Much better than I thought it would be. I did not like him as a president, but now I like him as a person. I was afraid of this being overrun by religious beliefs, but I was wrong. Given how Jimmy Carter has spent his life, the things he has seen and done, and his ability to write honestly about it all is refreshing and very welcome. Recommended. ( )

A concise and well written book that does a great job at looking at important pieces of President Carter's life and especially his work in the White House and post presidency. It was a chance to look at many of his accomplishments and choices as our 39th President with a modern historical perspective. When I joined the Army in 1979, Carter was my first Commander in Chief. I had just gotten to Germany when the American hostage's were released from Iran and came to Wiesbaden. It was a tremendous event and very positive outcome to the end of his presidency. I wish this part was included in the book because he and Walter Mondale meeting them in Germany was a tremendous occurrence. The Stars and Stripes newspapers did a great job covering all of this at the time. Last year when I retired from the military, I wrote him at the Carter Center for a Military Retirement Service Letter. He sent a personal letter and signed it. I had it read at my retirement ceremony as it was genuine and honest reply. ( )

This is an incredible look into the life of one of my favorite men in modern history. As a book, it's not entirely fulfilling. However, the stories themselves carry enough weight that they should be recommended to anybody who cares to pick it up. My main problems with the books lies in pacing (understandable for somebody who is not a professional author), and an overly excusing tone. It almost seems like Jimmy Carter wanted to take time to explain his side of the argument for all of the problems people had with his presidency, which is not inherently bad but can get a little annoying. I didn't mind, as a big Carter fan, but it definitely hurt it's objective quality.

Even though I already knew a lot about President Carter, I learned even more and had a lot of fun listening to his narration (I listened to this on audiobook). Also, some of my favorite figures (such as Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, and even Norman Borlaug) get considerable references. Definitely worth my time, but not the best autobiography you'll pick up. ( )

I thought it would be interesting, but found it dry...

Jimmy Carter, America’s 39th president, has been much maligned for being a weak president. Certainly, there are things he wishes that he could redo. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see in this memoir what positive things he did accomplish and how honest he is about the unresolved problems of our world.

Carter has been called the most-successful ex-president our country has ever had. He founded the Carter Center at Emory University and has spend a lot of time coordinating efforts for peace, safe and fair elections, and global health. He has also spent a lot of time writing books. He writes with a great deal of clarity and precision of thought.

In this presentation, he is honest about his weaknesses and fair to those who have helped him – most notably his wife Rosalynn. Their marriage spans an era of change vis-a-vis our national view of women. Jimmy has successfully adjusted from being an authoritarian husband with a dependent wife into a more egalitarian co-leader. He details several big instances in his presidency where Rosalynn not only took the lead but also succeeded in ways that Jimmy himself could not.

Although a memoir written at ninety by a global leader is, de facto, interesting, this account seems to lack a great deal of depth. Perhaps it is because he is exploring the past instead of blazing a path for the future. Still, in order to have a greater appreciation for how the son a farmer in the deep South could become an American president, this book deserves attention and an audience.

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