Customer Reviews

Jimmy Carter as Peacemaker: A Post-Presidential Biography (Praeger Series in Presidential Studies)

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A decade after the publication of this book, President Jimmy Carter released his own book about his post-presidential years entitled Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope. President Carter's 2007 book is not only newer, but it is also wider in scope and better written than this book. Following is why I highly recommend "Beyond the White House" over "Jimmy Carter as Peacemaker."

Author Rod Troester fails to provide a fresh or unique prospective on Jimmy Carter with this book. There is no critical discussion of Carter, and the author's sympathetic viewpoint comes through loud and clear.

Of course, those of us who love President Carter know what a positive difference he and Rosalyn and the Carter Center have made in the lives of millions people worldwide. It is nearly impossible to find fault with an ex-president who has worked tirelessly to eradicate disease and improve health in some of the world's poorest nations.

"Beyond the White House" extensively documents the post-presidential work of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter. The book is eye opening about plague-like diseases and incredible poverty, yet it is inspirational and easy to read, and is stuffed with dozens of excellent pictures - everything from Carter with North Korea's Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il to African villagers.

Troester's book is a nicely written tribute and is well thought-out, but the author uses almost entirely secondary sources. He quotes about two sources in the text of each paragraph, which makes for very choppy reading. There is no need for a recap of newspaper articles and CNN news stories when you can hear a much more complete account directly from President Carter. Granted, the Troester book predates "Beyond the White House" by 10 years. But this short book is now dated, and offers no information that is not already available in "Beyond The White House."

There is no reason to pay $110.95 for this book when you can buy "Beyond the White House" - both the book and the Audio CD (read by President Carter himself), for under $25. Don't waste your time and money on this one.