Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This was a decent overview of Carter's life. He's lived a long time, and you get a good sense of who he is as a person. The audiobook is a terrible idea, though. Listening to wizened 90 year old Jimmy narrating this book was painful.
“A Full Life” is a candid biography by former president of the United States providing his personal and professional life from childhood through age ninety.
The book consists of eight chapters and through each chapter, Carter shares stories of his life and is transparent regarding his successes as well as his failures. I especially enjoyed that he includes his own poems as his artwork as a way to add depth to the stories presented in his book.
The book consists of eight chapters and through each chapter, Carter shares stories of his life and is transparent regarding his successes as well as his failures. I especially enjoyed that he includes his own poems as his artwork as a way to add depth to the stories presented in his book.
My understanding of Jimmy Carter was pretty superficial, (1 term president, peanut farmer, hostage crisis) so I found this book to be very interesting and I think (politics aside) that I would really like him as a person.
This autobiography gave me an insight into Carter's strength, will, and resolve, something that is often overlooked in the retelling of his presidency. His work with the Carter Center, in particular, shows his tenacity and steadfastness in achieving his goals. In some ways, it seems like his tenure in the White House was just preparation for the influential work he did, and continues to do, for society.
What I wish I got more out of Carter's book was more of a description of how and why he made decisions; his book reads a bit more like an account of events that occurred throughout his life than a real description of how he made the decisions he did. I enjoyed reading Carter's poetry, which is weaved into the book and follows the narrative nicely. Similarly, Carter's own paintings add a richness to the book that gives more insight into his perspective.
What I wish I got more out of Carter's book was more of a description of how and why he made decisions; his book reads a bit more like an account of events that occurred throughout his life than a real description of how he made the decisions he did. I enjoyed reading Carter's poetry, which is weaved into the book and follows the narrative nicely. Similarly, Carter's own paintings add a richness to the book that gives more insight into his perspective.
Very interesting read about a smart and interesting man, his life and accomplishments.
What a life this man led, just finished the audio version narrated by the author himself. I've always known about this man's works during his post presidential years, but never the specifics. The memoir just touches on many points throughout the author's life, and I am left wanting to dig into each particular section just a little more.
This is the first book I've read (listened to) by Mr. Carter, if anything I'll be working backwards through his works. I wish I'd read this earlier, as I just missed a local signing by a couple weeks before finishing this book.
This is the first book I've read (listened to) by Mr. Carter, if anything I'll be working backwards through his works. I wish I'd read this earlier, as I just missed a local signing by a couple weeks before finishing this book.
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
A good read, though it's a set of sometimes very short episodes strung together. It's at its best when he's describing growing up, and his Navy career.
Interesting tidbits throughout, and charmingly ready by President Carter. However, very scattered (references to the same events come up in various chapters - actually, it felt very much like a 90 year old man telling stories; shouldn't be surprising!). I found myself often wishing for more detail - it felt often like reading the abridged version. Perhaps those were sections of his life well-covered in other books - which I will be exploring.
This was not a riveting read. However, I learned much more about Carter and have greatly increased my respect and admiration for him. I liked that he narrated the audio version. He kept a lot of notes/journals over the years and referred to them to make this book as accurate as possible. But I am sure there are other versions of some of the events, as he admitted when he and Rosalyn tried to co-write a book. An incredible person. And I'm glad that he beat his cancer a year ago and is still active!