRUISM....
Read it for yourself and be inspired to get out there and make the world a better place; President Carter certainly has and continues to. Be inspired!!!

DON"T LISTEN TO WHILE DRIVING!
The audiobook on CD that I purchased was one of many.I do a lot of driving.This book, as read by past-president Jimmy Carter, has a monotone, droning quality that is likely useful for meditation or as a sleep aid.Do not listen to while driving.Having said that, the content is very good.Purchase experience was very good.

A great survey of Jimmy Carter's life since the White House!
It seems if you blink there's yet another book from former President Carter, easily perhaps our most prolific former President.And while "Beyond the White House" is about his post-Presidential activities, it serves more as a survey level course in what he's been doing rather than an in-depth probe of the minutiae.Needless to say Jimmy Carter has been one busy man in many parts of the globe and in many aspects of society."Beyond the White House" seeks to sum up these activities, but needless to say almost any one of them warrants a book of their own.Like the recent commercials, Jimmy Carter is likely the most interesting man in the room, he's always doing something very interesting and intriguing.Whether it's combating nuclear arms proliferation, witnessing elections, immunizing citizens, brokering diplomatic negotiations, or what, Jimmy Carter always seems to pop up.At times the chapters scream out for more details and I have no doubt Jimmy is secretly banging out a book as I wait and ponder.You start to wonder if the man ever sleeps.Reading over his biography on his mother "A Remarkable Mother" you understand where he gets that deep reserve of energy and drive!

"Beyond the White House" ultimately serves as a sort of survey level introduction to what Jimmy Carter has been doing since 1981, and ultimately it screams out for more details.No doubt there are books about every facet of his life to come, but this is a nice introduction for those too young to remember him as President or his early years of attempting to redeem himself.By turns inspirational and challenging, "Beyond the White House" is a great read for anyone who wants to do more with their lives or who wants to better understand what motivates and drives Jimmy Carter.

A highwayscribery "Book Report"
Ex-Presidents enjoy many privileges and "Beyond the White House" demonstrates that one of them is getting mediocre books published.

"Beyond the White House," has the feel of many loose-ends, however interesting and worthy of recounting, carelessly stitched together.

There is no narrative to speak of. Only the single-thread of a post-presidency binds these tales of the Carters' (husband and wife) forays into battle against disease, dictatorship and poverty.

As writer/politician, Carter lacks President Barack Obama's literary gift, but his mind is organized and his prose sparing to the good.

This book provides a window on the world of philanthropy with accounts of how money is raised, how staffing is done, and how people who used to have important, official titles (eg; Colin Powell) later leverage them for the benefit of others.

Carter's accounts of political work in places like Haiti, North Korea, and the Sudan make for good inside stuff (if at times dated). Things get particularly interesting when his interventions require vetting or consultation with a sitting American president.

Carter's efforts in fighting disease are simultaneously stomach-churning and heart-warming.

For those not indoctrinated, the reports on the nasty ailments plaguing millions of people in the undeveloped world thanks to ignorance, cultural resistance, or hapless governments give pause and reason for thanks.

The solutions, at times, are mind-numbingly simple and enough to make one curse the world for not applying them more readily.

Carter has done a lot of good in these areas. And so, by the way, have the major drug-makers he prodded into financing massive, free distributions of badly needed medicines in forgotten and miserable backwaters around the world.

In "Beyond the White House," the ex-president pats his own back, but there's no denying his level of achievement and commitment to the less-fortunate. One can't lead by example if nobody's aware of what they're up to.

There are things in "Beyond the White House" worthy of absorbing for Carter fans, presidential scholars, or politics junkies, but on the whole, there is no whole.

So, if you're so inclined, go forth with this brief foreshadowing of what lies ahead.

Jimmy... Take a Break
Jimmy Carter has had a lot of unfair accusations thrown at him over the years, but he really needs to chill. The Carter Center was originally a good idea,but now it sounds more like endless nagging to me, (similar to the Max Headroom commercials in the late 80's or accidentally chewing on aluminum foil while eating a Toblerone candy bar). No matter how hard he tries, the Repugs make him look like a loser, and as long as they can do that, why bother? He's always been too honest and nice for politics... ... Read more

Product Description

The maverick politician from Georgia who rode the post- Watergate wave into office but whose term was consumed by economic and international crises 

A peanut farmer from Georgia, Jimmy Carter rose to national power through mastering the strategy of the maverick politician. As the face of the "New South," Carter's strongest support emanated from his ability to communicate directly to voters who were disaffected by corruption in politics.

But running as an outsider was easier than governing as one, as Princeton historian Julian E. Zelizer shows in this examination of Carter's presidency. Once in power, Carter faced challenges sustaining a strong political coalition, as he focused on policies that often antagonized key Democrats, whose support he desperately needed. By 1980, Carter stood alone in the Oval Office as he confronted a battered economy, soaring oil prices, American hostages in Iran, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Carter's unpopularity enabled Ronald Reagan to achieve a landslide victory, ushering in a conservative revolution. But during Carter's post-presidential career, he has emerged as an important voice for international diplomacy and negotiation, remaking his image as a statesman for our time.

Customer Reviews (2)

Very Brief but Fair
The American President Series intends to provide concise but useful biographies of American Presidents. In that sense, this particular volume is successful. There were certainly some aspects of President Carter's career that were glossed over such as his achievements in the Navy, some aspects of his family life and a number of events during his presidency. Curiously, the tone of the book also changes with the flow of the material. In the first half of the book, Carter is portrayed as being honest and refreshingly anti-establishment. In the second half, which documents his slide from popularity, the books tends to highlight his lack of flexibility in dealing with other power figures. In any case, this book is a pretty good overview of the main issues surrounding President Carter's life and career so far. He is probably one of the most harshly-judged political figures of recent times. This book can help readers see some of the nuances behind the man and give a bit better perspective on what he attempted to do beyond the stereotypical views of his shortcomings. Two of the lasting impressions one can take away from reading this book are first, that President Carter was one of the few presidents to make an honest and long-term attempt to improve the energy regime of the US, and second, that he he has maintained a strong dedication to human rights and diplomatic solutions to international relations. I do recommend this book, but anyone who has a serious interest in the Carter presidency will most likely want to go beyond the very concise coverage of it in this book.

Accessible biography of Jimmy Carter
A nice addition to this series of brief biographies of American presidents. The focus here is Jimmy Carter. The author has no reservations about being critical where such is appropriate, so the book has a bit of an edge (but not inappropriately so, in my judgment). The book begins by outlining Jimmy Carter's background, his first efforts at politics, his success as a candidate for governor, and his strategic approach to running for president.

Then, his presidency. From a promising beginning to more difficult sledding. Finally, the problems of the last part of his presidency, including the hostage crisis and the economic stagnation facing the country. Unlike many presidents, there has been an active, visible, and controversial post-presidential career.

The book, overall, does a good job of presenting Jimmy Carter, assessing his body of work, and doing so in rather brief fashion, making this accessible to people who do not want a one thousand page biography.
... Read more

Product Description

In an American story of enduring importance, Jimmy Carter re-creates his Depression-era boyhood on a Georgia farm, before the civil rights movement that changed it and the country.

In what is sure to become a classic, the bestselling author of Living Faith and Sources of Strength writes about the powerful rhythms of countryside and community in a sharecropping economy. Along the way, he offers an unforgettable portrait of his father, a brilliant farmer and strict segregationist who treated black workers with his own brand of "separate" respect and fairness, and his strong-willed and well-read mother, a nurse who cared for all in need -- regardless of their position in the community.

Carter describes the five other people who shaped his early life, only two of them white: his eccentric relatives who sometimes caused the boy to examine his heritage with dismay; the boyhood friends with whom he hunted with slingshots and boomerangs and worked the farm, but who could not attend the same school; and the eminent black bishop who refused to come to the Carters' back door but who would stand near his Cadillac in the front yard discussing crops and politics with Jimmy's father.

Carter's clean and eloquent prose evokes a time when the cycles of life were predictable and simple and the rules were heartbreaking and complex. In his singular voice and with a novelist's gift for detail, Jimmy Carter creates a sensitive portrait of an era that shaped the nation.

An Hour Before Daylight is destined to stand with other timeless works of American literature.Amazon.com Review
Born on October 1, 1924, Jimmy Carter grew up on a Georgia farm during the Great Depression. In An Hour Before Daylight, the former president tells the story of his rural boyhood, and paints a sensitive portrait of America before the civil rights movement.

Carter describes--in glorious, if sometimes gory, detail--growing up on a farm where everything was done by either hand or mule: plowing fields, "mopping" cotton to kill pests, cutting sugar cane, shaking peanuts, or processing pork. He also describes the joys of walking barefoot ("this habit alone helped to create a sense of intimacy with the earth"), taking naps with his father on the porch after lunch, and hunting with slingshots and boomerangs with his playmates--all of whom were black. Carter was in constant contact with his black neighbors; he worked alongside them, ate in their homes, and often spent the night in the home of Rachel and Jack Clark, "on a pallet on the floor stuffed with corn shucks," when his parents were away. However, this intimacy was possible only on the farm. When young Jimmy and his best friend, A.D. Davis, went to town to see a movie, they waited for the train together, paid their 15 cents, and then separated into "white" and "colored" compartments. Once in Americus, they walked to the theater together, but separated again, with Jimmy buying a seat on the main floor or first balcony at the front door, and A.D. going around to the back door to buy his seat up in the upper balcony. After the movie, they returned home on another segregated train. "I don't remember ever questioning the mandatory racial separation, which we accepted like breathing or waking up in Archery every morning."

In this warm, almost sepia-toned narrative, Carter describes his relationships with his parents and with the five people--only two of whom were white--who most affected his early life. Best of all, however, Carter presents his sweetly nostalgic recollections of a lost America. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

Pulitzer prize finalist!!! 2002
Researching Pulitzer Prize winners, the list includes the finalist as well, and behold this book by former President Carter. I am a Georgian, as have been several generations of my "folks". This is a wonderful account of life on the farm in rural Georgia and is historical in its accounting of how we "lived" together before Civil Rights. It moves quickly, is filled with humor and allows the reader to step back into the boyhood of a "leader of the free world." EXCELLENT!!

Useful Background Material But A Bit Fanciful
Hard to believe so many of the claims that Jimmy seems to make for all his hard work on his Daddy's farm.
Using a .22 rifle at 8 and plowing alone at 10 is a bit much to swallow.
There is no mention of any (natural and normal) teenage rebellion against his father's "suggestions that had the force of orders" -- and this I find just too much to believe, unless Carter was even then focussing on social appearances for the sake of his subsequent career.
The religion thing is something he more or less inherits from his father too.
There is no mention of any conflict in his mind to square the pieties of Sunday school with the sick reality of a racially segregated society.
Not what you'd expect of a guy with an IQ of 176 (1 in 5 million people) to readily accept.
This book can read, as already stated by another reviewer, a bit boringly at times.
Perhaps too much physical detail (esp. around the farm) and not enough discussion of social phenomena that not only arose then in rural Georgia (e.g. a school principal losing out on a normal social life and family because of their selfless dedication to their work while others knowingly did little to help them) but still happens today.
The reasoning behind his change of career -- indeed the very practicalities of it like how can you assume ownership of a farm that must have been legally made over to Miss Lilly until Billy came of age -- have not been disclosed at all. It's a helluva wrench from being a member of Rickover's elite nuclear sub group to going home to a small narrow-minded town in Ga. There is more to that decision that simply seeing the train of black and white visitors into his dying Daddy's room.

It is very strange that no one has yet undertook a proper biographical study of Carter. Nigel Hamilton has shown with Clinton that, even when denied acess to gubernatorial papers, one can still do an excellent biographical job. White House papers must be made public after about 5 years, I think, so there should be no trouble there.
Carter is by no means the commercial draw to a publisher that Clinton is.
But still, his record after the White House speaks for itself: this is a man of commitment to peace, to the environment, to equality between people and above all else to education and welfare.
Maybe reding this book might provoke a proper biography of carter, before all his contemporaries have been buried before him along with their testimonies.

An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter
I confess it was years into Jimmy Carter's writing career before I found out he was writing books. With this volume the reader is treated to a clear, well written memoir of Mr. Carter's rural boyhood on a Georgia farm during the depression.

Brought to bear are the influential people and events that helped shape the future 39th President of the United States. We learn of life on the farm, garnering interesting tips about plants and animals and their place among the day-to-day function and survival of those people who attempt to arduously hack out a livingin the soil, where financial prosperity was often influenced by fickle changes in the weather and flucuating crop prices.

In some cases people judge others prematurely based on their public personna and media created images. I refer to those who condemn Jimmy Carter's writing because of a personal distaste for his presidency and subsequent oval office policies. Mr. Carter's writing should be judged by his ability to give account, the prose and creativity of a skillful storyteller. Good writing is a gift to be valued and one Jimmy Carter possesses.

I greatly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it because of its historical record of farm life in the South during tough financial times in America. I learned many interesting things. The author writes as one who has a story to tell; the fact he was once President is not the central focus of the book. If the reader looks on it as a childhood memoir rather than a political treatise, the experience will most likely be pleasurable.

Charles Hamilton Sr, Former Executive Director Northwest Teen Challenge and author of From Darkness To Light and A Step Of Faith.

From Darkness To Light

Beautifully Written:History Comes to Life
At the risk of sounding "ethereal", there is a definite peaceful energy that pervades this book.I don't know how that "gets into" a book, but it did.I loaned this book to a colleague and she mentioned the same thing without any prompting from me.In any event, if you enjoy history, then you will like this book.Carter paints a vivid picture of rural American at the time. The stories are charming, vivid, and interesting.I have read a few other books by Jimmy Carter, but this is by far is best.

AnHourBefore Daylight
Was really into this book.I didn't want to put it down.I grew up in the country and could relate to so many things.He is a very good writer.I will read it again later.Would recommend to anyone for a good read. ... Read more

Product Description
The former president's personal tale of political intrigue and social conflict during his first campaign for public office. Iluminates the origins of his commitment to human rights and bears further witness to the accomplishments of an extraordinary man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

If only he had communicated this well as President.
President Carter has in this book painted an extremely clear portrait of the world of rural southern politics.A world that has changed some since the 1962 election he describes in this work, but not much.Just last year in my own House district the Republican primary candidate from the smaller of the two counties in the district won the election after no returns came in from his county until all the returns were in from the larger county.Officials in the smaller county then knew the margin they needed, and they delivered.The results weren't contested but a few years ago when the results of an election were contested it was found that many of the votes cast in this small county were cast by the dead.Just like in Quitman County.

Carter tells the story of his first run for public office in a very comfortable and easy to read style.Even though I knew the outcome I couldn't put the book down because I just had to know what happened next.From the time he starts his campaign one can sense history unfolding, not just as the election laws of Georgia change, but also as a naïve candidate slowly begins to learn the lessons that will eventually take him to the White House.Carter does miss one important point though that deserves some attention.The heavy weight given to rural votes in the south was not only an attempt to keep blacks out of politics but revealed the strong influence Thomas Jefferson still held on the south.Jefferson I think would have been very happy to see the votes of small farmer's carry more weight than the votes in urban areas.Add to that the strong influence of the Populists in the turn of the century south and the system in place in 1962 Georgia makes perfect sense.Basically, liberal thinkers had put in place the system the new liberals wanted to change.

Reading this book, along with some of the former President's other works have made me feel as if I have known the man for years.Honest, compassionate, sensitive, intelligent, and indeed somewhat bullheaded are all words that come to mind when trying to describe the man from Plains.If you don't get to know this great American it will be a loss to no one but you and to get to know him you need this book.It is a book you will enjoy.

This explains a lot
Being a young boy, and native Georgia, during the Carter presidency, I didn't have an understanding as to who the man really was.I heard the stories about him being a peanut farmer from south Georgia and just couldn't imagine how he ended up in the white house.This book really doesn't explain that, but it does show how his early political life really shaped who he is.His struggles with the political "machine" during that time help to explain his involvement in foreign election monitoring.Other social commentary shows the compassionate man who really did want to help in his community.

President Carter is a terrific storyteller, and has some great stories to tell. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, easy and political read, whether you're a Deomcrat or like me, a Republican.

Eyewitness to History --
Riveting read.Unexpectedly good and important. A story about Jimmy Carter I didn't know. An absolutely crucial moment of transition between the Old and New South told by one who was there. It shaped his whole career. Stories of voting fraud and political intrigue worthy of the Chicago machine, used against anyone who threatened reform.In this case, the reform was one man, one vote and equality under the law for African Americans -- revolutionary concepts for rural Georgia. Ends with a taut courtroom scene worthy of any good movie. Well written and not overly long. Carter is a good storyteller and has a spare, elegant literary style. ... Read more

Product Description
An intimate biography of the thirty-ninth president explores the life, presidency, and post-presidential years of Jimmy Carter in light of the South and its deep feeling of inferiority and its equally deep Christianity. 45,000 first printing. Tour.Amazon.com Review
A perfect amount of time has elapsed for beginning a properhistorical understanding of Jimmy Carter--enough to allow the emotionsof witnesses and participants to cool, but not enough to overly dimtheir recall. And this book is a solid effort in thatdirection. Bourne, a psychiatrist, had known Carter for years beforehis presidency and followed him to the White House. (Which he leftafter getting caught prescribing drugs under a false name for one ofhis staffers.) This book is full-scale: it starts with Carterancestors in 1635 and proceeds to describe in some detail the hardtimes characteristic of a place like Sumter County, Georgia. InBourne's view, Carter's meteoric rise is best understood as thesuccessive mastery of the narrow cultures of local, state, andnational politics by a proud, intelligent man who had seen andunderstood the wider world (at the Naval Academy and then in nuclearsubmarines) before coming back to take over the family farm after hisfather's death. How meteoric? Well, Bourne tells us, Carter waselected President less than four years after stumping the panel onWhat's My Line?. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

An Insider Views the Carter Presidency
Peter Bourne, a somewhat unknown member of the Carter White House, has written a relatively balanced biography of our 39th President. He admits his flaws (extreme stubborness and lack of political saavy), while stressing the religious values by which he tried to steer the country. His "spokes of a wheel" idea for running the executive branch, opposed by just about everyone who knew anything about the way the White House should be run, is an example of his flaws. His loyalty to the Middle East Peace process is an example of his values taking precedence over domestic political concerns.
Bourne, occasionally wears Carter "blinders" (as when he excuses the president's lack of knowledge of his brother's dealings with Libyan oil interests or when he attributes the failure of the hostage rescue mission solely to "bad luck and military ineptitude"), yet, on the whole, this is a worthwhile effort at detailing the man without the myth.

One more book to donate to the library...
The preface starts off indicating the original idea for this book: as a campaign book and biography.So put on those rose-colored glasses and read about Jimmy in third-person.I don't like the posturing, this book reads like it was written to impress rather than give the reader a glimpse of who Jimmy is.Seems to me the author was too close to the president to offer an objective viewpoint.His early life is glossed over and it's just the 'character building' traits which are revealed.I thought Colin Powell's "My American Journey" and Anderson's "Che" did a much better job of revealing the person, and telling the story.

An odd part of this book was the long family history in the beginning.Maybe this was one facet Jimmy inserted, but it just went off on a long tangent.

The Making of the Man and the Crumbling of the Presidency
Bourne shows how the the Carter family values and the values of the South shaped Jimmy and the impact that these values had on his presidency.His father's frugality and work ethic are manifest throughout Carter's life, while his mother's racial tolerance and kindness are as well.But his blind devotion to principle and weak managerial skills hindered relations with Washington power brokers and ultimately damaged his presidency.

Some of the most interesting reading is how Carter won the White House, coming from a complete unknown and total outsider to become the most powerful man in the world.And Bourne does an excellent job describing the election campaign.A surprising subtheme of the book is how some of the elements of the Reagan revolution were foreshadowed in Carter's policies, such as the emphasis on a strong defense and confronting the Soviets.

One weakness of the book is the author's hatred of the Reagan administration.He can hardly mention Reagan's name without calling him racist, a charge that is baseless as far as I know.He also assumes that the charges that Reagan interfered in the Iran hostage release in order to win the election are true without discussing the evidence.As far as I know, the evidence for this is controversial at best.Finally, the discussion of his administration could have been better organized--I could not determine if it was chronological or thematic.

The book reveals the complexity of Carter.Although he participated in Southern Baptist Home Mission Board outreach programs, he was either pro-choice or pro-abortion.Although he did more for blacks as governor of Georgia than any previous governor, he was also a supporter of the arch-segregationist George Wallace.Although he was willing to sacrifice almost anything for principle, he ran some awfully dirty campaigns for office in Georgia.Bourne is to be commended for not shying away from describing these complexities.

Bourne was the health advisor for part of the Carter administration, so this is definitely an insider view of his presidency.But Bourne does a good job describing all of Carter's life, from childhood to Navy service to Georgia politics to the presidency to post-presidency, ending with Carter's 70th birthday in 1994.

Overall, a good biography, although it inevitably suffers from being written by an insider and by the lack of historical distance from the main actor.But you will come to know Carter in his glories and his failings.

A Comprehensive Book
I'm a Republican who nevertheless admired Jimmy Carter greatly, and I am saddened by his recent petulant rants agains President George W. Bush.He has every right to diagree with him but succumbing to the conspiracy theories of the wacko left is unseemly for a former President.Bourne needs to write a sequel.

a top notch presidential biography
Over the last several years I've read more than 35 presidential biographies, usually taking the advice of Amazon readers who have steered me toward the best available choices. While not among the very best of biographies, Bourne's effort is near or in the top ten presidential biographies.

Jimmy Carter is probably the mostintelligent president of my lifetime, an extremely hard worker, ambitious, very religious and thoughtful about his religion but also willing to compromise his principles to get ahead.He is also stubborn and not willing to be shown up.He has usually viewed himself as an outsider, and while this helped convince Americans to elect him president, it did not prepare him to work well with Washington politicians and insiders to achieve many of his goals.

Along with describing Carter's life prior to the presidency,the first half is fascinating for its description of race and politics in the South during the 60's and 70's, laying out an outline of how to win the presidency through a grass roots campaign, the suspicion that Carters religious beliefs caused, and as a reminder of issues that campaigns focused on in the 70's (election ethics, environmental issues, education reform, national health insurance, and other populist sorts of themes) - the four year campaign for president is told in detail (150 pages), and in ways it seems overly long, but this is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Carter's life.The strategy and effort to elect an unknown governor to be president is pretty fascinating stuff.

I started to fear Bourne would run out of energy and pages to provide much detail about Carter's presidency. I was wrong.He captures the problems Carter and America faced, the often ineffective policy implementation of the Carter White House, and Carter's unwillingness to compromise or "play the game" with Congress.Carter's post-presidential years are cevered well.

Bourne has been a Carter advisor for nearly 30 years, but hisbook is balanced and thoughtful.He is not shy about criticizing Carter.Bourne writes well, and kept my interest throughout the narrative.In some ways the book appears to be published on the cheap.Double spacing between sections doesn't happen.There is no table of contents or chapter names.Despite these few limitations this is a highly recommended presidential biography.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Revisionist view of Carter's Presidency
Typically, Jimmy Carter is considered to be one of the worst Presidents in recent American history - in large part due to his alleged indecisiveness and tendancy to vacillate when confronted with tough decisions.

Robert Strong has delved into Carter's Presidency, utilizing good primary source material from the Carter library in Atlanta and interviews with members of the administration (including President Carter himself), to develop a book of case studies that is designed to explain Carter's efforts to make American foreign policy.

Most of the case studies Strong selects do a good job of explaining how Carter was a take-charge, decisive President that had the ability to get things done & wasn't afraid to make the tough decisions.One of the studies, however, describes this popular image of an indecisive man, which weakens the argument of the book quite significantly.

Had Strong not included the chapter on the Neutron Bomb controversy, this would probably be a five star book - he accomplished the goal of proving that Carter was a man that could make the tough decisions and not question those choices later.He also showed, through the case studies, that Carter was willing to admit when he made a wrong choice or one that led to negative publicity for him and/or his administration (i.e. the failed rescue mission in Iran).

Overall, the case studies developed by Strong are very good and reflective of the different facets of Presidential duties in the foreign policy arena.I believe that this a good, though not great, book that will continue the current historiographical trend of revitalizing Carter's image as President, though this rehabilitation will unlikely lead to him being considered as a "top ten" President because of the domestic troubles America encountered in the period 1977-1981. ... Read more

Product Description
In his highly acclaimed "road map for living a good life and a life of goodness" ("Atlanta Journal-Constitution"), former president Jimmy Carter invites readers on his dynamic and inspiring journey of faith. "Carter writes with compelling honesty about his mistakes, his challenges, and his faith".--"U.S. News & World Report".Amazon.com Review
If you've always wanted the opportunity to pull up a chair and join a Bible study with former president Jimmy Carter, Living Faith is just the audiobook for you. For those of other--even non-religious--persuasions, Carter's rather flat but still engagingly homespun reading offers insight into the deeply personal faith that has motivated Carter throughout his adult life, shaping his decisions as a businessman-farmer, father and husband, diplomat and humanitarian, and president. Living Faith gives as much weight to Carter's remembrances about growing up and living in Plains, Georgia, as to the Iran hostage crisis, the infamous Playboy interview, and the other events of Carter's political life. Sprinkled throughout are Bible stories, quoted chapter and verse; Carter's mission seems not so much to evangelize listeners about his specific Christian faith as to urge on others the gentle decency and humble commitment to good works that this memoir chronicles. Random House has also released an audio edition of Always a Reckoning and Other Poems, also read by Carter. (Running time: 90 minutes) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Spiritual autobiography that will help you better understand President Carter
Heard LIVING FAITH, a spiritual autobiography read and written by
President Jimmy Carter . . . it helped me understand this remarkable man
who has perhaps accomplished more since he left office--in large part
because of his religious beliefs.

You don't have to be Baptist, either, to enjoy this book . . . it contains
lessons from the Bible that apply to any faith, and you'll also enjoy
hearing about the many experiences, friends and family members who
have affected Carter's life.

For example, he credits Miss Judy Coleman (one of his former teachers)
for teaching him that "We must adjust to changing times, but hold
to unchanging principles."

And from a Pastor Cruz, he learned the following: "You only have
to have two loves in your life: 1. For God; and 2. For the person in front
of you at any particular point in time."

Lastly, I liked these guidelines he shared for praying: "When I pray,
I ask: Am I pursuing the right goals? Am I holding to my personal
code? And have I done my best?"

This was the first book I have read by President Carter . . . I'm now
tempted to seek out some others he have written, particularly
if I can hear his soothing voice do the narration.

Down to earth
A well written book that's easy to read.If you want to get a good understanding of why Carter took or didn't take certain actions while in office and the greater accomplishments he's made since, you'll enjoy the book.Learn about what makes Carter who he is.

My introduction to Jimmy
This was the first book I read writen By x president Jimmy Carter
I was one of you who didn't give him a second chance,(Because of all the yellow ribbons in my neighborhood,) Which in my case This book opened my eyes to what he was dealing with while in office.
GREAT BOOK to make you feel ashamed, If you like me were feeling pretty hawkish at the time HOSTAGES issues were all over the front page.
This man will be recorded as our biggest blunder not keeping him in office! If we want to be thought of as a great people insted of our current world wide profile

A Moving Memoir
I really appreciated Carter's description of his personal faith and his attempts to live and practice Christianity in today's world.I think progressive Christians will find this book speaks to them in their attempts to reconcile a very real faith with an outward-looking and inclusive world-view.Being engaged in left-wing causes does NOT require abandoning religious faith, and we need more men and women to assert that there IS a religious left, too.In fact, for many, religious faith is the inspiration that leads us into politics.I can't beileve a man this kind and sincere and gentle was ever president, it seems so bizarre considering today's realities.

A Gentle Man and a Gentleman
Former President Jimmy Carter is a truly outstanding person.He is very devoutly committed to his faith and he uses illustrations from his own life to affirm the faith that guides him.

Carter is indeed a humble peacemaker and this book is a sterling testament to faith, hope and living a good life.It is a book for everybody regardless of faith.It is a book about core values and internal beliefs.It is a book about the power of sharing. ... Read more

Product Description

The Nobel Lecture

was delivered by Jimmy Carter

on December 10, 2002,

at the ceremony in Oslo, Norway,

where he received the

Nobel Prize for Peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Mixed feelings
I have mixed feelings about Carter's Nobel Prize. Actually he should have won the Nobel Prize for the Israeli- Egyptian peace agreement. Egyptian President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister were then given the prize. Carter who brokered the agreement certainly deserved it.
About the Carter Center activities I am not well - informed, though I am deeply troubled by former President Carter's Middle East position in recent years. He has strongly tilted towards a pro- Arab stance, and his words of condemnation are not for the suicide-bombers but for the one democracy in the region.
The speech itself tells President Carter's story in brief. It expresses the ideals for which he stands, most of which are noble. He is very worried about the gap between rich and poor. He is concerned about the nuclear arms situation. He is troubled about the wise use of American power. He holds out a hope of future Peace for mankind. He speaks of his Christian faith.
However in recounting his own story he does not point out that it was on his watch that the radical Islamic Revolutionary regime in Iran came to power, and strongly humiliated the United States. He does not hint at condemnation at the role Iran has played in spreading terror in the world since that day. He also does not in discussing the world situation touch upon a whole host of areas and nations where conflicts are going on.
There is not in this an overwhelming rhetoric or the kind of powerful voice one of Carter's great heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. could supply.
There is however a call for a better world and a more peaceful one.
And this is done in a tone which is quiet, modest and humane.

A moving testimony from a true world citizen
"The Nobel Prize Lecture," by Jimmy Carter, is a short volume--the lecture and supplemental materials total 32 pages.In the lecture Carter recalls his service as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, as well as his service as the U.S. Commander-in-Chief "during the height of the Cold War."Carter notes with irony that "the world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place" after the end of the Cold War, and he also warns against "a principle of preventive war."He notes further, "War may sometimes be a necessary evil.But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good."

The Nobel laureate briefly mentions the work of the Carter Center and also states his belief that "the most serious and universal problem" facing the world "is the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people on earth."The former president pays tribute to many individuals, including Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, Andrei Sakharov, George C. Marshall, Desmond Tutu, Aung San Suu Kyi, and his own wife Rosalynn.I was especially moved by Carter's expression of faith that human beings of differing religions are capable of joining together in a common quest for peace.I did not find anything really groundbreaking or monumental in this lecture.But it is a genuinely inspiring testament by a leader with a truly global vision.

Carter's Nobel lecture
This is what it says it is, Jimmy Carter's Nobel Prize Lecture. It's brief. Carter doesn't really say much of anything in it, but he doesn't make a fool of himself. He's a great humanitarian, and this is his Nobel lecture. read it and enjoy

A Great Humanitarian
This short, yet important work of President Jimmy Carter presents a glimpse at his thoughtful wisdom.I whole heartedly recommend Carter's lecture to anyone interested in the 39th president and his keen sense of social justice.I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying the lecture because it is available for free online (at the Nobel website), and the price is a bit much for twenty pages (which is why I only gave it four stars).However, it is indeed a beautiful book and would make a great gift; plus, all the author's proceeds are being donated to The Carter Center.Ultimately, whether you choose to buy it or read it online, I assure you that reading this touching lecture will be well worth your time.

Nobel Lecture
Once again, the sage wisdom of Jimmy Carter is revealed in his words of wisdom about war and peace.This should be required reading for everyone in the White House and the Pentagon. ... Read more

Product Description
The first collection of poetry by former President Jimmy Carter, who shares here his private memories about his childhood, his family and political life, with illustrations by his granddaughter. Always a Reckoning sets a precedent since no other president has published a book of poetry. Gift packaged with ribbon marker. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to charity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Easy Reading
This is easy reading but it can become a bit uncomfortable when we see the vision of a world that we may just accept too easily.I wasn't aware that President Carter wrote poetry; I knew he was very well educated but I did not know he wrote, for what seems to be personal reflection and satisfaction, poetry.For me, I don't really read poetry and generally, I don't "get it," unless someone explains it to me.These I got!They demonstrate a sensitivity and genuiness in the author that support and highten his public image.Reading these make me want to meet the man.

Makes Me Wish Carter Lived on My Street
If one follows Samuel Taylor Coleridge's definition that prose is words in their best order and poetry is the best words in their best order, then Jimmy Carter acquits himself nicely as a poet. This volume would make for pleasant reading even if its author weren't a former president.
Like other reviewers, I find my favorite piece is Carter's tribute to Rachel Clark. Another poem that touched me is about "Sport."
Carter's poems are conversational, like visits I have with my neighbors about various topics, and thought-provoking, as those conversations often are. You go along with your day and realize you've just learned something remarkable--and you're glad to know it. I like Carter better for having read his poems.
The Booklist review calls this "vanity publishing on a grand scale." That may be true, but most vanity publications don't stay in print for long. It's no accident that this has been selling since 1994.

Getting to Know Jimmy Carter
Our Book Group discussed this book of Poetry. We all enjoyedreading some of the poems aloud. I liked the fact that as I read, I thought that I came to know Jimmy Carter much better.I especially liked his "growing up" period poems.

Wonderful gift for a senior citizen (especially)
Gave this book to my mother (86, early Altzheimers) for Valentine's Day.Always a difficult person for gift giving, she has thoroughly enjoyed picking up this sweet little book on a pretty regular basis, even if just to read a line or two.The book is printed in large, dark (easy to read) type and in the folksy, charming way of our ex-President.It's "down home" usage of words seems to strike a familiar chord for my mother and her 95 year old sister.First time I've seen them really show interest in a book in a long time.A wonderful gift for an elderly person and a precious treasure to those of us who haven't yet attained the age, but appreciate and honor the author.

Great Poems
Our world has more bad poetry than it has cigarettes.Poetry is either so recondite that it is no fun, or else it is so personal to the author that it is irrelevant to the reader.Carter's poems, though, attain profundity through simple exposition that is not overly personal.

Carter, of course, is not a professional poet or anything like that.But I enjoyed his poems more than most of the mainstream poets I have read.This all confirms my theory that great artists are simply great people who do art. ... Read more

Product Description
Former President Jimmy Carter has won the respect and affection of millions for his long and illustrious career as a humanitarian, a peacemaker, and an active promoter of human rights around the world. The Nobel Committee recognized President Carter’s remarkable achievements by awarding him the Peace Prize in October 2002 for his accomplishments fostering peace during his presidency and his tireless work after leaving office monitoring elections, promoting peaceful resolutions to conflict, and helping provide food, shelter, and healthcare to the world’s poor.

Now, in The Personal Beliefs of Jimmy Carter, readers have for the first time in one volume the complete text of his spiritual autobiography, Living Faith, in which President Carter shares the values and experiences that have shaped his life, and Sources of Strength, fifty-two of his favorite Bible lessons that he has taught at his hometown church in Plains, Georgia, over the decades. These radiant works beautifully capture how President Carter has transformed his deep religious faith into an enduring course of action that has brought life and hope to those most in need. Bestsellers when they first published, these two books are even more resonant today as we continue to search for the answers to life’s most meaningful questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Jimmy Carter: History's Buffon
JIMMY CARTER: HISTORY'S BUFFOON
By Mike Evans

Ayatollah Khomeini will eventually be hailed as a saint.
Andrew Young, Jimmy Carters choice for Americas UN ambassador

With the United States and Iran moving toward a showdown over Irans pursuit of nuclear weapons, it is sobering to consider how relations between the two countries deteriorated so farand which American president was largely responsible.

The United States once looked to the shah of Iran to support Western economic stability, and the shah relied on the US to help implement his vision for Irans future. But when Jimmy Carter became president, the shahs confidant, Asadollah Alam, wrote in his diary about Shah Pahlavis concerns over Carters election: Who knows what sort of calamity he [Carter] may unleash on the world?

The answer was evident just a few years later, when the shah was overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Carter, it became clear, was the answer to the ayatollahs prayers. Khomeini could never have carried out the Islamic Revolution without him.

With characteristic naivete, Carter pressured the shah to allow more political freedom. While some 300 political prisoners were released, censorship was relaxed, and judicial reforms initiated, the youth of Iran were swarming to radical Islam. University students gathered at Islamic study centers, the young women clothed in the chadors outlawed by the shah. This new, radical Islam exploded on the campus of Teheran University in October 1977.

Before the ensuing 1979 Islamic Revolution, Carter sent Gen. Robert Huyser, deputy chief of the US European Command and involved with Iran for over a decade, to advise the shah. Huyser said of his boss: The administration obviously did not understand the Iranian culture.

Carter viewed Khomeini as a religious holy man in a grassroots revolution, rather than a founding father of modern terrorism who introduced the Islamofascist ideology we are fighting today in the world war on terrorism.

As Henry Kissinger said: [Carter] has managed the extraordinary feat of having, at one and the same time, the worst relations with our allies, the worst relations with our adversaries, and the most serious upheavals in the developing world since the end of the Second World War.

In his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Carter equates Israels battle against Palestinian terrorism to the hateful former South African practice of apartheid, as if there were any logical connection between them. Worse, he condemns Israel for exercising the basic human right of self-defense by building a security fence to keep out suicide bombers, or responding to missile attacks from the very land that was given away for peace.

Carter also deliberately misrepresents Israel as the aggressor in the 1967 war; fails to note the threat that precipitated its destruction of Iraqs nuclear reactor in 1981; and exonerates Arafat for walking out of the peace talks with Ehud Barak and turning down a settlement that would have given the Palestinians 96 percent of the land they seek.

Dr. Kenneth Stein, who resigned as Middle East Fellow of the Carter Center of Emory University, wrote in a letter to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: President Carters book on the Middle East, a title too inflammatory to even print, is not based on unvarnished analysis; it is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments.

With Arafat gone, Carter has continued to court terrorists, madmen, and extreme leftists, all the while lambasting the Bush administration. He has constantly praised such heinous dictators as the former Yugoslavias Tito, Romanias Ceausescu, Panamas Ortega, and Kim il-Sung of North Korea. Sent as an emissary to North Korea by president Bill Clinton, Carter made a deal that allowed it to develop as many as half a dozen nuclear weapons.

Carters naive belief that every crisis can be resolved with diplomacyand nothing but diplomacynow permeates the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, he is dead wrong. There are times when evil must be openly confronted and defeated.

You should read it...
The book is very interesting, I think not many people in the world put there faith in to action, thats what the book is about. And I get chance to meet with President Carter personally and he is really very interesting person, read the book and you will know better...

The Personal beliefs of Jimmy carter
I have read most of his books and find them all to be well written and this one is stands up to the test.

It's horrible to see these attacks on Jimmy Carter...
It really is awful to see ideological conservatives give a critique of a book they haven't even read here at Amazon.

One went as far as to claim that the only thing Carter did that was worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize was the progress he made at Camp David.

Have they been so blinded by war and hate that they can't even look toward Carter's admirable work in Habitat for Humanity as a basis for him winning this prestigious award?

They obviously must be. They certainly are dedicated to crushing the image of someone who represents solving problems with great love and effort, rather than with destruction and arrogant minsunderstanding.

But I recommend this book for someone with an open enough mind to see how wonderful a human being Jimmy Carter is. Regardless of your partisan bias.

He tried
During the Carter Administration, President Carter had to deal with the deaths of his mother, sister, and brother, and that was near the start of his four years of Presidency. Then there was the Hostage Crises in Iran. President Carter had to try anything, and everything to get the hostages. It cost the lives of several soldiers when thier helicopter crashed in the desert. Essentially, President Carter got a raw deal. He was not reckognized by those who came home from Iran, or anybody else in the United States, as the saviour. President Reagan got that glory. And, at president Reagan's Inaugural Ball/Dinner, he did not even mention President Carter. This may sound like a put down of both administrations, but it is not. Both men had their faults, as does today's President Bush. I have the ultimate respect for President Carter. For somebody who will be 80 October 1, it does not surprise me thathe is still constructing houses, taking care of the other persons, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
Covering their lives from childhood to the end of the Georgia governorship, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is one of the few major biographies of an American president that pays significant attention to the First Lady. So deeply were their lives and aspirations intertwined, a close friend once remarked: "You can't really understand Jimmy Carter unless you know Rosalynn." The story of one is the story of the other.

To recount their remarkable lives, E. Stanly Godbold, Jr. draws on academic and military records, the governor's correspondence, the recollections of the Carters themselves, as well as original, unpublished interviews with a wide variety of participants in the Carters' political and personal lives. The book reveals a man who was far more complex than the peanut farmer of popular myth, a man who cited both Reinhold Niebuhr and Bob Dylan as early influences on his legal philosophy, was heir to a sizable fortune, and who, with the help of Rosalynn, built a lucrative agribusiness. Nicknamed "Hotshot" by his father, Carter was the first president born in a hospital, rode a motorcycle before entering politics, counted Tolstoy, Dylan Thomas, William Faulkner, and James Agee among his favorite authors, and claimed his wife Rosalynn as the most influential person in his life.

Volume I in this two-volume biography details how the Carters rose to power, managed their private and public lives, governed Georgia, and seized control of the national Democratic party. The cast of colorful characters includes "Miss Allie" Smith,"Mr. Earl" and "Miss Lillian," brother Billy, Rachel Clark, Admiral Rickover, George Wallace, Lester Maddox, Richard Nixon, daughter Amy, Charles Kirbo, Hamilton Jordan, Jody Powell, and many more. It is a sweeping, Faulknerian tale of individuals who would change the image of the South in the national mind and the role of the South in the presidency. Indeed, Carter shocked the state of Georgia and the entire country by calling for an end to racial discrimination in 1971, thus launching his national political career.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter neither sanctifies nor vilifies the Carters but offers instead an even-handed, brilliantly researched, and utterly absorbing account of two ordinary people whose lives together took them to the heights of power and public service in America. ... Read more

Product Description
Prophet from Plains covers Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter's major achievements and setbacks in light of what has been at once his greatest asset and his greatest flaw: his stubborn, faith-driven integrity. Carter's remarkable postpresidency is still in the making; however, he has already redefined the role for all who follow him.

Frye Gaillard, who wrote extensively about Carter at the Charlotte Observer, was among the first to take the Carter postpresidency seriously and to challenge many accepted conclusions about Carter's term in office. Carter was not an irresolute president, says Gaillard, but rather one so certain of his own rectitude that he misjudged the importance of "selling" himself to America. Ranging across the highs and lows of the Carter presidency, Gaillard covers the energy crisis, the Iran hostage situation, the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal and other treaties, and the new diplomatic emphasis on human rights.

Carter's established priorities did not change once he was out of office, but he was far more effective outside the strictures of presidential politics. Gaillard's coverage of this period includes Carter's friendship with Gerald R. Ford, his work through the Carter Center on disease control and election monitoring, and his association with Habitat for Humanity.

Prophet from Plains locates Carter in the tradition of Old Testament prophets who took uncompromising stands for peace and justice. Resisting the role of an above-the-fray elder statesman, Carter has thrust himself into international controversies in ways that some find meddlesome and others heroic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Overview of JC
If you have time for only one Carter book, this is it.It gives a very good overview of this great man and I have to say it reads more dyanamically than "Beyond the years" and other books written by Carter himself, although not to take away from these.History will continue to look favorably upon Carter.Too bad he had such bad presidential years but then we now know it does not correlate to later accomplishments. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

1979- the worst year
Professor Mattson provides an evenhanded chronicle of President Carter's escapadades during what was probably the worst year of the twentieth century (with the possible exception of the Great Depression years, I suppose)-- 1979. What a disaster- OPEC embargo, gas lines, shuttered gas stations, a nationwide trucker strike, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iran hostage crisis. And awful music and bad hair. If you were around in 1979, which I was, you'll remember 1979, through this slim volume, ruefully. If you're too young to remember 1979, you'll be startled to read how appallingly bad things were.

Talk about a book about nothing
In an attempt to scold us---a good word, seeing that was what Jimmy Carter wanted to do to the American people---for not "appreciating" the "speech that SHOULD (emphasis on should) have changed the country," the author jumps through hoops and contorts himself beyond imagination. The disco riot at Comiskey (not "Cominsky," as Obama would say) Park is tied to "angry truckers and Levittown rioters" because the "long-haired working-class guys" had "problems affording the [disco] paraphernalia." Really? Fake gold is expensive?

Again and again the author insists that it was the American people who just didn't get it---that WE should have put up with outrageously high gas prices and lines. Oh, and did he tell you? Jimmy Carter was brilliant. Yep, the man who (before Obama) arguably goes down in the history books as the WORST American president was soooooo intelligent. And the author quotes almost every liberal to remind us, too.

All in all, it's one of those books that you say, "Wow. A publisher really released this?"

Interesting idea, dumbed down a bit
This is a good look back at an interesting and chaotic time, but it could have been a lot better.For one thing, an editor was needed: there are problems of grammar and punctuation (starting on the first page), consistency (on p. 66 he contradicts the chronology of California governors he established one page earlier, and there are some other examples that escape me now), and so on.These are things editors were born to catch.I'll also add that the book goes on a little too long, repeating its basic points over and over.These flaws don't sink the book but they are indications of sloppiness, shoddiness and possibly a national malaise in publishing.Tune in for my speech tonight.

The central message, though, is very simple and, in my eyes, very true, and it's something I myself have said for years: Jimmy Carter in 1979 was very honest with us and told us about some not-so-pleasant flaws in our national character.At first we took the medicine well (which surprised me...I'd thought the speech was rejected right off) but quickly the resentment boiled, and populist politicians who were willing to sink morally lower than Carter (while, ironically, positioning themselves on higher ground, as is usually the case) twisted the meaning of the speech to score points with a nation raised on "I'm OK, You're OK" and that crap about America's manifest destiny.

An appendix in the back of the book reproduces the (in)famous speech, and in it Carter voices his concern that we do not have a coherent energy policy, that we are consuming more than we are producing, that we are becoming accustomed to immediate gratification without sacrifice, and that this is unsustainable long-term.Well, Ronald Reagan came to power shortly thereafter and basically, through word and deed, laughed off all of this warning, appealing instead to Americans' dreams of exceptionalism and ever-increasing bounty.As the 80s wore on Reagan's dreams themselves turned into narcissism, though of a different sort, one clothed in patriotism, religion, and love of country.The Right calls that American Exceptionalism, and it's good, because it's blessed by God.

Thirty years later, and we still don't have a coherent energy policy, we still consume far far more than we produce, we still feel we are "entitled."We get angry at "others" when we can't automatically have what we believe is ours by birthright.In short, Carter's warnings have come home to roost, after thirty years of subsequent presidents dodging Carter's very real moral and spiritual concerns by more or less charging the future to the country's credit card.Now that card is due and we don't have the money to pay the bill.Don't fret, though--China is offering us a "payday" loan.Just don't ask about the interest rate.

Kevin Mattson makes these points well, but he stretches them rather than digging in depth.This is a good but rather superficial book.I was a mere child when this stuff was happening, and I haven't studied it in any depth since then (which is why I so eagerly-awaited this book) but I didn't get too much I didn't already know just through the osmosis of hearing my parents talking about it back in the late 70s.I guess I was waiting for a David Halberstamian depth of analysis, which I only got in spots, such as a few sections of Chapter 5.

There are some sections of sloppy or lazy writing that bothered me.Sometimes Mattson writes in very broad statements that use slang and are nonsensical, such as stating at points that the president's staff "went insane" when they heard some news or something bad happened.Now, they literally didn't go clinically "insane," so it would have been nice if he'd gotten into detail about what they *did* do.More annoying, though, was the author's frequent references to pop cultural of the time: his links of songs, films and other events to the politics and the speech in question are weak at best.Too much is made of the "meaning" behind Blondie and "Heart of Glass," the decadence of Studio 54, Apocalypse Now, and Woody Allen's New York, and if I read one more reference to The Deer Hunter I was going to throw the book across the room.But amazingly, there is one really major cultural link that begs for inclusion, and the author completely misses it.And it came out in December of 1979, right during the period he chronicles, and it deals with a feisty but weak president who is preparing a big speech for a distressed nation and who travels to the mansion of a rich friend for advice and council.It's eerie today how well Hal Ashby's brilliant satire Being There, starring Peter Sellers, captures the mood and parallels many of the events Mattson describes.Yet he overlooks this movie entirely.(Anyone curious enough to read this far into the reviews for this book should do themselves a favor and rent the film as well.)

Despite my reservations, I would actually recommend this book for people interested in this time and this president, and for all that's gone wrong since then, simply because there aren't a lot of competing works to choose from.But, with a little more effort, "What the Heck" could have been a better book, a true classic.Maybe the author needs to reread Carter's speech exhorting us to be better and work harder, and apply it to himself just a bit.

How Jimmy Carter gave one of the toughest speeches in the history of presidential speeches
""What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?"" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Mattson's book interview ran here as the cover feature on February 8, 2010.

Good Read, Good History, Wrong Lessons
Mattson serves up a quite readable history of 1979.He catalogs many of Carter's failures that year, including this speech, without much effort to excuse those failings.What is obvious in Mattson's writing is that Carter had no executive skills, minimal political skills and was thus incompetent for the job.Mattson's failure is that, after repeatedly criticising others counterfactual approaches, Mattson closes with a counterfactual wish of his own. A "what could have been" wish that, of course, would depend on Carter acting like a leader, and even the text of the speech shows that he couldn't do that.This book gives all the explanation needed for why so many of us who voted for Carter in 76 turned to Reagan's leadership in 80.Mattson, possibly because of his youth, doesn't remember or chronicle the very serious media and wonk drumbeat in 79 and 80 that America had become too compex and divided for one man to govern effectively (so it wasn't Carter's fault).Commentators even discussed splitting the Presidency into two jobs.It is funny that all of that blather evaporated after Reagan reminded us what leadership is. ... Read more