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Presidents may be understood as failing in the short term, but actually succeeding in the long
"Jimmy Carter, Human Rights and the National Agenda" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction.Professor Stuckey's book interview ran here as cover feature on June 29, 2009. ... Read more

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This paperback edition of "The Uncertain Crusade" has a new preface by the author. Copublished with the Hamilton Press. Index. ... Read more

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Jimmy Carter, the Man & the Myth by Victor Lasky 1979 Hardcover ... Read more

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LESS THAN MEDIOCRE
From page one the thing that immediately stood out is that Victor Lasky really dislikes Jimmy Carter.I would say this is more of an opinion piece and character attack more than anything.There is almost no favorable bias - If you are one of those people who already dislike Jimmy Carter and have already made up your mind about him, then this is probably the book for you.Otherwise, you should seriously look somewhere else.

I also noted that this book was published in 1979 when Carter was still president.You won't get a distanced opinion of the man.And perhaps this book was politically motivated.

I personally, don't swing for or against the President, so I was looking for something a bit more unbiased so I could make my own opinion.I guess I will have to look further.

And beyond Lasky's untowardward opinion, his writing is mediocre at best.

Carter becomes even more insignificant....
This book should be required reading because of Jimmy Carter's screw-up with the North Korean peace treaty and the hollow mockery that was his reception of the Nobel Peace Prize. I did not think that Lasky could do any more damage to the Carter presidency or follow up his brilliant "It Didn't Start with Watergate", but he did. This book plays out like a sit-com. In fact Lasky even gives them catchy nicknames: Lillian Carter, "Miz Lillian", Zebaziegnew Brezinsky, "The Hungry Professor", and James Earl Carter, Jr., "Wee Jimmy" (Once again Lasky presents political intrigue in a palatable manner on the ultimate micromanager in American politics.)
But yet there is a sense of shock which is consistently undercut by Carter's gaffes. For example, it was an open secret that Carter's staff were habitual cocaine and heroin users, and Carter himself had his own "mini-Watergate", where he misappropriated state funds to fund a private political poll. He bungled things so much that he could have taught Clinton how to be even more corrupt. I now feel lucky that presidents can only serve 8 years in office. This man is a case in point about why people shouldn't vote Democratic. The readers shall feel the same way after reading about the man who "grew up in hard times, when things were difficult"--Carter's words, not mine--- ... Read more

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Jimmy Carter left the White House in January of 1981 in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis, a faltering economy, and a stunning defeat at the polls. At the relatively young age of 56, Carter joined the elite fraternity of former presidents. When contemporary U.S. presidents have left office, they have generally written their memoirs, established their presidential libraries, served on corporate boards, or assumed elder statesman roles. Jimmy Carter has taken a different path, and this study demonstrates how the Carter post-presidency has redefined the role of former president and refurbished Carter's image. The author argues that Carter has shown that through active involvement in world affairs and humanitarian causes, and through the careful investment of post-presidential credibility and political capital, a former president can make significant contributions to a more peaceful world. ... Read more

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Unremarkable
A decade after the publication of this book, President Jimmy Carter released his own book about his post-presidential years entitled Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope.President Carter's 2007 book is not only newer, but it is also wider in scope and better written than this book.Following is why I highly recommend "Beyond the White House" over "Jimmy Carter as Peacemaker."

Author Rod Troester fails to provide a fresh or unique prospective on Jimmy Carter with this book.There is no critical discussion of Carter, and the author's sympathetic viewpoint comes through loud and clear.

Of course, those of us who love President Carter know what a positive difference he and Rosalyn and the Carter Center have made in the lives of millions people worldwide.It is nearly impossible to find fault with an ex-president who has worked tirelessly to eradicate disease and improve health in some of the world's poorest nations.

"Beyond the White House" extensively documents the post-presidential work of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter.The book is eye opening about plague-like diseases and incredible poverty, yet it is inspirational and easy to read, and is stuffed with dozens of excellent pictures - everything from Carter with North Korea's Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il to African villagers.

Troester's book is a nicely written tribute and is well thought-out, but the author uses almost entirely secondary sources.He quotes about two sources in the text of each paragraph, which makes for very choppy reading.There is no need for a recap of newspaper articles and CNN news stories when you can hear a much more complete account directly from President Carter.Granted, the Troester book predates "Beyond the White House" by 10 years.But this short book is now dated, and offers no information that is not already available in "Beyond The White House."

There is no reason to pay $110.95 for this book when you can buy "Beyond the White House" - both the book and the Audio CD (read by President Carter himself), for under $25.Don't waste your time and money on this one. ... Read more

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An illuminating portrait of the former president follows the life and achievements of Jimmy Carter in the post-presidential period, detailing his new roles as diplomat and social activist and examining criticism of his activities. 40,000 first printing. Tour. ... Read more

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A discussion of the presidential election of 1976 and the subsequent administration of Jimmy Carter, based on source documents. ... Read more

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This volume reviews many of the material errors made in Jimmy Carter's book and often repeated in interviews. It includes articles by a number of analysts with expertise in commenting on Carter s policies, statements and perspectives. Kenneth Stein, Dennis Ross, Michael Oren, Alan Dershowitz, Melvin Konner and Rachel Ehrenfeld each offer important insight about the former president's lamentable distortions.
The book is an opportunity to restate essential facts and to underscore the need for reform of publishing houses, such as Simon and Schuster, that violate basic standards of accuracy, while promoting and profiting from such non-fiction books.

Falsehoods and More Falsehoods Andrea Levin, Gilead Ini, Alex Safian Ph.D., Tamar Sternthal
Don't Play With Maps Dennis Ross
Letter of Resignation from Carter Center Professor Kenneth Stein
My Problem with Jimmy Carter's Book Professor Kenneth Stein
Letter Declining Participation in Carter Advisory Group Melvin Konner, M.D., Ph.D.
What's Jimmy Carter Afraid Of? Eleven Emory University Professors
Why Won't Carter Debate His Book? Professor Alan Dershowitz
A Religious Problem: Jimmy Carter s Book: An Israeli View Michael B. Oren
Carter's Faith: Habitat for Hostility Dexter Van Zile
Carter's Arab Financiers Rachel Ehrenfeld
Ex-President For Sale Professor Alan Dershowitz
Simon and Schuster Backs Carter's Falsehoods Andrea Levin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Biased venting and not part of the solution
Regardless of whose details or maps we all agree on, the fact remains that Israel continues down a well-worn path of secularization and disregard followed by tragedy.Any attempt at an objective review of their history illustrates a population vacillating between God and arrogant self-interest and the resulting wins and losses along the way.

Regardless of race, religion, history, or politics everyone has basic human rights -- and we're all cohabitants at some level.Spirituality routinely calls us to higher forms of behavior, regardless.Israel's continued exemption for their own highly inflammatory behavior and atrocities is arrogant, insensitive, and unproductive at best.

It is disheartening and tragic to see a people so tragically affected in history recklessly continue such atrocities towards others.

I Am Now Ashamed For Voting For Mr Carter
I am now quite ashamed of having voted for Mr carter,
as well as previously having had a high level of respect for his work.
I had no idea he could lack common-sense and geopolitical awareness to such a high degree. I must ascribe much of this to his age.

Also, I believe that there is now a case to be made for ignoring
any book from the Simon & Shuster editorial environment.
I will avoid new Simon & Shuster publications the rest of my life.
(I'll consider 'em if I must, when they reach "remainder" prices
on Abebooks - as this one now has...)

There are two sides to this story
I recently saw a documentary on Jimmy Carter which spent a lot of time
on the Apartheid book and this particular issue.The arrogant Dershowitz made several appearances in this documentary.

I confess to really not being able to stand Dershowitz so I am probably
not being fair here.But he along with others start out with the premise
that THIS LAND IS OURS and not all of us start out with this premise at
all.Rather than going through the various arguments in this book (I
don't own it so I don't have it at hand), I will address one of the
issues that Dershowitz brought up and has on many occasions.He said
that the Germans elected Hitler in a fair election and therefore the
Germans deserved what they got including the continuing approbation by
the world.And he is putting the Hamas in the same light.That party
was elected fairly and squarely by the Palestinians and therefore they
deserve whatever they get now.

What I never heard mention in his argument was that until that bulldog
Sharon decided to make his march on the Temple Mount shortly before or
after9/11, many more Palestinians were dying from attacks from the
Israelis than vice versa.I watched on tv homes being bulldozed because
a suspected criminal was in the home and other horrible atrocities.

I think that the same reasoning applies.Hamas came into power because
of Israeli treatment of the Palestinian people and therefore, by
Dershowitz' reasoning, the Israelis are getting what they asked for.

Perfect for non-readers
This would be the perfect book --- brief, well-documented (unlike Jimmy Carter's patchwork of lies) and accurate --- for a recent interlocutor, if only he would read.

We no doubt all know those who lay claim to open mindedness while relying on the basest modern blood libels against the Jewish people, generated by anti-Semites of Islamic and other varieties.

As others here have noted, Israel neither segregates nor discriminates on the basis of race, religion or anything else. This 100-page booklet puts to shame both the former U.S. President and his publisher, Simon and Schuster. The book includes text segments from such luminaries as historian Michael Oren, American Center for Democracy director Rachel Ehrenfeld, former peace negotiator Dennis Ross, former Carter Center executive director Kenneth Stein, and Dexter von Zile.

Chapter one, 37 pages, exposes a host of Carter's most egregious errors concerning international borders, agreements, Jewish settlements, Israel-Arab negotiations and Israel's societal structure and composition.

For example, Carter never mentions the seven refusals of Palestinian Arabs to accept their own state on a portion of Israel's land --- in the 1920s, in 1936, in 1948, in 1967, in 1974, in 1978 and in 2000. Meanwhile, however, he virtually ignores nine decades of Arab terrorism against Jewish communities in both the pre- and post-1948 periods, which took upwards of 10,000 Jewish lives while denying even grudging acceptance of Israel's internationally-granted statehood.

Furthermore, despite Carter's claims to the contrary, neither UN Resolution 242, Camp David Accords nor Oslo Agreement requires Israel to withdraw to its 1948 armistice lines. Rather, Resolution 242 asks Israel to withdraw from "territory" in exchange for peace, but leaves the extent of the withdrawal open. Neither does the Camp David Accord define Israel's borders either, instead leaving to final negotiations the resolution of respective boundaries between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. Likewise, Oslo Agreement Article XVII, 1, (a) includes "borders" as an issue for permanent status negotiations.

Nevertheless, Israel did grant meaningful autonomy to Palestinians; the 1993 Oslo process established the Palestinian Authority, gave it 40% of the West Bank and 100% of Gaza --- plus PA governmental political, security, civic, medical, educational and media controls.

All of this notwithstanding (despite Carter's denials), the PLO even now seeks Israel's demise. And counter to both international law and popular opinion, the 1964 PLO charter pronounces the 1947 partition plan and Israel's 1948 establishment illegal; its 1968 charter claims all of "Palestine" --- i.e. Israel, and the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. Actually, the PLO itself has admitted that it never formally amended either of these documents.

Carter blames Israel for the 1967 war, despite Egypt's unilateral May 1967 blockade of Israel's international Gulf of Aqaba port at Eilat, and its expulsion of United Nations peace keeping forces from the Sinai, where Nasser's commanders massed 100,000 soldiers and thousands of tanks, with the promise to annihilate Israel. The blockade alone was a casus belli, as was the unilateral expulsion of international troops from Sinai. Moreover, despite urgent Israeli requests that Jordan stay out of the fighting, Jordan launched thousands of rockets on Jerusalem, and then launched an aerial war.

U.S. peace negotiator Dennis Ross drew up the maps for Camp David II, and here testifies that the two maps Carter presents as the Palestinian and Israeli "interpretations" of Clinton's 2000 proposal are false as well. The actual maps Ross presented were detailed, specific and very generous, he says---not vague or unjust as Carter pretends.

In 1990, Ken Stein attended on Carter's visit to Damascus, at which the late Syrian President, Hafez al-Assad, swore that Syria would never compromise its sovereignty over the Golan. In other words, far from agreeing to negotiate with Israel over the Golan as Carter falsely claims, Assad totally rejected this request.

Why Carter might so greatly compromise the truth is exposed in an article citing Ehrenfeld's Dec. 21, 2006 piece from the Washington Times, "Carter's Arab Financiers." Indeed, the 2006 Carter Center Annual report revealed its assets of $412.4 million, "a strikingly large figure for a non-profit organization," whose donors include Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Sultanate of Oman, Saudi Arabia's BinLaden Group, the United Arab Emirates government, and so on.

Such donations rest on a considerable foundation of religious animus for the Jewish people, as brilliantly exposed by Dr. Andrew Bostom's latest scholarship. And they generally come with strings attached.

But Carter's own Christian fundamentalism also serves as a basis for his hatred of the Jewish people and Israel, according to Christian writer Dexter van Zile. Christian Jew-hatred is amply exposed in such works as Franklin Littell's Crucifixion of the Jews, Jacques Ellul's Chrétien pour Israel and Subversion of Christianity, Malcolm Hay's Thy Brother's Blood and Roots of Christian Anti Semitism.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Exposing Jimmy Carter's demonization of Israel
The subtitle of Jimmy Carter's book on Israel, "Peace not Apartheid", implies that Israel discriminates on the basis of race. This is the first in a web of lies, distortions and half-truths that render Carter's book nothing but a piece of propaganda. Countering falsehood with fact, this publication contains contributions by inter alia Kenneth Stein, Rachel Ehrenfeld, Dennis Ross, Michael Oren, Alan Dershowitz, Melvin Konner and Dexter von Zile. The first part exposes the worst of Carter's factual errors about issues like borders, international agreements, settlements, negotiations and the nature of Israeli society.

He deliberately minimizes terrorist violence against Israel and ignores the refusal of its enemies to recognize the Jewish State's right to life. Carter claims that Israel's withdrawal to the 1967 border is specified in UN Resolution 242 and promised in the Camp David Accords and Oslo Agreement. But in truth none of these documents requires a return to those vulnerable pre-1967 armistice lines. Resolution 242 calls on Israel to withdraw from territory in exchange for peace without detailing the extent of withdrawal. The Camp David Accords do not define Israel's borders either but state that negotiations concerning the West Bank and Gaza must resolve, among other matters, the final boundaries. Article XVII, 1, (a) of the Oslo Agreements included "borders" as one of the issues for the permanent status negotiations.

Carter complains that important provisions of the Camp David agreement have not been honored, accusing Israel of never having granted any meaningful autonomy to the Palestinians. But after 1993 the Oslo process established the Palestinian Authority with control of political, security, civic, medical, educational and media institutions. Israel ceded 40 percent of the West Bank and eventually the whole of the Gaza Strip. Carter denies that the PLO has called for the annihilation of Israel. But its 1964 founding charter declares the 1947 partitioning of Palestine and establishment of Israel as illegal whilst the 1968 charter identifies "Palestine" as all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel.

In Carter's revisionist history, Israel is blamed for the 1967 war. He alleges that Israel launched preemptive attacks on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan on 5th June. But in May that year Egypt expelled the United Nations Emergency Force from the Sinai , deployed 100,000 soldiers there and blockaded Israel's port of Eilat and the Gulf of Aqaba, a vital trade route and oil lifeline. Blockading an international waterway is an act of war under international law. Neither did Israel initiate hostilities against Syria, Jordan or Iraq. When fighting with Egypt broke out, Jordan started shelling the Israeli heartland. Despite this, Israel pleaded with King Hussein to stay out of the war. He responded with aerial attacks.

Two of the maps in Carter's book are titled: "Palestinian Interpretation of Clinton's Proposal 2000" and "Israeli Interpretation of Clinton's Proposal 2000." This is untrue as Dennis Ross, the US peace negotiator who drew up the original maps, explains. And deceptive: any reader ignorant of the origin of the maps would conclude that the Clinton proposals were so vague and unfair that Arafat had no choice but to reject them.

Carter claims that during his 1990 Damascus visit, President Assad showed a willingness to negotiate the status of the Golan Heights, proposing that both sides withdraw from the international border. Kenneth Stein, former executive director of the Carter Center, was present. According to his notes Assad replied to a question by Carter that Syria would never compromise its sovereignty by accepting a demilitarized Golan. Carter claims that Israeli courts consider as admissible confessions extracted through torture. Not so! If an accused claims that confession resulted from torture, the "mishpat zuta" applies - a trial within a trial where the prosecution must prove that torture was not applied. If it cannot be disproved, the confession becomes null and void. All methods of interrogation are subject to the primacy of the defendant's free will.

Articles that I found particularly illuminating are those on Carter's Arab financiers by Rachel Ehrenfeld, on religious issues by Michael B. Oren and on Carter's faith by Dexter Van Zile. Although they may know about the World Council of Churches' hostility to Israel, most Christians are completely unaware of their religion's long history of antisemitism by all three major groups: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. For more information, I recommend the brilliant if spiritually harrowing work Christian Antisemitism by William Nicholls as well as Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must be Challenged by Barry Horner. Paul Charles Merkley's comparative study Christian Attitudes Towards the State of Israel is another most informative source.

I agree with the British writer Melanie Phillips that Israel is the defining moral issue of our time. It is the Jewish State and the onslaught against the Jewish people in their ancient homeland that today form the centre of the struggle between truth and falsehood, fact and propaganda, justice and injustice, freedom and tyranny, reason and irrationality. Some may not yet realize it, but the entire world is engaged. Israel is the frontline in the defense of the West; should it fall, the rest of the free world will follow. Those who are on the wrong side of this issue are not on the side of civilization.
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Follows the life of Jimmy Carter, including his childhood, education, employment, political career, and term of presidency. ... Read more

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The Carter Implosion critically examines the consequences of a U.S. President adopting a self-consciously amateur style of diplomacy and leadership. In particular, Spencer focuses on the enormous gulf between the Carter administration's professed objectives and the tools it was willing to employ to achieve them. The author posits that the problem was not that President Carter proved too liberal or too conservative, but that he and his closest advisors lacked a sophisticated understanding of how nations behave. Because of his naivete, Carter's promise of inaugurating a new age of American greatness disintegrated by 1980. ... Read more

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Selected by the world's foremost historian of the Nobel Peace Prize, this uplifting collection of excerpts from acceptance speeches and lectures given since the award's inception in 1901 includes recent laureates: Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Kim Dae-Jung, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Nelson Mandela, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Also included are the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, Lech Walesa, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. Illustrated with black and white photos throughout, the book presents the laureates' perspectives on: the Bonds of Humanity, Faith and Hope, the Tragedy of War, Violence and Nonviolence, Human Rights, Politics and Leadership, and, of course, Peace. The Words of Peace includes biographical notes on each winner, along with a complete chronology. The Words of Peace, from the acclaimed Newmarket ''Words Of'' series, is part of the Nobel Prize Series official publications, designed to share achievements of the laureates and developed by the International Management Group with the assistance of the Nobel foundation. ... Read more

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A deeply moving and inspirational anthology
Now in its third edition and featuring a foreword by President Jimmy Carter, The Words Of Peace collects selections of commentaries on peace drawn directly from speeches by the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. A deeply moving and inspirational anthology filled from cover to with uplifting and emotional messages aspiring to the best of human nature, The Words Of Peace is especially timely and enthusiastically recommended reading in this present international situation of a global war on terrorism. ... Read more

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In this acclaimed bestseller, President Carter returns to his early years in Plains, Georgia, the same locale that enchanted readers of An Hour Before Daylight, which The New Yorker called "an American classic." He remembers the Christmas days of his boyhood and later years, re-creating here the simplicity of community and celebration with family and friends.

Jimmy Carter has written another American classic in the tradition of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory and Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales.Amazon.com Review
Jimmy Carter's Georgia hometown has been the one constant in his life, and he pays tribute to it with Christmas in Plains, acollection of holiday memories from his childhood through his Navy days, his time as Georgia governor and U.S. president, and his very active retirement. As a schoolboy, Carter looked forward to painting many-colored magnolia leaves to mix in with the holly on the mantle. His favorite way to collect mistletoe "usually at the topof oak or pecan trees and on the ends of slender limbs, was to shoot into the clump and let the bullets or buckshot cut off some sprigs." And when his godmotherwent to Cleveland, Ohio, one December, he asked her to bring back a snowball.It was quite some time before he realized that the large white marble she gave himwas not "a real petrified snowball." Carter's memories of holding onto faith during the Christmases of his presidency are often poignant, taking place in the contextof the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And his postretirement experiences of Christmas are strangely, comfortingly familiar,characterized by jealousy of in-laws and generosity towards neighbors. --Michael Joseph Gross ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Christmas in Plains
ISBN 0743224914 - I've got a large collection of Christmas books and thought that Christmas In Plains would fit in nicely.Since then, I've read the book and have no desire to keep it - but I am glad to have read it.It's a nice look at Christmases gone by and a tiny window on the interaction between blacks and whites in rural Georgia over the years.

Carter shares his memories of Christmas throughout his life.As a member of a well-off family in Georgia, he is blissfully unaware of any real difference between himself and his black playmates and shares Christmas joys with them as well as with his close family.Even the town figures into the earliest celebrations, with fireworks and church services.Through his years at West Point and in the Navy, including the early years of his marriage and finally reaching his time in public service, when his family grew and grew until, returning to Georgia from the White House, he and his wife find that much has changed - and much has stayed the same.

For other former presidents, perhaps the years in office would be their choice for an uplifting ending to a book like this.Carter chooses to end with the beginnings of his time with Habitat for Humanity, a fitting place to leave things for this man who, more than any other recent president, comes across as a normal guy with the ability to relate to the rest of us.

I was a little annoyed to find that the first chapter or two never really came into focus.Carter spends most of his ink there pointing out, in various ways, how not racist he is.While I believe that Carter's an open-minded non-racist, it seemed a little much.On the other hand, bookending the entire tale with his childhood among black neighbors in the 1930-1940s with the story of Curtis and Martha, black neighbors in need of help, is a great choice.Despite being part of a close family, and his mentioning the days before his father's death, he glosses over that death and its impact on himself, his family and their holidays.The illustrations by Amy Carter would have been cute, had they been done when she was 8.She's not eight and the only cute factor is that they're evidence of her closeness to her father.A nice holiday read, just not a keeper.

- AnnaLovesBooks

Enjoy In A Cozy Chair
This is a perfect book to read at the holidays, curled up in a comfy chair with a good drink and a warm blanket.

Who knew Jimmy Carter was so sentimental?I was impressed by his recollections of holidays from way back and by his gentle telling of the times at home and in the White House.

A short little book with good feeling.

The same Christmas Memories For All
Just sit back and enjoy. We all have these memories wether we are rich or poor, powerful or not. Just how we remember Christmas back home. Warm, endearing and easy to read, maybe somethings you know and some you did'nt. This should be a Christmas tradition.

The Human Side of America's 39th President
I had the privilege and honor of meeting President Carter at the University of Washington, where he signed a copy of this book for me."Christmas in Plains" is a wonderful book that approaches autobiography in a new and interesting way: Jimmy Carter reflects on his life as a series of holiday seasons.We see the triumphs and the failures in eloquent and honest prose.

History will remember Jimmy Carter as a compassionate human being with a genuine desire to help others.This book would make the perfect holiday gift.After all, what better values truly embody the holiday spirit than compassion and love?

Christmas Joy from the Carters
The short, joyful book contains Jimmy Carter memories of Christmas.His earliest memories begin around 1930 (when he was 5), and involve memories of father Earl and mother Lillian, as well as black neighbors(in an era of separation, his family perhaps represented a light in the South).There are happy childhood memories of finding the Christmas tree and fireworks. Jimmy and Rosalynn always tried to get back to Plains, but there are included a few absent remembrance from Navy years, and a rather tense Christmas with the holding of the Iran hostages.The line drawings by daughter Amy add a family charm to the book.May the Carter's have many more Merry Christmases together in Plains. ... Read more

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Jimmy Carter book
Great book for my fourth grader's report.Well organized and full of information on his presidency. ... Read more

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Jimmy Carter entered the White House with a desire for a collegial staff that would aid his foreign-policy decision making. He wound up with a "team of rivals" who contended for influence and who fought over his every move regarding relations with the USSR, the Peoples' Republic of China, arms control, and other crucial foreign-policy issues. In two areas-the Camp David Accords and the return of the Canal to Panama-Carter's successes were attributable to his particular political skills and the assistance of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and other professional diplomats. The ultimate victor in the other battles was Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, a motivated tactician. Carter, the outsider who had sought to change the political culture of the executive office, found himself dependent on the very insiders of the political and diplomatic establishment against whom he had campaigned

Based on recently declassified documents in the Carter Library, materials not previously noted in the Vance papers, and a wide variety of interviews, Betty Glad's An Outsider in the White House is a rich and nuanced depiction of the relationship between policy and character. It is also a poignant history of damaged ideals. Carter's absolute commitment to human rights foundered on what were seen as national security interests. New data from the archives reveal how Carter's government sought the aid of Pope John Paul II to undercut the human-rights efforts of the El Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero. A moralistic approach toward the Soviet Union undermined Carter's early desire to reduce East-West conflicts and cut nuclear arms. As a result, by 1980 the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) was in limbo, and a nuclear counterforce doctrine had been adopted.

Near the end of Carter's single term in office Vance stepped down as secretary of state, in part because Brzezinski's "muscular diplomacy" had come to dominate Carter's foreign policy. When Vance's successor, Edmund Muskie, took over, the State Department was reduced to implementing policies made by Brzezinski and his allies. For Carter, the rivalry for influence in the White House was concluded and the results, as Glad shows, were a mixed record and an uncertain presidential legacy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Scholars Who You Read Anything You Can Get That They've Written
Betty Glad is one of those scholars in which you read anything you can get your hands on that she has written. As with her previous work, in An Outsider in the White House, Glad continues to provide the reader with a sophisticated analysis of important political figures. She offers keen insights into the political character and performance of key actors involved the Carter foreign policy process, notably that of the President, his Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. As with her psychobiography of President Jimmy Carter entitled Jimmy Carter : In Search of The Great White House, Glad again captures the complexity of Carter's foreign policy thinking and the dynamics of his leadership style. She offers profound insights into his decisionmaking and advisory relations, which remain applicable to contemporary times.
I have used this book in my political psychology class at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University where the students are asked to apply psychological theories to the character and performance of the individual actors as well as the group as a whole.(One student continuously discussed the book with me after class sessions). Students admire the amount of thorough research and comprehensive analysis that emerges from this first-rate work.Glad's comprehensive appraisal is superb and is illustrated in her ongoing account of the ascendency of National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski's dominant role as foreign policy advisor within Carter's inner circle at the expense of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance who initially served as the president's more influential confidant.Finally, Glad's account of Carter's management of foreign policy, which was conducted largely through diplomacy and negotiation, can offer today's decisionmakers"lessons from history" as they weigh whether to followsuch a cautious diplomatic approach against the hasty use of force in their navigation through this post- Cold War/post-9/11 world.

Sophisticated Account of Carter FP, Perfect Book for My Class
Professor Glad's book provides a nuanced and balanced account of the dynamics, relationships, and struggles that are involved in the inner circle of American foreign policy making during the Carter years. I am using this book as text book for the class that I teach. It is a course about the two level game between domestic politics and international negotiations. On the domestic level, my class is organized around the roles of the President, Vice President, National Security Advisor (NSA), and Secretary of State. This book provides detailed information on the roles that the above listed players have on foreign policy decision making. The cases studies are quite illuminating. I found it especially revealing in the case of "the Tilt towards China", how the NSA played the role of a motivated tactician and gradually gained his influence on the President over the Secretary of State.
The book is a perfect fit for my class. After all the other readings that provide theoretical argument of foreign policy decision making, the students can have a better grasp of applying theory to actual cases that are included in Professor Glad's work.

What makes a good president?
What makes a good president?What makes a great president?Who influences the president?How does the president work with congress?These are questions that arise every day when we watch President Obama work with congress to improve health care or to confront the dangers of the radicalized Middle East.Betty Glad is the perfect guide to power and influence in the White House.Glad gives a real insider's view of how power and influence played their parts in major decisions and initiatives in the Carter White House.

The book isn't light reading.Glad challenges her readers and expects them to pay attention as she sets the stage and presents the major players in the SALT talks, turning over of the Panama Canal, normalization of relations with China, and Carter's push for human rights around the globe.An appendix provides a quick review section of the "actors" involved in each challenge or initiative the Carter administration faced so that by the end of the book, I felt that I recognized key administration officials like Richard Holbrooke, Cyrus Vance, or Zbigniew Brzezinski when they would walk into a meeting.

Carter was the first president I voted for.I remember how my initial idealism turned into frustration - Why was a man as good as Carter and as smart as Carter running into so many road blocks?Glad's book has given me a framework with which to look at Carter and the many accomplishments of his presidency that is a bit more nuanced than the good guys/ bad guys framework I had in 1977.Let's see if I can give up some of the hero worship and use Glad's more balanced framework to follow the actors, the challenges, and the initiatives that will make up the Obama presidency.
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A dual account of the former president and first lady describes their post-White House careers and highlights such topics as midlife marriage, America's health-care issues, the efforts of the Carter Center, and more. Original. UP. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Making a difference
Most former U.S. Presidents retire to a golf course and whack a silly little ball around. Jimmy Carter chose a different path, a better, more meaningful one. This man has been ridiculed and derided by some on the right who cannot imagine why anyone would want to help others. For them, the aquisition of wealth is the only reason for existence. It ain't so.
Jimmy Carter has helped build homes for people who otherwise couldn't afford one. He's monitored elections in countries where democracy is fragile, and election fraud rampant. He has mediated disputes at the Carter Center, working toward peace and justice in a world that has precious little of either.
This is a relatively short book, an easy read, and an inspiration. The Carters do not toot their own horn in this book. They encourage others to find their own way to make a difference, and work for a better world.
You can buy this book for next to nothing on Amazon.com. I'd suggest you buy a few, and maybe give one as a gift to some young person who is trying to find their place in the world, or to a person entering retirement who is wondering what they can do to still matter.
I'm a Christian who believes that the only reason God put us on the planet is to learn to care for one another, and to serve each other. We are being prepared for greater things. The Carters can go to the head of the class!

A Blueprint for the Golden Years
As Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter left the White House in early 1981 they faced an uncertain future. Like many people who retire, they just weren't sure what to do with themselves and all of their free time. To make matters worse, they still had to deal with the hurt they felt after having lost the 1980 election. The decisions they made about their future have vaulted Jimmy Carter from having lost his bid for reelection in a decisive manner to one of the most beloved figures in the United States. In 1984 President Carter was no where to be seen at the Democratic National Convention, twenty years later Democratic Presidential candidates beat a path to Plains, Georgia to try and obtain his blessing. Along the way the Carter's learned many valuable lessons that apply to anyone who may feel that their productive years have passed. This book is the story of what they learned.

This book was published in 1987 and was I believe President Carter's third post-Presidential book and Mrs. Carter's second book and both of them had become quite good writers. They are both open and honest about their feelings and concerns, especially Rosalynn and because of this their narrative reaches the reader on a very personal level. Many of the activities they describe were only possible of course because of the office Mr. Carter held and because of the Carter Center but they go to great lengths to point out many worthwhile activities that anyone can participate in. Reading this book will definitely make you stop and think about all of the things you could be doing to help others and I think that was the Carter's goal.

Part travelogue and part handbook for volunteerism this book will give you the warm fuzzies all over. You will feel sad with the Carter's and laugh with the Carter's and you will feel as if you had known this former first couple for years. You will in fact feel like you have traveled with the Carter's and maybe even helped them build a Habitat house. If you are looking for a retirement gift for anyone, this would be a perfect choice!

A revealing and inspiring memoir
Collaboratively written by former American President and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Jimmy Carter, and his beloved wife and former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, Everything To Gain: Making The Most Of The Rest Of Your Life is a revealing and inspiring memoir about personal challenges they've had to face and overcome; the satisfaction of their work with Habitat for Humanity; their struggles to promote peace and human rights; and the personal steps they've taken to enjoy physical and spiritual health at home. Everything To Gain is enthusiastically recommended as a deeply rewarding and heartfelt encouragement to living our lives to the fullest.

Everyone Can Learn
... even former Presidents and their First Ladies, as Jimmy and Rosalynn show us in this, their entry in the self-improvement / retirement advice category.

Of course, anybody who's not a Dem is likely to be unwilling to take any such advice from the self-styled peanut farmer and his wife.So, I'm going over my stock of acquaintances, trying to remember who voted for Carter.

The book would make a great gift not just for recent retirees, but also those whose life has just gone through change, whether it be a layoff, a disabling illness, or the death of a spouse.

Sure wish my father had read it, twelve years ago, when my mother died -- so many ideas for him!Instead, he simply curled up in front of the TV.

Jimmy and Rosalynn show how devastated they were by their 1980 defeat, then, step by step, how they rebuilt.Parts of the book delve too far into global health and other policy issues, but chapter after chapter, they introduce new activities, like a flower opening!

If you're tired of fist-pounding self-improvement tomes, here is one that feels like a gentle friend, sitting beside you, arm around your shoulders, sharing the same problems you're having, and showing you several ways out of the "box" you've built for yourself.Read it and relax, then, go out and make the most of the rest of your life -- whether it's the next ten or next fifty years.

Nothing to gain...
Despite the fact that this nearly broke up their marriage, this book is not what I hoped for when I picked it up and began reading. I missed the old Mrs Carter who had a wry story about her life on the campaign trail. I will never forget the many adventures that she detailed in "First Lady from Plains" which is a superior book in every way. The time she was trapped in bathroom stall and had to crawl out of it. Then there was the time when she had to cut her way out when trapped in a car by her seatbelt. Funny stuff and real human interest. If bizarre things can happen to the first lady of the land the can happen to anyone, can't they? The book I wanted to read was a kind of sequel to the masterful "First Lady from Plains." This clearly is not that book, though I hope Mrs. Carter will consider writing it one day real soon. ... Read more

Product Description

Jimmy Carter's beloved bestsellers Living Faith, Sources of Strength and Our Endangered Values have established him as one of our nation's most trusted authorities on issues of faith and society. Today, the weekly Bible class he teaches at his home church in Plains, Georgia is attended by visitors from around the world, representing a wide range of faiths and denominations.

Sunday Mornings in Plains gives you the opportunity to share in this remarkable experience wherever you are. Each volume of this extraordinary audio series draws on an extensive archive of recordings to present a month-long sequence of President Carter's Bible classes. Listening to these live recordings, you'll hear the unscripted interaction and unexpected insights that make his classes so popular, as well as the anecdotes from President Carter's life and observations about world events that he infuses into his lessons.

Jimmy Carter has been teaching Sunday school ever since he was a young midshipman in Annapolis; in later years he conducted religious services on submarines on which he served, and even led the occasional class in Washington while he was president. For the last 25 years, President Carter has taught the adult Bible study at his church in Plains, where several hundred visitors join him each Sunday to understand the wisdom of the Bible and apply it to their lives.

Leading a Worthy Life presents the four classes President Carter taught in January 1998 on the Book of Ephesians. Describing basic tenets of Christian living that still resonate today, Paul urges us "to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4: 1-3)

As he speaks to the theme of reconciliation-with God and with each other-that runs through all four lessons, President Carter connects Paul's message to the concerns of our time, including such relevant issues as fundamentalism and disunity in the church, and shares insights into the practical application of faith in daily life that will challenge and inspire all of us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Didn't Know What to Expect.Was Favorably Impressed
Jimmy Carter, a former president, gave a set of bible lessons on the Epistle to the Ephesians.Ephesians is written in the voice of Paul (separately there's controversy about whether Paul authored this book and I don't have a position on that).Paul was a prisoner in Rome at the time awaiting execution.Paul explains about being a prisoner for the lord.

Carter was impressive in this taped set of Bible lessons given at various churches.He clearly understands the lessons of the Bible and I learned much more than I expected.Carter related the lessons of Ephesians to world events and the current era in the most natural and perhaps flawless way.

I had no idea that Jimmy Carter could give such direct, folksy Bible study lessons.Further, I had no idea he could connect so well with the audience.This former president is inspirational and if you haven't paid attention to him for many years, you'll probably be as surprised as I was.

The lessons themselves are excellent because they apply to our lives.For example, Carter explains how natural it is to think of oneself as superior to poor people in poor countries, just as it was during the time of which Ephesians was written.Carter explains how damaging our words can be when we say bad things about others.He does this in a manner of a wise and humble elder imparting common sense to the teachable.

I wondered what made it possible for a former president to be so humble yet so capable.This is uncommon.Maybe Carter's faith and Bible teachings are responsible.I would certainly attend his lessons if I could, and that's saying a lot.

Another thing Carter did that I think almost nobody would note is that he explained basic things about his travels to the audiences attending his Bible studies.For example, he had gone on a big family trip to Mexico and, without giving away the material, he had a facinating way of describing everything there based on what average people would want to know.He'd explain an Indian village and describe the physical appearance of the indigenous people.He told of his experiences talking with a famous artist and then described how much this artist's works sell for, and that's exactly what an average person would want to know.It seemed that Carter can connect with people.

Through this series I learned several good life lessons through Carter's explanations of the book of Ephesians.But I also learned a bit about the state of the world too. I felt perfectly comfortable listening to Carter's voice (he's the speaker) and quickly ordered another one of his Bible study books, again to my own surprise.

First Fruits of Prayer
When selecting this book,I thought that it may be a bit dry but worthwhile. I have discovered a great treasure! In reading this book, I have come to a special joy, and appreciation of God. In short this book is a tool to percieve life, past, preasant, and future.

Good lessons even for the non-religious
First I have to admit to being a Democrat and a fan of Jimmy Carter's public life after the Presidency, using his name recognition to fund public health initiatives in third world countries.However, I can't claim to be of a particulary religious bent.These lessons are very informal, recorded in Jimmy Carter's home church in 1998 and the sound quality isn't great--when someone in the audience speaks it's very hard to hear.But in the informality and simplicity lies its charm.Jimmy opens each lesson by telling what he and Rosalind have done in the preceding week, asking what other dominations or states/countries are represented in the guests who have come to listen to his lesson, and then asks for a prayer from someone in the audience before he begins.The lessons are from letters that Paul wrote and JImmy presents the message, often by asking questions of those present, in an unadorned, sincere way.This is not a smooth, professional delivery nor a pulpit-thumping evangelistic sermon.It is, as the title suggests, a country church Sunday school lesson but, whether you are religious or not, the principles presented are universal, the topics germaine to everyday life, and the goodness that comes through genuine.I don't see how anyone could listen to this set and not feel better at the end.

Thoughtful and helpful
The president has been teaching Sunday School since his Naval Academy days and his grasp and scope of the subject matter discussed is impressive.He invites questions and participation from the audience (congregation/class?) and the sessions are spirited and informative.His talent for taking current secular issues and relating them to specific areas of the scriptures is invaluable with surprising conclusions in some cases. Not afraid of tough problems or questions he plows through each lesson with charm, focus and an easy charisma. ... Read more