His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life

by Jonathan Alter

From one of America’s most respected journalists and modern historians comes the highly acclaimed, “splendid” ( The Washington Post ) biography of Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States and Nobel Prize–winning humanitarian.

Jonathan Alter tells the epic story of an enigmatic man of faith and his improbable journey from barefoot boy to global icon. Alter paints an intimate and surprising portrait of the only president since Thomas Jefferson who can fairly be called a Renaissance Man, a complex figure—ridiculed and later revered—with a piercing intelligence, prickly intensity, and biting wit beneath the patented smile. Here is a moral exemplar for our times, a flawed but underrated president of decency and vision who was committed to telling the truth to the American people.

Growing up in one of the meanest counties in the Jim Crow South, Carter is the only American president who essentially lived in three his early life on the farm in the 1920s without electricity or running water might as well have been in the nineteenth; his presidency put him at the center of major events in the twentieth; and his efforts on conflict resolution and global health set him on the cutting edge of the challenges of the twenty-first.

“One of the best in a celebrated genre of presidential biography,” ( The Washington Post ), His Very Best traces how Carter evolved from a timid, bookish child—raised mostly by a Black woman farmhand—into an ambitious naval nuclear engineer writing passionate, never-before-published love letters from sea to his wife and full partner, Rosalynn; a peanut farmer and civic leader whose guilt over staying silent during the civil rights movement and not confronting the white terrorism around him helped power his quest for racial justice at home and abroad; an obscure, born-again governor whose brilliant 1976 campaign demolished the racist wing of the Democratic Party and took him from zero percent to the presidency; a stubborn outsider who failed politically amid the bad economy of the 1970s and the seizure of American hostages in Iran but succeeded in engineering peace between Israel and Egypt, amassing a historic environmental record, moving the government from tokenism to diversity, setting a new global standard for human rights and normalizing relations with China among other unheralded and far-sighted achievements. After leaving office, Carter eradicated diseases, built houses for the poor, and taught Sunday school into his mid-nineties.

This “important, fair-minded, highly readable contribution” ( The New York Times Book Review ) will change our understanding of perhaps the most misunderstood president in American history.

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

800 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

Jonathan Alter is an award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer and radio host. His new book, published in 2020, is "His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life." He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies”(2013), “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” (2010) and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope”(2006), also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. Since 1996, Alter has been a contributing correspondent and political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2019, he co-produced and co-directed the HBO documentary, “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists.”
After 28 years as a columnist and senior editor at Newsweek, where he wrote more than 50 cover stories, Alter is now a columnist for the Daily Beast and the co-host, with his wife, Emily Lazar, and their three children, Charlotte Alter, Tommy Alter, and Molly Alter, of “Alter Family Politics,” which airs Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. on RadioAndy on SiriusXM, 102. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the National Headliner Award for his coverage of 9/11, the Gerald Loeb Award, and the Book Award from the New Jersey Council of the Humanities. In 2019, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the New Jersey Journalism Hall of Fame.

A Chicago native, Harvard graduate and resident of Montclair, New Jersey, Alter has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New Republic, Esquire, Bloomberg View and other publications. In the 2013-2014 season, he served as an executive producer of “Alpha House,” a 21-episode half-hour political comedy available on Amazon.

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

MOST MISUDERSTOOD PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY?

Jonathan Alter writes in the introduction to the first full-scale, comprehensive biography (782 pages; 670 pages of text) of Jimmy Carter that he began the book in 2015, but that after the election of 2016:

I felt a new urgency. It seemed to me there was no better time to reexamine our superficial assessments of Jimmy Carter. I write out of a fragile hope that the life story of the thirty-ninth president might help light our way back to some sense of decency, accountability, and seriousness in our politics….

I figured that there must be more to Jimmy Carter than the easy shorthand: inept president who becomes a noble ex-president. When I learned that he would almost certainly have begun to address global warming in the early 1980s had he been reelected, I was hooked. I set out to paint a portrait of perhaps the most misunderstood president in American history.

Alter goes on to list Carter’s accomplishments, several important ones that were unheralded at the time, and unfortunately unremembered today. His conclusion is “that [Carter] was a surprisingly consequential president – a political and stylistic failure but a substantive and far-sighted success”.

Furthermore, Carter “fulfilled his famous promise in his 1976 campaign and did not directly lie to the American people, which is no small thing today.” The book was published in 2020, so there is no doubt who Alter had in mind, though he doesn’t mention any names.


HIS VERY BEST

When Carter came out of nowhere to win the 1976 presidential election, much was made of the fact that he was a peanut farmer from Georgia. That was true at the time, but it overshadowed earlier accomplishments.

He was a graduate of the Naval Academy, who became a nuclear engineer under the notoriously cantankerous and irascible father of the nuclear submarine program, Admiral Hyman Rickover. After the admiral asked the young lieutenant in a job interview if he had done his best while at the academy, Carter honestly replied that he had not.

Alter writes that as a result of that interview:

"Carter disciplined himself to make the maximum effort in every single thing he did for the rest of his life…. When awarding Carter the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, the chairman of the Nobel committee said, 'Carter himself has taken [from Ecclesiastes 11:4] as his motto: The worst thing that you can do is not to try.’ Few people, if any, have tried harder."


ONE-TERM PRESIDENT

Jimmy Carter inherited a mess. There was rampant inflation and a stagnating economy brought on by the manipulation of oil prices by the OPEC nations that had also plagued Carter’s immediate predecessors, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. (Nixon had attempted to turn things around with wage-price controls that exacerbated the problem when they were lifted. I recall Gerald Ford promoting 'WIN' buttons, which was an acronym for 'Whip Inflation Now.' They worked about as well as Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug campaign, 'Just Say No.')

Carter’s approval ratings were hurt by the stuttering economy and the long gas lines at the pumps that occurred periodically after OPEC placed an embargo on oil shipments to the U.S. in 1973. But the final straw was the storming of the U.S. embassy in Iran that led to the taking of hostages. The standoff spelled defeat for Carter in his bid for re-election in 1980.


JEFFERSON AND CARTER

Thomas Jefferson reflecting on his presidential tenure was quoted as saying that “I have the consolation to reflect that during the period of my administration not a drop of the blood of a single citizen was shed by the sword of war.”

Carter is the only other president who can make the same claim.

Alter writes that “[a]t a farewell dinner just before the [Reagan] inaugural, an emotional [Vice-President] Mondale turned to Carter and said, ‘Never once did you fail to treat me with dignity.’ Then he toasted what they had all accomplished:

‘We told the truth. We obeyed the law. We kept the peace.’

Carter added later, ‘And we championed human rights.’"

*****

I have read a ton of presidential biographies. Jonathan Alter’s meticulously researched, beautifully written study of Jimmy Carter ranks among the best of them. There is no doubt that he admires and respects Carter for his accomplishments as president and humanitarian work after leaving the office. But this is no love fest; he is quick to point out Carter’s faults, foibles, and failures.

Readers will also discover, if they don’t already know, that First Lady Rosalynn Carter was an important part of her husband’s administration as she had been in operating their businesses and an important partner in the couple’s joint humanitarian endeavors after leaving the White House.

It is about time that someone wrote her biography.

*****

[T]oday at 96 (97 on October 1), Carter still teaches Sunday school in Plains, drawing hundreds of tourists who sleep in the church parking lot to snare a seat. Few of these pilgrims, surely, consider Carter a Rushmore-worthy president, but they admire what Alter calls his 'core decency.' In the lives of even those presidents who falter, after all there is drama and significance, pathos and inspiration — and a welter of experiences that are worth understanding if for no other reason than that they altered the course of our nation. – David Greenberg, The New York Times

*****
Finally, this:

Rodney, a former student of mine driving through Georgia several years ago, decided on a whim to take a side trip to the small town of Plains, Georgia, home of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. He drove by the church that the Carters attend and where Jimmy teaches Sunday school. He was surprised to see that the elderly man mowing the church lawn was the ex-president himself.

Rodney got out of his vehicle and stood at the edge of the yard. Carter turned off the mower and came over to talk to him. Among Rodney’s proudest possessions is a photo of himself with one of the church’s Sunday school teachers and keeper of the church grounds.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last few weeks have been some of the most tumultuous in American history with the anticipated return to the American presidency a convicted and adjudicated felon, a former president indicted for the inciting of an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, causing many deaths and injuries and catastrophic damage in the U.S. Capitol, all to thwart the peaceful transfer of power, one of the tenets of our democracy.

But in the midst of all of that chaos, we have honored one of our most progressive presidents, a true Renaissance man, accomplishing much in his one term in office who, no doubt, would have accomplished much more had he been reelected. President Jimmy Carter passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of one-hundred years. What was striking was the constant flow of people attending services or as the funeral motorcade passed by on the way to Atlanta, Georgia in the statehouse where the former governor and president would lie in state. The presidential funeral motorcade then went to Washington, D.C., with one final drive by the White House and then to the U.S. Capitol where President Jimmy Carter again would lie in state before the funeral services at the National Cathedral. It was in those days that we were reminded of his accomplishments in those four years, most notably securing a peace in the Middle East with the Camp David accords that is still in place today, President Carter’s accomplishments on energy and the environment would begin to change how Americans lived with their example offering hope for harder climate adjustments ahead, and working to give the Panama Canal to Panama engendering good will and most likely avoiding a war in Central America. As in Georgia, Carter proved to be a fine steward of public lands. Over four years he was responsible for thirty-nine new National Park Service designations, with a special emphasis on urban parks that could be accessed by millions. And complicating his reelection were the hostages that had been seized by Iran, only to be released after Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. But at the farewell luncheon it was noted that Jimmy Carter was the first president since Thomas Jefferson that could boast that he never dropped a bomb or launched a missile while in office, and he was proud of it. His final admonition to his Cabinet was that he hoped that they would all go out and pay it back. At the farewell, an emotional Walter Mondale toasted all that they had accomplished:

“We told the truth. We obeyed the law. We kept the peace.”

“Jimmy Carter was the first leader anywhere in the world to recognize the problem of climate change.”

“The quality of Carter’s farewell address, written with the help of Rick Hertzberg, was exceeded only by those delivered by George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower. It resonates more powerfully in our own time than his other speeches, in part for its evocation of values at risk.”

And then retiring as a young man, he and Rosalynn had much to decide about what they would do in his post-presidential years. This engrossing and monumental biography certainly changed my understanding of the most misunderstood president of our time. It is humbling to see how Jimmy Carter, growing up in one of the meanest counties in the Jim Crow South, became such a staunch advocate of civil rights. It was interesting to see how Carter evolved from a timid, bookish child into an ambitious naval nuclear engineer. It also explores his life as a peanut farmer and civic leader whose guilt over staying silent during the Civil Rights Movement and not confronting the white terrorism helped to form his quest for racial justice. I am happy that I was able to read this powerful and most human look at Jimmy Carter and his partner in life, Rosalynn Carter. What an exciting life no matter what phase he found himself.

“Jimmy Carter had what the poet William Butler Yeats called a ‘pilgrim soul.’ His winding trek after leaving office was something unique among former presidents—a sustained effort to improve both himself and the wider world. Over a forty-year period, Carter combined intense self-discovery with inspiring selflessness; he learned to be a writer, poet, and painter (among other new skills), while patiently pursuing peace and global health in long-forsaken countries.”

“Contrary to myth, nothing Carter achieved after leaving the presidency exceeded what he did in office.”

And I would be remiss if I did not add that I love this bookcover by Andy Warhol.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read some of Carter’s books and most of the biographies about him. I am glad to read a new in-depth biography of Jimmy Carter. He is one of the most under-covered former presidents.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. Including access to Carter’s diaries. The book is comprehensive, not overly detailed and, in my opinion, unbiased. It comes across that Alter thinks that Jimmy Carter is the most misunderstood president. At the end of the book, Alter covers Carter’s post presidency. Alter is a journalist. So, the book reads from that prospective rather than of an academic historian/biographer. If you are interested in presidential biographies, I highly recommend this book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is thirty-one hours and four minutes or 670 pages. Michael Boatman does a good job narrating the book. It is my first experience with listening to Boatman. Boatman is an actor and audiobook narrator.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for the library to finish this book took so long. So I went and found another copy. Figure I support the library quite a lot already and going around them once was ok. Glad I finished it!

At over 800 pages, it was a lot. So I won’t go into all of it, but rather, I’ll offer some observations made while reading.

* It was more a retrospective than a biography. It covered good entire life span, yes, but it was more than a series of key events in his life. Alter dove deep into Carter’s personality and while he wrote with candor, he was unafraid to itemize the President’s flaws. He was only able to write like this because Carter had nothing to hide and have Alter years of access to observe and journal.
* Carter was a man of enormous courage but seemingly had an equally sensitive ego. However, I think was only half true - I think their conviction (his and his wife Rosalynn’s) was that it was critical to be useful in service every minute of every day. I think they also judged others who were wasteful of their time and resources, among which they included themselves. In fact, Amy thought her parents’ lives raised an intriguing question for everyone: “How much more would you do if every minute could make a profound change in the world?” Good question.
* Carter was an amazing peace negotiator and do-gooder, but he was terrible at interpersonal human relations because the last thing he cared about was being liked.
* I find it hilarious that Carter was considered “Georgia's Hitler,” because of his liberalism. If he’s the Georgia Hitler, what does that make the TACO??????
Caterer was a deeply feeling man who loved to read and to write poetry - wow - would never have known if not for this book!
* Admittedly, a bit shocked that he was such a judgmental person!
* Always knew Reagan was evil, but keeping the Iran hostages in play for political gain was him cheating to get ahead, and it only compounds his evil to me. And yes, I still believe the October Surprise was real.
* I’ll never really get the full automatic love and fascination given to everyone named Kennedy. I especially never liked Ted Kennedy. Between Chappapequa and Anita Hill, he’s never been really been held accountable for either, and I’ve never forgiven for either.
* The Israeli critique of Carter was that as a liberal Christian who felt guilty about Jim Crow segregation, he would always side with the dispossessed out of a sense of social justice, even if the weaker party was a bunch of terrorists. That’s the kind of thing I’d love said shout me.

Worth reading all the captions beneath the photos too. Way more photos than in most biographies. Loved seeing them all.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2020...

Jonathan Alter’s long-awaited biography of the thirty-ninth president “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life” was published last month (September 2020). Alter is a journalist and author and was a columnist for Newsweek magazine for nearly thirty years. He has written a book on FDR’s first one-hundred days and two focused on Barack Obama.

Authors of freshly-minted presidential biographies often feel compelled to explain their rationale for writing "yet another" biography of a particular president. In the early pages of this hot-off-the-press biography, Alter works diligently to offer an explanation for his five year investment in one man’s life.

But if the justification Alter provides feels a bit forced, his choice of biographical subject is marvelous: Jimmy Carter remains one of the most under-covered former presidents in the modern era. And while Alter believes Carter may be the most misunderstood president in American history, Carter is – at ninety-six years of age – not only the oldest-ever former president but has also led what is probably the most productive and purposeful post-presidency in our nation’s history.

Ironically, this self-proclaimed “first full-length independent biography” of Jimmy Carter is not the longest of the books I’ve read on the thirty-ninth president. That honor goes to Stuart Eizenstat’s “President Carter: The White House Years” published in 2018 – a marvelous 898-page tome dedicated exclusively to Carter’s four-year presidency. Alter’s modestly shorter book (with 670 pages of text) is wonderfully comprehensive, adequately detailed, extremely balanced and very well-paced.

Carter’s childhood and naval career are well-covered as is his personal life…though, at times, his family disappears into the background when his political life dominates the discussion. In the book’s early chapters, the reader can almost sense the narrative being drafted from Carter’s own vivid recollection of his childhood and time with the U.S. Navy.

Alter is also attentive to the divergence between Carter’s attitude toward, and his inaction regarding, desegregation and racial equality in his early life. Later, with his political career fully underway, his handling of those issues was decidedly more aggressive…and no less adeptly analyzed by the author.

Alter provides an excellent review of Carter’s 1976 campaign for the Democratic nomination and, while lacking the staggering detail of Eizenstat’s book, does a nice job reviewing (and a very good job summarizing) the Carter presidency. Chapters on the Panama Canal treaty, the Iranian revolution, the Camp David Accords and the Iranian hostage crisis are among the standouts.

Finally, this biography offers an unusually interesting perspective – and a generously complete review – of Carter’s extraordinarily active, charitable and long-lasting post-presidency. Only the narrative’s insistence on jumping back and forth through his four-decade retirement slightly diminishes the vitality of these chapters. Interestingly, Alter concludes that Carter’s presidency is underrated while his post-presidency is somewhat overrated.

There is little fault to find in this biography, but there are a few areas where readers may feel somewhat short-changed. At times the narrative can move quickly (through parts of Carter’s childhood, for instance) and a few, less important topics receive somewhat limited attention.

In addition, this biography is written by an accomplished journalist rather than a professional biographer. So it generally reads like interesting and insightful history, but rarely like great literature. Though the narrative does occasionally put the reader “in the room,” rarely does the narrative employ colorful scene-setting to add vibrancy to the story. Instead, this generally feels like history-from-a-distance.

Overall, Jonathan Alter‘s biography of Jimmy Carter is a welcome addition to the relatively limited universe of biographies focused on the thirty-ninth president. Comprehensive in scope, appropriate in depth, exceptionally balanced and filled with both personal and political insights, Alter’s biography of Jimmy Carter is extremely good – and quite possibly as good a biography as will be written of him.

Overall Rating: 4½ stars

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter is the first president whose presidency I can remember. I've since paid a few visits to Plains and his presidential library and museum, and even met him a couple of times. So I knew the broad outline of his life, his upbringing, his political rise, presidency and post-presidency. But this book fills in a lot of the details in an extremely engaging, well-written way.

Considering Carter is such a prolific and self-reflective autobiographical writer, one might wonder what could be said about him that he hasn't already said himself. And indeed, at least when it comes to Carter's upbringing, the sources of much of Alter's material are the various writings and reminiscences of Carter himself. That said, Alter does inject skepticism where appropriate - fact-checking Carter when he has sometimes misremembered or left out pertinent parts of various stories, and holding him to account for not being more vocal and active in the civil rights movement during his formative years. Altogether, Alter tells a compelling story about how Carter went from barefoot farm boy to engineer, businessman and politician.

Once the book covers Carter's early years, and before the final few chapters on his post-presidency, fully two-thirds of this book is devoted to Carter's run for, and tenure as, president. And while the book does attempt to portray Carter as a misunderstood and underrated president, it is far from a revisionist history that seeks to whitewash his shortcomings. Alter does urge a new appreciation for the far-sighted regulatory and humanitarian successes that Carter had, for which he's not fully given credit, but I couldn't help but to come away with the sense that Carter's presidency was just as hapless and dreary as conventional wisdom remembers it to be.

Alter rightfully gives Carter credit for his big successes - his description of the Camp David Accords is compelling and even somewhat suspenseful, even though we know how it turned out in the end. But it's painful to relive the missteps that led to the Iran hostage crisis, along with the gas lines, the stagflation and the general "malaise" of the Carter years. Carter tackled problems like the engineer he was - identifying them, analyzing them, weighing the options and working to fix them. "But engineers are rarely natural motivators and leaders," Alter concludes. The most astute critique of Carter's presidency came from a critic he quoted in his "malaise" speech - "Mr. President, you are not leading this nation - you're just managing the government."

As a politician, Carter defied easy categorization - he's a religious conservative who was progressive on many social issues; a believer in active government who was also a businessman opposed to waste and inefficiency and indifferent toward the labor movement; a Democratic fundamentalist Christian when that phrase is an oxymoron today. Alter argues that Carter's ascent to the presidency was something of a perfectly-timed fluke in the post-Nixon era - "a historical anomaly," "an aberration caused by Watergate," the result of "a passing public mood." And that mood passed quickly - long before Carter's presidency concluded.

Carter is a good man who did his best. And for all his missteps as president, there is something endearing in retrospect about the earnestness, honesty and lack of serious scandal that his presidency provided. You certainly don't have to be a big fan in order to appreciate this book. It's an honest, well-written account of one man's remarkable rise to prominence, a "rags-to-riches"-type story of the sort we're unlikely ever to see again.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan Alter has done his very best with the first cradle-to-present biography of a modern president best known for gas station lines, captives in the desert, and his life as an ex-president. Jimmy Carter becomes relevant again, as his humanity and personality are revealed nearly completely. At the same time, Carter seems as detached from this book as he was from fame, fortune, and “the president’s club” later in his life—with an uneasiness about the honesty of it all, and about the resources that produced the work while there are more important things that need attention in the world.

The research and interviews for this book build a full picture, generally following the format of most presidential biographies by being roughly chronological in the early years and issue-oriented during the presidential years. The post-presidential years are less chronological and harder to follow in time, and as with many presidential biographies, I found myself wanting to know more without necessarily wanting a longer book. At 670 pages of story, His Very Best is sufficient in size, and perhaps Carter’s later years are best covered separately, as Douglas Brinkley first did two decades ago. Even so, Alter paints a clear picture of the active days of Carter the septa-, octo-, and nonagenarian; Carter the traveler, the outcast, the teacher, the author, and the painter.

The author’s personal feelings about current events are also clear, but they are presented in the context of their relation to Carter’s life and times. Alter does not hold back on Carter’s flaws and mistakes, but I never got the impression that he was being unfair to his subject; rather that Jimmy Carter was unfair to himself—his own worst enemy at times—a trait he shares with several other brilliant and well-prepared one-term presidents who were terrible at selling themselves to the public.

There is a little repetition of information now and then, but otherwise the editing is nearly immaculate. Overall, I believe His Very Best is fantastic, a thorough biography that inspires readers to pick up other books written by and about the most forgotten president alive today. Jimmy Carter has lived a four-volume life but has never escaped the shadow of an actor from Illinois with a penchant for skirting the truth. Honesty is rarely sexy, and in his own life Carter has been mostly content with that. His Very Best has squeezed the most intriguing elements out of a sometimes colorless man and packaged them in this book, welcoming us to revisit and reassess America’s 39th president.

[Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

2/18/23 - President Jimmy Carter at 98 years old - today went home to Plains GA into hospice.

He is one of my hero’s - a true humanitarian and honest person who lived and spoke his truth. In the 50 years I’ve voted he was the only President that I had faith in and that fully gave his life in service - at home and national and worldwide. Twas a forward thinker, especially, on energy. He placed more people of color and women in the American judicial system then any other person. He was a deeply religious person but had the integrity to separate church and state. He was a wonderful mediator and helped people and countries and health organizations listen to each other and find mutual solutions. He is remembered for the Irani crisis and long lines for gas and high prices. But in comparison to today’s prizes they were minimal. He taught Sunday school and He started Habitat for Humanity to help build affordable housing ownership for all and he often was one of the many volunteers who built the houses. He mediated in the Middle East and so much more. I admire him. He lived ethically. He worked for peace - not war. He was often misunderstood. That’s why this book was important to me when I read it before. I felt the author gave an accurate telling of JImmy Carter.’s life -quirks and all. He made such a difference in the world in so many ways. He created organizations too to keep building peace in the world and keeping humanity alive.

I read this again today to listen to his wisdom and pay homage to him and his life of service. There is still time to make a difference.

Him and Roslyn - have been married 75 years and still have a loving relationship. It shaped both of their lives in service.

[Catherine Hultman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while listening to “King of Kings” about the fall of the Shah of Iran and the hostage crisis. Jimmy Carter is definitely the most decent man ever to be POTUS and it hurt his chance for reelection. He was also an annoyingly brilliant perfectionist. Having said that, it is difficult to comprehend the huge mistakes he made regarding the hostage crisis. Besides being the most decent POTUS ever, he spearheaded the eradication of the Guinea worm. In 1986, there were 3.6 million cases. In 2024, there were only 11 cases reported. Guinea worms made it impossible for parents in third world countries to provide for their children.

My personal favorite “fuck you” from Carter (he probably wouldn’t have called it that) was when he took out a full page ad in the NYT and told the Southern Baptist Convention to go to hell (again my words, not his.) He was disgusted by their patriarchal & misogynistic treatment of women. He had been a member of a Southern Baptist church for over 80 years at that point.

One fascinating fact that I’d never known is that Carter’s father and all of his siblings died of pancreatic cancer.

Carter was slow to the Civil Rights movement & talked about that regret for the rest of his life. I’ve always admired him and this book elevated my admiration. However, I must say that I wouldn’t have wanted to be married to him or been one of his older kids. He was, again, demanding & a perfectionist to the extreme well into his 60s. I love that his son got stoned on the roof of the White House with Willie Nelson🔥

[Fran Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first full biography on President Jimmy Carter, a man much misunderstood as President and much beloved after his presidency. How did a southern barefoot boy grow up to be a smart, honest president who did the right thing but not always the politically wise thing. His accomplishments were many while in office but often forgotten. He is currently the oldest and longest living former president. He has dedicated his after-presidency life to helping people world wide, from clean drinking water, safe and honest election monitoring, to helping later presidents with negociating with world leaders. He was very much an independent, not always forming relationships with other former presidents and often stepping on their toes. This is a well written, interesting, fact filled book that may change your opinion of this many talented man.

[Chips O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was growing up, all I ever heard about Jimmy Carter was about how he was a poor president, a hick from Georgia who was out of his depth during his four years in the White House. He was far from perfect, yes, but this book provided some much-needed balance in my understanding of the man. Well-researched and written in an engaging, conversational style, this biography of Carter presents a full picture (warts and all) of the man I never truly understood until now. Well worth the 670 pages.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I had commented in my review of Kai Bird's 2021 bio of Carter that I thought it was too hagiographic, more than one person here and elsewhere recommended this book instead.

Sadly, on Carter as president, it's worse. (Better? Much better at times? And to which this book shall be compared? Stu Eizenstat's memoir of his Carter White House years, which I found after Bird's bio but before Alter's. My review here. My review of Bird is here.)

This book gets a split rating. It's 4.5 on Carter the person, overall, I think. Maybe 4.25. But, it's 2.5 or so on Carter the president, and less than that on other political issues. It's more hagiographic than Bird, and it's less accurate, with some outright errors plus errors of omission and errors of interpretation.

Let's dig in.

Sidebar and opening: In what smells like something approaching plagiarism, Bird talks about the greatest legislative accomplishments since LBJ, while Alter, a year earlier, said he got more of his legislative agenda done than any post-war president to that point other than LBJ. As I noted on reviewing Bird’s book, Carter was only the second prez since LBJ and Ford served half a term plus a couple of months, and about all of that faced the hugely Democratic “Watergate babies” Congress.

I’ll add to that on Alter, though he does caveat his statement by noting Carter had a Democratic Congress, solidly so, all four years. On post-WWII presidencies, on Truman, besides opposition in Congress from Southern Dems at times as well as Republicans, NOBODY wanted to back national health care. Ike’s agenda wasn’t totally legislative — it was to keep the GOP from oblivion by being elected, first, then keep it from either isolationism by not letting Taft get the nomination, and after being elected, to keep it from domestic nuttery of getting rid of Social Security, etc. JFK had no real agenda beyond a tax cut. LBJ of course had a huge one and thanks to Barry Goldwater as 1964 GOP boat anchor, got it largely passed. Nixon’s agenda was focused on foreign policy and thus outside the purview of Congress. I mentioned Ford.

So, in other words, what Alter says, like Bird, is technically true. But, it doesn’t mean that much. Other than it illustrates Alter’s hagiography. (Alter, like Bird, overstates the good side, at times, and definitely avoids the not-so-good side, of some of Carter's deregulation work.)

Another example originates in pre-presidential years, but got big when Carter started running. That was his calling himself a “nuclear physicist.” Alter says “the term physicist, like chemist, does not require a credential.” Maybe not in denotative language usage, but connotatively, it does, and Carter didn’t and doesn’t have that. In

Next is Carter’s engineering-driven micromanagement style, already on display as governor. Alter not only makes light of it in general, but lumps non-micromanagement items, such as reading a Nature article in 1972 about carbon dioxide with the micromanagement to strawman the idea of micromanagement.

I also have a definite error on Alter’s part. He claimed the Republican convo in 1976 went to a fourth ballot.

Another error occurs later on, in discussing the Yom Kippur War as background to the Camp David Accords. Alter says Nixon raised US defense readiness to DEFCON 3. WRONG! Tricky Dick was Watergate-disheveled enough at this time that Kissinger and Haig acted unilaterally. I am sure Alter knows this; seems to be an “establishmentarian” papering-over at work.

And, there’s a big error of omission. Alter doesn’t tell readers that many people advised Carter to NOT take both Vance and Brzezinski in his administration, but of course did anyway. He also, later, doesn't tell you that Zbig meddled in Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion. (Eizenstat has all of this.) Beyond that, despite defending Carter’s Cabinet in general and having him put AG Griffin Bell in his place once on women and minorities issues, Alter doesn’t discuss Carter’s Cabinet formation in general.

Related? During his big Cabinet purge, Carter moved G. William Miller from the Fed to Treasury. When his first choice for the Fed declined, that led to Volcker. Alter says that Miller was one of the relatively few senior administration officials who actually got along personally pretty well with Carter. So, why not leave him at the Fed and find somebody else to replace Blumenthal at Treasury? (Kai Bird also never discusses this in detail.)

One last error, and it’s about the post-presidential Carter and the Middle East. Ehud Barak’s offer to Yasir Arafat wsa not “generous,” contra Alter. Arafat would have had to concede loss of 1/6 of “West Bank” Palestine, the fragmentation that would go with that, the loss of East Jerusalem and official forfeiture of the Right of Return. Alter knows all of this, too. (And that’s why I said the book is less than 2.5 stars on “other political issues.”)

There's also a subjective implied judgment of Alter that only Carter among the top 1976 Democrats could have beat Ford because of all the Southern states he won. Wrong, IMO. Mo Udall, much more acceptable to labor, would have won New Jersey, Connecticut, Iowa and Illinois for sure, while holding Missouri and West Virginia. He might have won Indiana. Give him Maine, a couple of upper Midwestern states and a couple of Mountain West states and he wins, and that's not even counting the possibility of Udall winning California with Jerry Brown campaigning for him more strenuously than he did for Carter. (Ford won it by less than 2 percentage points.)

And with that, my 3 stars feels generous.

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently in the middle of the audiobook for this title so I have yet to finish it but I have no doubt that the second half of the book will be just as informative and enlightening as the first half. It reads very smoothly and the author doesn't bother getting bogged down into the little details that often become tedious in other presidential biographies. Considering Carter is one of my least favorite presidents, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed the book and would recommend the book to anyone who might be interested in Jimmy Carter but doesn't want a too in-depth or lengthy book. The author clearly has a talent for writing and creating an interesting narrative.

All that being said, I believe the author has made a blunder that often becomes distracting and even quite annoying. It's no secret that most biographers tend to be on the more liberal side (Chernow, Meacham etc.) and have oftentimes expressed dissatisfaction with Donald Trump in interviews. This author has made it clear on his Twitter that he is no fan of Donald Trump (he despises him) and even recommended his book so as to be an escape from the craziness of 2020. All that is fine and good. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I really don't care so long as the author keeps it straight and doesn't stray too far from a straightforward/objective biography. But this author weakens an otherwise enjoyable biography by tainting it with constant comparisons of Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump when such comparisons obviously weren't necessary.

A common play the author uses is this: He will cite a certain statistic or fact relating to the Carter presidency, he will then compare that statistic or fact to the Trump presidency, often skipping over two or three more relevant presidents to do so. This leaves the reader confused and bewildered, wondering why the author would feel the need to evoke the current president when it wasn't relevant.

As I said, I really like the biography and I think the author deserves a lot of credit for the Jimmy Carter substance of the book, but this was too big of an error that I hope this author and future authors can learn from.

[Julie Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We told the truth. We obeyed the law. We kept the peace.”

Damn, good journalists can write. This is an excellent, comprehensive, fully objective biography of a great man, a good president.

Amy Carter's cat in the White House? Misty Malarky Ying Yang

Craft breweries. Stephen Breyer & Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The Global 2000 Report to the President (climate change! in 1977 - read it here: https://www.cartercenter.org/resource...

I totally missed the Mattie J.T. Stepanek story! https://www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...

And Carter's farewell address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf01a...

Yes, it's long. But damn it reads like a well-crafted novel.

[Niklas Rhodin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best political biographies I’ve read. Alter gives a very good and highly readable account of Carter’s life from the beginnings in rural Georgia through his presidency and beyond. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Jimmy Carter.

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When one thinks of James Earle Carter III (Jimmy) many would argue that he achieved extraordinarily little as President and some describe his administration as a total failure. On the positive side as Douglas Brinkley argues in his THE UNFINISHED PRESIDENCY: JIMMY CARTER’S JOURNEY BEYOND THE WHITE HOUSE Carter’s post-presidency has been the most effective and impactful of any former president in American history. The diminution of the Carter presidency is somewhat unfair as luck was never on Carter’s side and his somewhat prickly self-righteous personality rubbed people the wrong way. But to be fair one cannot take away the numerous accomplishments that the Carter administration was responsible for.

To begin, the Camp David Accords was the most successful peace treaty since the end of World War II, the Panama Canal Treaties prevented war in Central America, normalized relations with China which revitalized trade between the two countries, expanded the CDC role into global health, instituted new pollution controls, increased consumer protection, implemented civil service reform for the first time in a hundred years, increased the number of women and blacks on the federal bench, doubled the size of our national parks, deregulated trucking, airlines, and utilities, placed intermediate nuclear missiles in Europe - reflecting his toughness, oversaw a Pentagon that developed the B2 bomber and other high tech weapons that the Soviets could not match, provided aid to anti-communist forces in Afghanistan, and a human rights policy that contributed to the winning of the Cold War. This would seem to have been a strong record to run for reelection, but 1979 saw a number of events beyond Carter’s control that gave the United States a black eye – the seizure of American hostages in Iran and a failed rescue attempt, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and an increase in the price of oil due to actions by OPEC sending an American economy already tottering over the edge with inflation until a tailspin. The interesting thing is that had Carter been reelected he would have continued to foster a sound energy policy and would have acted on the coming environmental crisis and perhaps the world we live in would at least have been cleaner and perhaps the dramatic climate changes we all observe might have been lessened.

The question is what we should make of this man and have we misjudged him and his presidency. In Jonathan Alter’s new book, HIS VERY BEST: JIMMY CARTER, A LIFE, the first full length biography of Carter the author attempts to answer those questions and analyze his role in American and because of his post-presidency world history. Alter presents a president who is an enigma. On the one hand he comes across as a pious Christian and a moral individual, however certain personality traits seem the polar opposite. Extremely stubborn and self-righteous at times he rubbed people the wrong way as he could not suffer fools gladly and he often appeared hypocritical, particularly in dealing with members of Congress. Alter, the author of three ¬New York Times best sellers and a former senior editor at Newsweek has produced a well-documented analytical approach to Carter’s life and part of his thesis revolves around the idea that much of what Carter accomplished as President paved the way for future successes in foreign policy, the environment, and politics which were not necessarily clear at the time they were instituted.

Alter correctly points out that part of Carter’s problems politically was that he was a “real” outsider and had difficulty acclimating himself to the way things were done in Washington. It is exceedingly difficult to pigeonhole Carter as a progressive or a conservative as it depended on the issue where he might fall on a political continuum. However, if there is an overarching label, we can apply to Carter it would center around some sort of moral ideology. Alter provides the reader with intimate details of Carters early years growing up in Americus and Plains Georgia, a boyhood that corresponded with the Depression.

Alter provides numerous insights into the person Carter would become. His lifetime mantra developed in high school as he learned that “we must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles,” a moral code that could produce success but also failures throughout his life.

Alter points to two key relationships for Carter. He delves into Carter’s marriage to Rosalynn and what emerges is how supportive they were of each other and created a true partnership. Carter would never have been as successful as he was without her be it his pre-presidential, presidential, or post-presidential years. She was involved in all decisions in their marriage and his career and he would not have experienced his personal successes without her input. The second important relationship was with Admiral Hyman Rickover who became a father figure for Carter and demanded that he always do his best and live his life as if he had something to prove.

Alter’s narrative is all encompassing, and a number of aspects stand out. First, is the dichotomy that Carter presents dealing with race. He grew up in a racist region of Georgia where segregationists ruled, Brown v. Board of Education was never enforced, and African-Americans knew their place. Early on it seemed that Carter was oblivious to what was transpiring though his Christian upbringing showed him something was terribly wrong. Though Carter would come across later as a true friend of the black community he was not above using the “race card” when it would benefit him politically in campaigns for Congress and the Governorship of Georgia. The employment of “coded words” was present and he could speak at Black churches and preach equality at the same time he was supporting George Wallace. Later in life Carter would admit the error of his ways and spend a good part of his adult life trying to make up for what he did or not do early in his career. Alter does an excellent job breaking down Carter’s moral beliefs and imperfections which are highlighted by his racial attitudes and approach to politics.

The second part of the narrative that is important is how Alter dives into a number of important topics, be it the Camp David Accords, environmental policy, the Panama Canal Treaty, normalization of relations with China, human rights as a major component of foreign policy, or the appointment of Paul Volker to head the Federal Reserve and how it impacted people in the future, mostly in a positive way. In each instance Alter explains how each topic created a future that would benefit people well into the 21st century be it no major wars involving Israel and the Arab states, an energy policy that pushed for higher emissions standards, cleaner air, trade with China, and other examples. Alter to his credit points out the negative aspects of some these policies, i.e.; how China has taken advantage of its economic relationship with the US as thousands of Chinese were educated in American universities and engaging in serious industrial espionage, and how Carter’s courting of evangelicals in 1976 brought them into the political process and allowed them to evolve into the negative political force they are today.

Alter’s in depth coverage of Carter’s campaign for the presidency and his term in office is a key part of the narrative. Carter would benefit from the post-Watergate period as an outsider. His long shot campaign saw the application of Carter’s relentless approach to winning as he did in all aspects of his life. Carter, along with his “Georgia Mafia” would arrive in Washington trying to do too much too soon alienating important members of Congress and other important political leaders. His inflexibility, refusal to conform to Washington norms, and moral tone alienated many and it is amazing he accomplished what he did with an inexperienced administration who did not know how or have the desire to be involved in the political give and take needed to be successful. Despite these shortcomings the first two years of Carter’s presidency can be considered quite successful as Alter points out, but the final two years were a disaster, mostly because of bad luck and many questionable decisions by Carter who micro-managed a great deal of time during his presidency and as a result did not have enough time during the day to reach more measured conclusions.
The list of events seems endless. The situation in Iran that forced the Shah to be overthrown brought questions concerning how the Carter administration approached the problem. It was clear a lack of intelligence contributed to the Shah’s resignation, but also Carter was so busy with the Camp David negotiations he was somewhat caught blindsided by events in Iran. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan reflected a weak presidency and a resurgence of Cold War rhetoric. The nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island and what came to be known as “the malaise speech” lowered Carter’s approval rating to Nixonian levels. If this was not enough by 1979 the US economy which suffered from high inflation and interest rates, long gas lines due to OPEC policies and Carter’s attitude that the American people relied too much on conspicuous consumption did not help. In a number of instances Carter was out of his depth in dealing with these problems, particularly in confronting the Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise and the hostage situation and Alter correctly argues reflected a president “who lacked a diplomatic and clandestine imagination.”

It is clear from Alter’s narrative that Carter lacked the disposition to be an effective president, but this doggedness and self-confidence would be a major reason why he experienced such a successful post-presidency. Carter’s belief in “soft power” in foreign policy found a willing world once out of office. Human rights came to dominate his presidency with support for Russian dissidents, pressuring dictators in Latin and South America, and in Africa. This continued after he was defeated by Ronald Reagan and Alter delves into his support of the Palestinians who he felt were squeezed out of the Camp David process, supervising elections worldwide, working to gain the release of American seized abroad, support for victims of Aids and other diseases that ravaged poor countries and finding cures, Habitat for Humanity, and on and on. Carter’s later years reflected his total commitment to making a difference, his willingness to experiment with diverse projects, invest his time and emotions in numerous projects and causes, and risk his reputation in the name of helping others. In his nineties Carter would admit that his “involuntary retirement were the best years of his life.”

Alter’s chief argument is that Carter “was a surprisingly consequential president.” Alter’s account is ably sourced and fluidly written and is one of the best presidential biographies that have been published in the last decade. Alter convincingly demonstrates that Carter should be admired for sticking to his guns in many areas that in the end, even decades later, would prove beneficial to the American people as opposed to politicians who negotiate away their beliefs in their constant need to be reelected.

[Jeremy Anderberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me say it from the get-go: His Very Best is just about everything I want and hope for in a big presidential biography. Alter tells an incredibly compelling story, clears up a lot of myths people have about Jimmy Carter (and the 70s in general), gives the reader an incredibly personal look at the man himself, and convincingly makes the case for the importance (not necessarily effectiveness) of his presidency.

Simply for the fact that the guy is still kicking, there haven’t been any full-scale biographies about Jimmy Carter. Surprisingly, though, there isn’t much out there about his presidency either. Thus far, the consensus has basically been that he wasn’t good as president but is as decent a human being as exists.

That story isn’t entirely rewritten, but Alter does add the necessary nuances. The Carter administration was far more impactful than it seems, but was largely done apart by two things: the conservative presidency of Ronald Reagan and the overshadowing of foreign affairs—mainly the Iran hostage situation.

Alter covered the political aspects of Carter’s presidency superbly. I’m a sucker more for personal details, so sometimes in a biography my eyes glaze over amidst the details of deal-making, but I was entranced on nearly every page of His Very Best.

As for the personal stuff, the reader gets a clear sense of who Jimmy Carter is as a human. While there’s not a “dark” side to the man like there are with a lot of leaders, there is a prickly stubbornness and a foolish unwillingness to engage in the optics of politics—which is a big part of why he served a single term and didn’t win re-election.

I can’t think of any faults with this biography, other than the fact that I wanted more. A deeper dive into some other players of the era would have been great, but asking for too much. I nearly impulse-bought Alter’s other three books, but I exercised some restraint, for now. I’m already excited to read ‘em someday.

On a related note, there’s another big Carter bio coming in the spring, authored by the illustrious Kai Bird. I’ll be curious to see how his take compares with Alter’s.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great biography and very absorbing. I have a caveat about the beginning that covers Carter’s life before the presidency, there are apologies for Carter not being a figure from 2020 instead of a person who lived in the Jim Crow South even though he may have nor agreed with things. Better have shown more about the time and area than dance around it. But when this book gets into the presidency it really takes shape and gives an excellent portrait of both the positive/negative and good and bad. It stays that way showing. Carter’s strengths and weaknesses are well covered and as well others around him. Poor guy drove Clinton and Obama crazy. More Clinton because he let him in, but Carter did some great things too. I’m very pleased I read this book and highly recommend it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very first political memory was when I was five years old and saw Jimmy Carter on the television after he won the 1976 presidential election. I surely didn't know what any of that meant, but my parents were shocked when I asked if he was the president now because he looked so happy. They didn't think I was old enough to pay any attention to elections. Anyway ... I have spent all of my life since that time riding the Jimmy Carter roller coaster ... all the ups and downs of a complicated political existence and an amazing post-presidential life. I found Jonathan Alter's biography of Carter to be absolutely fascinating. It is looooooong ... over 35 hours of audio. But it was worth every minute of story.

It is an absolute miracle that Jimmy Carter ever became president. It didn't make any sense. In today's world there is no way on earth he could have ever even garnered a nomination in either party. In some ways he defied definition. Some might call some of his policies incredibly liberal. Others might find some of his policies to be overly conservative. What I can say is that Carter was a man of conviction ... a truth that didn't always lead him to make the best choices and sometimes left a long line of political enemies in his wake.

What I found super interesting ...

I loved the stories about Carter growing up in the Jim Crow south. Alter does not paper over the issues of the day or Carter's path through this world politically. He wasn't this trailblazing civil rights advocate. He, like many politicians of the time, used the civil rights unrest as a method of furthering his political fortunes. I wouldn't call him a flaming racist, but he was a product of his world in Georgia. It took some time before he would become the human rights advocate that he becomes after his presidency. Along with the civil rights movement came the huge political realignment that occurred when the Democratic party began to embrace the civil rights cause, leading to a breakup of the established party which had a strong foothold in the south. Carter was able to ride that wave of change, gathering the new coalition of Democratic voters from the north and urban areas while still holding on to southern Democratic holdouts who hadn't quite made the decision to jump to the Republican party yet. This whole section of the story was fascinating.

I loved everything to do with Rosalyn. It is obvious that these two have a love story for the ages. In a world of politics where infidelity can be common, the Carters seem to have maintained a strong marriage. It is also obvious that Jimmy valued Rosalyn's opinion on policy and gave her many opportunities to lead and serve alongside him. I thought it was great that the time in their marriage that was rockiest was when they worked on writing a book together. haha

Jimmy's presidency was amazing. It is super obvious while reading the story why he was a one-term president. It is obvious why so many people struggled with him as a leader. He could be cocky at times and so sure of the righteousness of his ideas that he didn't always counsel well with others. He had bold plans to save the world at a time where it often seemed like the world was falling apart on his watch. 20% inflation! I cannot imagine it.

But Carter had some amazing successes in his presidency that have led us to wonderful things that we enjoy today, having no ideas that the root of these successes began with the Carter presidency. Airline deregulation has given us a freedom of movement that wasn't available to most people before Carter. Some of his environmental policies protected some of the most beautiful spots in our country. And the chapters about the Camp David accords were AMAZING. It was gripping to read, and it is an absolute miracle that they ever happened at all. Carter, in this moment, gave the world a glimpse of the peacemaker that he would become after he left office.

I had a serious knot in my stomach during the entire section about the Iran hostage situation. Such an awful thing! The whole Iran situation ... from the Shah to the Ayatollah ... was infuriating. I felt for those hostages. I raged at the Iranian religious fanatics. I was super angry that there was this fear from the Reagan campaign that they would release the hostages before the election and give Carter a political boost. Grrrr! Why do people become heartless megalomaniacs in their quest for power? Just let those hostages go!

Speaking of Reagan ... he was a bit of a schmuck when it came to the presidential transition. I left this book feeling a little irked with Nancy Reagan ... but this is told from Carter's memories and diaries, so I will admit that there may be another side to Carter's perceptions. But I will say this ... I can see why most of the presidents (maybe all of them) who served after Carter did not really like him all that much. In his post-presidency Carter became an man of deep convictions who didn't just want to dream of a better world. And if his actions went against stated US policy ... well, he didn't care. He just went about doing his own thing. And it drove whoever was currently the president crazy. Carter met with horrible dictators. He made compromises if he thought it would lead to peace. He wanted peace at all costs, and that didn't always lead to the best situations.

I think Carter's work to improve the health and lives of people in abject poverty will be one of his most lasting achievements. I loved reading about his efforts to make the lives of the world's poorest citizens better.

Jimmy Carter is an amazing man, but he wasn't perfect. He had a bit of an ego ... but I guess anyone who thinks they should be president probably does. But he countered that ego with a deep religious faith that guided his actions ... most of the time. I loved that he had such a strong faith, but it wasn't performative Christianity, meant to be admired by onlookers. It was centered in a belief that he had a duty as a Christian to help and serve his fellow men and women on this earth. He might be considered a great man, but I think it is obvious that he is a good man, trying to make a difference in whatever way he can. I'm rooting for him to make it to 100 next year. This book was worth the time. I'm glad I got to know him better. The narration was good, especially the parts when the narrator spoke Carter's direct words. He was able to get Carter's unique speech pattern down pat. I give this book five stars. I loved it.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating life. I'm glad I read this and I learned a lot.

Having said that, this book seriously kicked my butt. I enjoyed the beginning immensely but got really bogged down in the campaigning for president and presidential years. That part was a real slog for me.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book would have been better with 10% less “Carter’s legacy should be reassessed because of this” sentences. The nature of Presidential biographies is that the author usually adores their subject too much, and especially when it is a President without a stellar reputation, there’s a lot written about how underrated they are. Author Jonathan Alter didn’t go as far as some I’ve seen, such as one who suggested that the Civil War would have been avoided if Zachary Taylor had lived. And in a lot of ways Carter does have a legacy that ages well because of how ahead of his time he was on environmental issues.

But Alter probably lists at least 50 things in this book that he describes as seeds planted by Carter that grew into successful policies later on and it seems to just go too far, especially when he credits Carter with ending the inflation problem that tarnished his Presidency, because he hired someone at the Fed. Carter’s tenure in the White House seems like a wrong place wrong time situation. Gas prices were out of control, there was an Iranian hostage crisis, and the aforementioned inflation. He was also just way too honest to be President, such as the famous malaise speech, or giving himself a B- on national TV when asked to grade his performance, rather than just avoiding the question.

He had some successes like brokering peace between Egypt and Israel, but for the most part he’s remembered as a President ranked in the bottom third by most historians, who’s reputation improved with a long and successful post Presidency where he worked to eradicate diseases and garner world peace. He’s a lot like John Quincy Adams in terms of having a Post Presidency much more successful than his actual time in office, although for whatever reason Alter, who had been overly defensive of Carter throughout the book, calls the Post Presidential period of Carter overrated, so who knows.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life" is a fantastic political biography. I feel like I finally "get" Jimmy Carter and why his presidency turned out the way it did. Jimmy has many qualities: he's a good man, who is stubborn, a martyr, advocate for peace, not afraid of upsetting the status quo and oh, did I mention stubborn.

There were so many times reading this where I wanted to shake Jimmy by the shoulders and say "Do the politically smart thing! It LITERALLY won't make a difference except to help you, you fool!" But I think that was the engineer in him. Once he'd diagnosed the problem and figured out the solution, he couldn't help but get a one track mind about it. This is why he failed with the Middle East, the oil crisis, the hostage crisis, etc. etc. He didn't really listen to his advisors and was one of those guys who thought that if he was going it alone on an issue, he must be right. (Spoiler alert: he was not.)

That should not diminish all of the work he got done but he could have done so much more as governor and president had he just had one ounce of political intelligence. He is a very judgmental man and was unable to hide this from the country and I think this created a lot of pushback against him. Especially when put side by side with Ronald Reagan who was out there saying "Do whatever the fuck you want! You guys rule!" (Loose paraphrase)

Ever since his presidency, the specter of his failure has loomed large. George H.W. Bush didn't want to emulate his one term and the talk has already begun about Joe Biden. Ultimately, I think Carter is a good man who had no business being in the White House. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you don't like playing politics, DON'T GET INTO POLITICS! It's right there in the name, guys!

[Hank Stuever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engagingly written and as comprehensive as I would have liked. It took me a few months to read it all, but it was enjoyable. A lot of stuff that was vaguely familiar (I was a kid in the 1970s) and much that I never knew. No big news flash here: Carter is neither the utter political disaster/boogeyman he was made out to be in the rush toward Reagan, nor is he the unerringly selfless saint we've made him out to be in his long, post-presidential life. Amazing how human beings can be many complicated things all at once.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this Biography, 800 pages from birth to 2020, Probably the deepest book I've read and I hope the Principles Learned will stick to the end of my life. Thank you Jonathan for Helping me understand Jimmy.

[Clif · Rating 4 out of 5]

To succeed as a politician, image can go a long way. But if image is all there is, performance will not follow expectations. In 2016 there was a reaction to image and a man no one could deny was an outsider to Washington was elected, yet far from doing the right things, from draining the swamp, the new president got busy tearing things apart.

Jimmy Carter was indeed an outsider to Washington, elected in 1976 over Gerald Ford who had pardoned the disgraced Richard Nixon. Though Carter's campaign did push the image of a hard working farmer/businessman, there was substance to it.

Carter has what is seldom mentioned about anyone now, character. With a strong sense of self, a determination to do what he thought was right regardless of the political consequences, a powerful intellect with an insatiable curiosity and an unwillingness to do anything less than his best, Americans had elected an outstanding public servant to the highest office.

In this biography, Jonathan Alter follows the course of a Georgia farm boy with a strict, emotionally distant father and a humanitarian mother, a boy who grown to manhood found his full partner in a girl also from Plains, Georgia, Rosalynn Smith.

Though Carter served in the Navy just after WW2, I could not help thinking of the phrase the Army has used, "be all you can be" as this is a story of someone with that idea always in mind. He could easily be compared to the founding fathers in his constant desire to know and understand the world whether it be about farming practices, woodworking or international relations.

This is not a book of flattery. It doesn't hesitate to portray traits that would get Carter into trouble. Stubbornness and the refusal to see how his way of going about getting things done might alienate the people whose support he needed would create barriers to his plans. He could be very chilly in person and tended to be arrogant given that he often knew more about a subject than the person to whom he was speaking. Yet he could be embarrassingly critical of himself in public. For his inability to project an appealing image, his one presidential debate with Ronald Reagan tells all.

The legislative accomplishments of his four years in office are remarkable, exceeded only by those of LBJ. Interestingly, both men had minds for detail. In LBJ's case it was knowledge of how Congress works and how to personally work legislators that sped bills to passage. For Carter is was the ability to study a subject and quickly take in the facts that would make him hard to beat debating the merits of a case. As he was pushing through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Ted Stevens, the Alaskan senator who opposed the legislation, left a meeting with Carter saying, "that son of a bitch knows more about my state than I do!"

And what troubling times were the four years of Carter's one term as president. A second gasoline shortage came, the USSR invaded Afghanistan, the Shah was overthrown in Iran and the American embassy hostages were held for 444 days. Inflation raged, the economy limped. But far from being paralyzed, Carter passed civil service reform, negotiated the SALT II arms limitation agreement with the USSR, brought significantly more women and minorities into government and championed human rights worldwide.

His Very Best leaves none of the colorful Carter family out such as his mother Lillian and younger brother Billy. One couldn't ask for a more detailed accounting of the campaigns Carter ran. Though only a fraction of the book tells of what has happened since he left office, it shows his dogged determination to keep making a difference whether building houses with Habitat for Humanity, observing elections, negotiating with dictators for peace or working to eliminate the horror of Guinea worm in Africa. He saw that disease go from over a million cases to only 130 as he and Rosalynn tirelessly advocated for the powerless sufferers to obtain clean water and drug treatment.

There are a couple of photo sections, one of the earlier years in black and white and one of presidential and later years in color. Most interesting is a shot of former presidents in Obama's Oval Office. Bush I and II, Obama and Clinton are joking together and off by himself is Jimmy Carter, the guy who was last to socialize but first to think about the job to be done.

Now 96, Carter will not be with us for much longer. Of all the presidents I have known, that would include those from Eisenhower on, Carter is the only one that has so impressed me with his personal life that I would seriously consider traveling to DC when he dies. He has shown by his actions his concern for his fellow men and women. In the history of the United States there have only been 16 years when this country has not been in a military engagement somewhere in the world. 4 of those 16 were the years of Carter's presidency of which his is justifiably proud. Yes, he reached the height of power, but behind that is an admirable man who has worked to be his very best for the good of others.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is among the most balanced presidential biographies I have read. Highly recommend. I was a child when Carter was president, and while I knew of his human rights record and while I have read three of his books, I was unaware of the extent of his legislative accomplishments, not just the number of them but their lasting impact. Alter does not hesitate to criticize Carter, nor does he hesitate to praise him when warranted. I found it on be one of the most readable of the presidential biographies I have read so far, and I have read the presidents in order.

[Allison McHorse · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this.”

Picked this biography up at a cute little bookstore in Savannah on my bachelorette! This book does a fantastic job humanizing (the good and the bad) JC. A complicated man who didn’t always do the right thing, but sought to live up to his principles every minute.

I also think presidential biographies are a fantastic way to learn about history and the decisions that shape it.

[Debby · Rating 1 out of 5]

1-. What book did the rest of y'all read? I want my time back! I was super-psyched leading up to publication, and even more so after reading the prologue. I get not wanting to sugarcoat a historical figure's failings, but this goes above and beyond. In fact, I'd say there was more painting Carter as petty, vengeful, and overly demanding than there was describing his significant political successes (and failures) and humanitarian work (which is truly given short-shrift). That is, the 800 pages seem skewed toward Carter's personality and demeanor.

So, how about this? "Author's note: Jimmy Carter has always been a two-faced, racist, petty, vengeful, demanding so-and-so." Then, see if this puppy couldn't get cut down to around 200 pages. Better yet, just fill however many pages are actually necessary to describe the substance of Carter's political and humanitarian work, without making him sound like the devil incarnate.

[Brian Pate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biography of a not-so-great president. This is both a deeply sympathetic and brutally honest portrayal of our 39th president. Carter was perhaps one of our smartest presidents who suffered from a mixture of bad luck and a lack of leadership charisma. Jonathan Alter convincingly shows that Carter's "presidency is underrated and that his post-presidency...was marred at times by his ego and is thus a bit overrated" (xii).

[Matt Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking read. My lunchtime review:
If an 800 page book can be breezy, this is it.
Partially due to the fascinating subject: Jimmy Carter.
More than just a former President...farmer, submarine officer, humanitarian, Nobel Peace prize winner, Sunday School teacher, …the guy accomplished more in his 90s than I have my whole life!
(for you locals reading this he: rafted down Bull Sluice, and signed legislation protecting the entire Chattooga. from headwaters to metro Atlanta, as a natural habitat.)
Also, partially due to the author's "warts and all" approach. The book does not shy away from highlighting Carter's mistakes.
The biggest takeaways for me were two things:
1. Carter is a good man. A man with flaws, but a decent, honest, caring, ambitious, hyper intelligent, man.
Two anecdotes struck me on this.
One: There was a quote that we Americans praise ruthlessness in War, …think Gen. Sherman or Patton. I believe Andrew Young (MLK protégé, UN ambassador, Atlanta mayor) said Carter was "ruthless for Peace". Always Seeking to avoid conflict, helping ease tensions between Egypt and Israel, North/South Korea, etc. (Carter was very critical of Bush, jr. rush to War over essentially nothing in Iraq.)
It was also researched that between America's founding 1776 and Carter's last year in office 1980, America experience only 16 years of Peace, no Wars! 4 of those years were under Carter.
Two: Reagan and Bush got a lot of credit for accomplishments Carter laid the groundwork for. Carter did all the hard work to get Iran to release the hostages, only for them to release an hour after Reagan was inaugurated! Carter was hawkish on military spending, paving the way for the Cold War to end and his human rights record did more for the collapse of the Soviet Union than anything Reagan did (just ask Lech Walesa)
The most damning thing I read was that William Casey, Reagan's campaign operative and eventual CIA director, actively hampered Carter's efforts to get the hostages free, fearing it would help Carter win re-election. Casey, an American, woke up every day and through his efforts, tried to prolong the time fellow Americans spent in Iranian prisons as hostages. (not alone, The Rockefellers bankrolled the effort with Reagan's full knowledge and blessing). Despicable.
The second most damming thing I read was that the Southern Baptist Association, actively campaigned against Carter due to his nuanced stance on abortion, primarily led by disgraced evangelical leader Jerry Falwell. The hypocrisy of this is sad. When one thinks of the best “Southern Baptist”, an example closest to Jesus a human might be;…Jimmy Carter comes to mind. But they rejected their own.
Bottom line: Carter is seriously underrated as a President and his humanitarian efforts post-Presidency puts the Clinton and Obama’s multimillion dollar cash grabs, after office, to shame.
Read the book to see if your opinion changes.