His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life

A popular analysis has emerged, even among some people who admire Carter. “He’s an admirable man and certainly had the best post-presidency ever, but he a) was too much of a micromanager, b) brought small timers and a chip on his shoulder to Washington and couldn’t get much done, and/or c) was a weak and ineffectual president who was over-matched by the events of the day.

Alter’s brilliant biography shows how far off the mark this analysis is. Carter was dead serious and a tough cookie. I worked on Capitol Hill throughout his entire term and, like most smart-a** young staffers, I had this idea that “we’ll show these Georgians how to do business in the big city.” Grudgingly, over the course of his term, we came to a recognition that he had a first rate staff and was doing a good job.

As Alter’s book demonstrates, Carter had at least three triumphs in foreign affairs, any one of which any president before or after would have considered an adornment to his administration. Most obvious, achieving the first and only lasting peace in the Middle East. Israel had had four wars with Egypts and other neighbors in the previous 30 years and none in the 42 since. And that was almost entirely a result of his personal effort. Maybe more impressive was the Panama canal treaty, which spared us untold grief in Latin America. Negotiating the treaty was a proud accomplishment, but getting it through the Senate — the smart money said “dead on arrival” — was a lifetime accomplishment. Finally, Carter’s focus on human rights set a counterpoint to the realpolitick “sure he’s an SOB, but he’s our SOB” brand of foreign policy and put us on the right side of history.

The book also chronicles Carter’s early years and his admirable life since. It is an outstanding portrait of a president whose reputation is going to grow over the coming years.

I see recommendations here from Jimmy Carter fans. But liking Carter isnt necessary to like this book. As a fan of U.S. history, especially events that still affect us today, this book gave me information I havent seen anywhere else. Background on Israel-Egypt peace, the Iranian hostage case, civil rights in 1950s and 1960s, human rights as an international topic of conversation.
So many interesting details! Example: the mess-ups behind allowing the Shah of Iran into the U.S., without which there may not have been the Embassy hostage situation. Example: the intense resistance to school integration after the 1950s Brown Supreme Court decision. Every inch of the way, even giving used typewriters to a Black school. And Carter mostly dodged integration controversies for years, as he started his political climb. Example: never heard that Habitat for Humanity had its roots in an idealistic black & white (integrated) farm community established a few miles from Carters farm in Georgia, an area really not looking to change.
Carters accomplishments seem to come from exceptional self-discipline. And values from a different era. Values he got from his family and the Navy, no surprise there. But also, from Rachel Clark, a black illiterate woman who helped manage the family farm and raise Carter, who he says he knew better than his mother.
A small thing, I appreciated the dozen pages or so of photos.
Pretty sure this will be THE book on Carter, not to be superseded, ever. Why? Two reasons. Because the author spent five years on it. And because he was able to do loads of interviews with Carter, family members, and others who wont be around to give testimony in a few years.
Seven hundred pages took me a while to get through, but I didnt think this is too much detail.
Wonder what Carter thinks of this book? History buffs: get it.

For anyone who thinks Jimmy Carter was a whimp needs to read this book. He Is as tough as nails. I did not vote for him but I have a clearer understanding how he made it to the White House.

This is a triumph of history and biography. Alter does a fine job of honoring Carter with deep compassion without being blind to his limitations. The Iran hostage saga was tough to read only because I remember that horror and humiliation all too well. Alter brings to life the overt racism of Jim Crow Georgia of the 1950s and 1960s. Carters political emergence (and personal evolution) in that most strange period was striking, threading the needle of the norms of the day. Black Lives Matter notwithstanding, we sure have made progress since then. The descriptions if the Camp David negotiations and accords were riveting. I had not known of the complexity and the skill and energy applied to bring that to success. The history of Habitat for humanity was fun. Finally, Alter draws out Carters legacy in forcing human rights into the political dialogue, which lasted in one form or another from 1976 to 2016. Carter brought that to us as a foundational purpose of the American experiment as we faced the world. Carter was an under appreciated and under biographied fellow. Alter fixed that. It is an important contribution. Read it.

This is a gift for my Mom who thinks of Jimmy as a hero. No matter what party or your opinion of his presidency you will have to agree he is an exceptional man and one of whom America should be extremely proud.

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