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livruther's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
This book opens with a prologue wherein the author's thesis is that Carter's presidency was underrated, while his post presidency was underrated. I do not think that Jonathan Alter succeeded in proving this thesis. In my opinion, he did not try hard enough to actually prove either point, and when he did insert his opinion, it felt like the wrong time. He did point out, though, that most of Carter's accomplishments were either ignored, credited to Reagan, or credited to one of his Democratic successors. I did learn a lot about Carter, though some parts were hard to read and left me feeling like Alter was too critical of Carter. I acknowledge that these feelings may just stem from my own bias because it is hard for me to accept criticism of Carter. As a student of history, sometimes it seems like everything sucks, people are evil, and good things are rare, but I always look upon Carter as someone who genuinely tried his best to make a positive difference in the world, which constantly inspires me. Speaking of trying his best, I also do not feel that Alter did a good job of emphasizing the title and showing the many ways that Carter gave 110% to the presidency. His discussion of the gas crisis could have been more coherent, too. Finally, Alter constantly mentions how Carter was obsessively detail-oriented, but one could say that this book is obsessively detail-oriented. There was no reason for it to be so long. If he truly wanted to fight widespread misconceptions about Carter (most of which stem from the cynical post-Watergate media), he would make this book shorter and thereby more accessible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
booksrockcal's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
An excellent and comprehensive biography of Jimmy Carter that I read in conjunction with a visit to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Particularly interesting to me were the accounts of Carter’s childhood and the influences of his very different parents, his time in the Naval Academy and the role the Navy (and Admiral Rickover) played in his life, and the account of his Presidential years, which I lived through as a high school student. The accounts of how Carter, known as liberal on race relations, navigated the early campaigns in 1960s Georgia are a lesson in doing what is expedient in the moment (using to segregationists to get elected ) for the greater good (calling for an end to racial bias in Georgia) -that component was also instructive (and not featured in the Carter Library). I would have liked a bit more on the post Presidential period and while Carter’s complex relationships with former Presidents are mentioned at the end of the book, I would have enjoyed more on that topic. Alter is a master biographer and he portrays the complexity of Carter while providing an excellent overview of the history that provided the backstop of Carter’s life.
annie941815's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
I thought this would be a book about Carter's presidency, but Mr. Alter covers his whole life and much of his family's. The book helped me to understand America and the current political climate much better. I gained an appreciation for the position of president and a clarification of my own values through reading this book. It is very long, but I'm so glad I read it! It is definitely in my top-10 most quotable books.
mamaorgana80's review against another edition
5.0
I was born in 1980, so my impression of Jimmy Carter as a man has been cemented by his ongoing humanitarian work and ties to peace. My knowledge on his life as a president was fuzzy because my history classes never got that far or brushed over the headlines.
Alter presents a complicated story here, one that made me cringe and made me proud. People are not ever one thing, and Jimmy Carter was and is as complicated as the rest of us.
Alter presents a complicated story here, one that made me cringe and made me proud. People are not ever one thing, and Jimmy Carter was and is as complicated as the rest of us.