Billy Carter: A Journey Through the Shadows (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In retrospect, the media trajectory of presidential brother and sometimes buffoon Billy Carter foreshadowed the pattern that would dominate the '80s and '90s: the media adopted this "man of the people" and then skewered him when alcohol and lack of political sophistication led him into one scrape after another. Carter's son Buddy, who published a novel (The Search for Savin' Sam) in 1998, describes life with Billy Carter from inside the family, pulling no punches on the tension and anger an alcoholic causes and admitting the family's ambivalence about the attention his dad received (and sought) from tourists and other Americans as well as the media. After rehabilitation, Billy Carter adopted a new addiction--workaholism--and still imposed his fierce moodiness on the family. But in the few years before he was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, he achieved peace and reconciliation. This gracefully written memoir, full of outrageous "Billy" anecdotes, will appeal to readers who enjoyed Carter's obstinate individuality. Mary Carroll

From Kirkus Reviews

How President Jimmy Carter's late younger brother, Billy, dealt with instant celebrity when the media stereotyped him as a southern ``redneck'' and ol boy freak, as told by Billys son. Buddy writes of his own youth in a hardworking blue-collar family in the small, rural town of Plains, Ga. Billy had matured in the family warehouse business of processing peanut, soybean, and cotton crops, proving himself a successful manager and a serious, dedicated family provider. Billy also enjoyed relaxing with lifelong friends in his ``station'' (a combined auto-service shop and snack bar). When Jimmy returned home after ten years in the navy, he ran the family business before becoming governor of Georgia and president of the US. Suddenly, reporters, photographers, PR people, cheap souvenir stands, and thousands of tourists intruded on quiet Plains. When the media discovered Billy, who had lost control of his cherished warehouse, having a beer, a legend was born. He was offered unheard-of profitable deals and exploited as an amusing redneck character actor, selling Billy Beer and appearing on endless talk shows. Despite his leap in income, his family was mortified as they saw their beloved, witty father and husband turned into a buffoon. Billy descended into alcoholism and was discarded by his exploiters as he was harassed by the IRS and the FBI, investigating a suspicious deal with Libya. He eventually recovered and tried to rebuild his former life, even though the family business went bankrupt and Jimmy lost his reelection bid. Buddy, author of the novel The Search for Savin Sam (not reviewed), shows a genuine talent for writing in this poignant, highly emotional profile of a complex man, adored by his family and friends, whose once contented life was changed by a media onslaught and a controlling disease. A touching account by a son who loved his father deeply and skillfully describes how fame and fortune can almost destroy a life. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Longstreet Press (September 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563525534
• ISBN-13: 978-1563525537
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,471,772 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kansas City Reviewer, April 20, 2004

By A Customer

Excellent book. Very well written and a pleasure to read. I hope Buddy Carter will take the time to write more about his historic family. This individual has a real talent!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Buddy Carter Fan, November 16, 2000

By A Customer

This is a magnificent book. It is often painful and yet also very funny. Buddy Carter's relationship with his father is reminicent of the struggle many children go through for approval, while striving for independence. I am buying copies of this wonderful story for family and friends. Buddy has not only told his story...he has told the father/son story of many, including me. This is a must read!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars touching and revealing, December 13, 1999

By	Jean Brown (Falls of Rough, KY United States) - See all my reviews

I could not put this book down, I think Tuesday's With Morrie was the last book I was so touched by. What a wonderful and revealing portrait of a complex and interesting man. I suppose because I grew up in the South I so related to this book...a wonderful tribute to a father I always say the most we can hope for our children forgive us... Buddy seems to have been able to do just that...a loving tribute not only to Billy but Sybil as well.