Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age

by Jimmy Carter

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.

Genres: History, Presidents, Politics, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Earl Carter, Junior, known as Jimmy, the thirty-ninth president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, creditably established energy-conservation measures, concluded the treaties of Panama Canal in 1978, negotiated the accords of Camp David between Egypt and Israel in 1979, and won the Nobel Prize of 2002 for peace.

Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, the incumbent, in the presidential election of 1980.

He served and received. Carter served two terms in the senate of Georgia and as the 76th governor from 1971 to 1975.

Carter created new Cabinet-level Department of education. A national policy included price decontrol and new technology. From 1977, people reduced foreign oil imports one-half to 1982. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the second round of strategic arms limitation talks (SALT). Carter sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights in 1979. People saw his return of the zone as a major concession of influence in Latin America, and Carter came under heavy criticism.

Iranian students in 1979 took over the American embassy and held hostages, and an attempt to rescue them failed; several additional major crises, including serious fuel shortages and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, marked the final year of his tenure. Edward Moore Kennedy challenged significantly higher disapproval ratings of Carter for nomination of the Democratic Party before the election of 1980. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination lost the election to Ronald Wilson Reagan, a Republican.

Carter left office and with Rosalynn Smith Carter, his wife, afterward founded the nongovernmental center and organization that works to advance human rights. He traveled extensively to conduct, to observe elections, and to advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He, a key, also figured in the project of habitat for humanity. Carter particularly vocalized on the Palestinian conflict.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jimmyc...

Reviews

[Thomas Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

1962 was a turning point. Georgia (and some 30 other states) gained one-person-one-vote, in place of the county-political-boss domination of the electoral process. A Negro is elected to the state senate, first time since Reconstruction. His fellow senators, all white, have to learn to pronounce "knee-grow." But. Domination of agriculture and business by fewer and fewer richer and richer people accelerates.

1962 was Jimmy Carter's first run for state senate. The book is about ballot-stuffing by a county political boss, and the legal and political challenges that gave the stolen election back to Carter. It's a page-turner. Carter was born 1924.

https://www.goodreads.com/trivia/deta...-

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story, well told, full of suspense and drama. Great history lesson on federal and state election laws.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgia politics at its most corrupt. Before Jimmy Carter ran for governor of Georgia or president of the United States, he ran for State Senator right after the old county-unit system was demolished by the Supreme Court. My favorite chapter has the title: "The Dead Voted Alphabetically." Any student of Georgia history during the heydey of the 1950s and 1960s, filled with political bosses and good ole boys who would do anything to any extent to keep control should read this book. There is wild stuff here. (Pre-read for teaching Georgia history; Semester 2--modern Georgia; required reading for HH; DRL call no. GA 973.926 Carter)

[Liz Arcand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great snapshot of politicians of the Deep South in the 1960s. Also, a great case for arguing that Baker v Carr paved the way for the monumental legislation of the 1960s. One could even use this source when debating Citizen's United: does one individual, one vote still matter or even have any say in our political climate today? A quick, dramatic, and fascinating read!

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick retell of Jimmy Carter's first campaign for State Senate and how he took on a corrupt Southern Good Ol' Boy system and won. Interesting take on Southern Georgia culture and a more indepth focus on a chapter of his life that might make up a paragraph in a bio of his life. His observation of the fraud, the use of lawyers, party officials and judges that were used to business one way and adjusted course to become honest. The changes afterwards, such as debating how long of time a dead person was allowed to vote (they settled for 3 years after the date of death!), how to pronounce 'Negro' ("we had a hard time and had to be taught. Due to our location, we said 'negrur' and had to learn how to combine 'knee' and 'grow' at which point we learned.).

Jimmy has used this moment in his life to maintain his fight for free and fair elections. No one can doubt his work throughout Latin America and his passion for democracy.

[James Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, this is a great book. Masterful writing that crystallizes the characteristic southern locution of Carter on a sentence to sentence level. The story itself is captivating, expertly paced, full of twists and turns and populated by a rogues gallery of county bosses and political apparatchiks from a thankfully bygone era. Carter details the grinding electoral reforms it took to drag the political structure of Georgian government out of its de jure white supremacy - and yet, it's something of a thriller! I read this a month after visiting Plains, Georgia, to see the 92 year-old President Carter speak at his local church. After his sermon, I spent the day haunting the Plains environs in deep south August heat. It made this book, and this book made my visit, come alive.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent recounting of Carter's 1962 entry into GA politics. His State Senate race offers a telling look at how southern elections were once dominated by rural kingmakers. The drawn out legal battle was a milestone for GA electoral history. Also, a great early glimpse at a group of men who would rise to the highest political levels in the state and nation -- two governors, two state supreme court justices, a U.S. Senator and a president, along with some of the state's most prominent lawyers. Recommended read for anyone interested in GA political history.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want an "insiders" perspective on Georgia politics this is an interesting one to read. Reading of all the corruption that went on in the counties; how the politicians did not obey court ordered changes and how much Carter went through to get that first Georgia Senate seat helped me understand how far we have come. It's a quick read and definitely worthwhile.

[Melyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really held my interest even though I knew how President Carter's political fortunes turned out. It is hard to believe this kind of voting corruption happened in such recent history. This experience helps explain why President Carter has worked to ensure free and fair elections throughout the world.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Jimmy Carter's election to the Georgia State Senate in 1962. Recommended to anyone who is interested in politics and elections.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better books written by any former President. It really captures a place and time wonderfully-- anyone who is interested in the old south will love it.

[Austin Haygood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account of Jimmy Carter's first run for state office. He recounts the death of the County Unit Voting System (An Electoral College style setup for State-wide elections) and talks about the pitfalls he had to overcome in his GA State Senate race. Though there is some self promotion by Carter at the end, this account is quite good. Would suggest to those interested in politics, especially Georgia politics.

[Ryan Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter recounts events surrounding his 1962 campaign for the state senate. As methodically corrupt and fundamentally dishonest as conventions were in that state, this was quite a struggle. Anyways, most of the white Democrats in that state eventually became the new republicans. It is possible most of the blacks back then would have been republican, but it doesn't really matter because most of them were not allowed to vote.

[Darrenglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like the perfect time to read a book about how fragile democracy can be, especially in the hands of segregationists, right? This is Jimmy Carter’s story of his first election (for state senate in 1962) and even as a Georgian I had no idea about this stuff. It’s a fast read and he’s a good writer and if you are interested in politics or midcentury America I would definitely check it out.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes Carter's entry into politics, and how he helped straighten out the South's politics. When Carter began, blacks were heavily discriminated against. Rural votes were worth more than city votes due to the county votes were awarded. The book showed how this changed and what problems remain.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming and thrilling Jimmy Carter origin story. It was interesting to learn about some of Georgia's political history. It gave me a greater appreciation for the transience of political and societal structures, and a better understanding of the decisions from the past that have influenced Georgia's present.

[Mike Eggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about grass roots politicking in America. I had to read this book for a Political Science 1010 class and was happy to have ready it. Highly recommended book if you are interested in reading about the political process and what it may take to become elected in any level of government.

[George Hamblen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter has long been a fighter. This includes getting over the injustices he faced. Georgia politics were awash in corruption when he started his historic rise. Read how he overcame the corruption in his first race for office.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for political science in college. I remember liking it. I was actually surprised by this!

[Big Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter writes a lot in the passive voice, making it a little difficult to stay glued to the book. Carter, however, lived through a fascinating story. After a consequential court ruling, the legislature changed their state senate system to a "one man one vote" model, effectively releasing the state from the rural counties' grasps (the oral argument documented in Oyez is also an interesting listen). Carter decided to run. But what he didn't know is that the county boss, Joe Hurst, manipulated just about every election in Quitman County. Hurst sent people to discourage and threaten Carter. On Election Day, Hurst threw out many "Carter" ballots in favor of the pro-segregation candidate, Homer Moore. Hurst then stuffed the ballot box and his aids stupidly put a rubber band around 70-something votes for Moore and placed it at the very top of the box. Carter narrowly lost and appealed it to the Democratic Party board. The problem with this is that Hurst was the chairman of the local Democratic Party. The appeal lasted minutes and Carter quickly sued. He eventually won his case. You could guess that he wrote this story yesterday given his closing remarks on racial relations and poverty.

Carter is probably one of the only presidents who is a saint. He led an incredible life and career post-presidency. He led the Atlanta Project. This project helped many individuals who found themselves in awful situations growing up. Carter was and is still a humanitarian, a genius, and a genuinely good person- something that is almost impossible to find in modern politics.

I'm glad I read this and I will visit some of Carter's other biographies.

[Baylor Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good! Carter’s prose is well-suited for this and i really appreciated how in-depth this got when it came to observing the inner machinations of local politics and elections in early 1960s Georgia, and I also appreciated how there’s not much of an attempt to over-dramatize the proceedings in some “this is a manner of life and death” fashion, instead opting for something a little more retrospective and measured for the most part. I can understand how that would be a turn-off for a lot of people, as it does lead to a few stretches of “I feel like we should be hammering on some this quite a bit more,” but overall I came to really dig this book.

Unfortunately it sort of fizzles out towards the end and I wish there was a little more when it came to the actual investigation by the courts and maybe some more perspective on the deliberations from the judges and jury. We spend a lot of time getting to the actual legal battles only for a lot to get resolved incredibly quickly, with most of what Carter has to say on it being “it instilled a lot of resolve in me for fair and free elections” and I think it wouldn’t have hurt to add some more… I don’t know… anything to this segment of the book.

Loved the peanut shelling and seeds talk in the first half. You can tell he’s like “I like politics but I’m having a GREAT time talking about peanut farm operations” and yeah that’s kinda neat honestly.

Good stuff!

[ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book came to be in my possession in a very unique way, and in the wake of the late president jimmy carter's death, i was prompted to read it.

i am a big history buff, especially when it comes to the american south. the south is where i have grown up and lived all of my life so far (which has not been very long). it is, in comparison to many other places in the united states, extremely underdeveloped in every sense. reading this book has been like looking at a time capsule of a period that i've only heard about from family or textbooks, and that is uniquely southern. the south is usually the 'bad' guy in history, and this memoir is no exception. but it provides the consolation that there are good people who in turn want to make the south good too. even the 'bad' guys have their 'good' reasons. there is a lot of empathy and understanding that one must possess in order to look at this story from an objective point of view. carter does this splendidly.

i highly recommend giving this book a read- especially if you are interested in southern history. rest in peace, jimmy carter.

[Javier Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting first-hand account at the first political campaign of Jimmy Carter, the book traces the change in Georgia politics amidst the rising Civil Rights movement, and Mr. Carters spur of the moment decision to run for public office seeking to leverage this change in his favor. His race in the end would be decided on a wafer-thin margin due to public malfeasance from a small county run by a big-time political boss in southwest Georgia. While the story is told well, its not told in a familiar, or homespun manner, making the reader feel as if the narrator, Carter himself, were somewhat detached from his own story, even as he engages in a political fight for the ages. The story is unique, but told in such a quiet manner that it almost feels like part of a greater story about his life. I wish he had taken more interest and vigor into the whole story, though there are certainly moments worth reflecting on.

[Les Dangerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter was considered something of a failure at the end of his four years as President of the US. However, between then and his recent death, his stock rose substantially, largely because of the tremendous amount of good work for disadvantaged groups in society which he has led but also because in retrospect he has been seen as a man of principle and integrity, characteristics which have often been lacking in incumbents of the Presidency during the past 45 years.
In this book he describes his experience of entering politics for the first time in Georgia in the early 60s at a time when one person-one vote had been instituted clearly and firmly in state politics for the first time. At the time, he succeeded in winning office only because of his determination to overcome malpractice in the electoral system which would otherwise have excluded him.

[Andrew Figueiredo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire Jimmy Carter a lot, and this was a good retelling of an adventure taking on Southern machine politics in Quitman County, Georgia in the early 1960s. That said, Carter spends most of his time in the super-nitty-gritty, which makes it a bit tough to follow in places with so many names and characters. Above all, "Turning Point" is an interesting story about Jimmy Carter's first State Senate race as Georgia faced a racial and electoral crossroads during the Civil Rights era. You can see the dynamics of Old South and New South at play, which isn't particularly surprising given Carter's rapid ascendancy as a son of the New South. It's not the most exciting book I've read, or even the best Jimmy Carter book, but it's a good quick read.

[Ron Seckinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1992, former President Carter recounts his first foray into electoral politics, running for the Georgia State Senate in 1962. A peanut farmer and former Navy officer, Carter had worked on educational issues in his tiny county and saw the election as a way of focusing attention on the woeful schooling available to white and black students in poor rural counties. Through intimidation and ballot-stuffing, however, the local boss fixed the voting results in favor of Carter's opponent. Carter's unexpected challenge led to a reelection that vindicated the candidate from Plains, who went on to the Governorship and the White House. Carter places his story within the context of the contemporaneous civil rights movement.

[Grayson Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up this one at my branch of the Fulton County library because it was the only Jimmy Carter book they had readily available, and I wanted to read, in light of his recent passing, one of his books.

It was fine. If anything, its most timeless value — regrettably — is the way it lets us who are enduring democratic erosion know that tampering with elections and mucking up the works is about as American as apple pie. The section on Georgia’s electoral history was particularly interesting.

The drama of Carter’s own election kinda lost me, though.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not quite what I expected. Considering the fact that "Jimmy Carter" takes up half of the cover, he spends most of this book discussing the voting tendencies of the counties of Georgia. Talks a lot about his personal battle against voter fraud, but I was shocked about how little he talked about why he ran his campaign in the first place.

[Lisa Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great look into the political shenanigans of the 1960's in Georgia. Easy to read and wonderful writing by President Carter. The book was published in the early 1990's and it's amazing that not a lot has changed. We are still combating some of the same issues, 30 years later. Poverty, unemployment, racially divided cities, housing shortages, and high prices just to name a few.

[zoya b · Rating 4 out of 5]

my research assistanceship might be kicking my butt but at least it means i get to count this towards my reading challenge! the more you learn about jimmy carter the more inspiring he gets, he was truly one of a kind.