Sharing Good Times [Large Print] [Paperback]

Jimmy Carter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 159413104X | ISBN-13: 978-1594131042 | Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | Edition: 1

A New York Times Bestseller

In this wonderfully evocative volume, following the outstanding success of The Hornet's Nest, Christmas in Plains, and his classic, An Hour Before Daylight, Jimmy Carter shows us the things that matter most, the simple relaxed days and nights that he has enjoyed with family and friends through the years and across generations.

Here former president Jimmy Carter offers lively and witty accounts of exploring the outdoors with his father and playmates; making furniture; painting; and pursuing new adventures with children, grandchildren, and friends. He describes how he learned to share life with his wife, Rosalynn - how they learned to grant each other personal space as well as compete on tennis courts and ski slopes. These lifetime experiences will inspire anyone desiring both to stretch mind and heart and to combine work and pleasure.

• Jimmy Carter, who served as the thirty-ninth president of the United States, is the author of numerous books, including the bestselling memoir An Hour Before Daylight
• He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize
• Upon completion of his term as president, Carter founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, a non-profit organization that works to prevent and resolve conflict, and enhance freedom and democracy around the world. He and wife Rosalynn are active participants in Habitat for Humanity

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former president and Nobel laureate Carter has published several memoirs. His latest heartfelt effort tackles a somewhat abstract topic: how sharing affects the enjoyment of any activity. When he was a boy in Archery, Ga., Carter realized he had to share an experience (seeing puppies born, watching a rat die of poisoning, etc.) with his buddies before they could collectively understand its meaning. As Carter matured, relationships became more compartmentalized, and he learned to act independently. His early married years were the height of his unilateralism; when he decided to retire from the navy and move the family to Plains, Ga., he simply exercised his "dominance as a husband" and announced it to his wife, Rosalynn. Learning to treat Rosalynn and their children as "equal partners" didn't come easily for Carter; it was only after his election as Georgia's governor that he started sharing fully with his wife (although, with characteristic candor, he adds, "I have to admit... that on occasion, I long for the earlier days"). Sharing the planning, the doing and the evaluating of an activity—whether it's running for office, volunteering or taking family excursions—gives it more depth, more meaning, he says. Indeed, as Carter ages and contemplates becoming slightly less active, the pleasure he's found by simply watching his grandchildren's pleasure has been a whole new revelation.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Carter, generally held in high regard these days, is the poster president for the good works that former chief executives can accomplish. His books always prove popular, whether they are memoirs or historical fiction, and his latest one undoubtedly will be no exception. This is an even more personal book than his previous autobiographical works. In it, he recalls various occasions in his life that became "lasting sources of pleasure." Arranged in relatively chronological order, these special remembrances, which endowed him with special feelings he can still almost taste, include his personal reasons for seeing his father as a hero, watching minor- and major-league baseball games growing up, his days in the navy, road trips with his wife and children, his entry into politics, taking vacations while in the White House, his famous volunteer work, and even his hobbies. Carter admits that this book is a way for him not only to share some good experiences but also to inspire "anyone desiring to stretch mind and heart, to combine work and pleasure, and to reach out to others." Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Large Print Press; 1 edition (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159413104X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594131042
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,406,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, January 31, 2005

By 

NAC "Book Addict" (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sharing Good Times (Hardcover)

An amazing book by an amazing man. Discount the last reviewer. If he did read it, it must have been over his head, especially since he gives five star reviews to Prince albums. Nobody likes a hater, especially a nerdy loner with no taste. Jimmy Carter is an amazing man and we could all do well by learning something from him, myself and haters included.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. President thanks for Sharing Good Times, November 26, 2004

By 

Ricardo A. Fernandez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharing Good Times (Hardcover)

Sharing Good Times by President Jimmy Carter

President Carter has written another excellent book, this one is his 19th. I think that this book is unique in that he touches on and vividly describes his thoughts and feelings on very personal and private topics. He admits that he had difficulties sharing problems and tribulations early on in his life. He talks frankly of how he has made such a conscious effort to involve his wife and other family and friends in his affairs and he describes how beautifully this has paid off for him. In his first campaign, for example, he didn't even discuss this life changing decision with her until he was getting dressed to register as a candidate on his 38th birthday. Now he and his wife Rosalynn are such equal partners that this early beginning seems so unreal. I believe that this book will have a similar positive effect on historians and casual President Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter enthusiasts, as did his well-known book An Hour Before Daylight.
He provides the reader with an inside view of major personal events of his life. It begins with his early life growing up in a small Georgia town of Plains, Georgia, and continues to write of events up through August of 2004. This book gives his unique perspective of life before, during, and after his presidency. We are treated with wonderful stories throughout the book on many topics such as baseball, Navy life, traveling with his family, campaigns, sporting activities, White House vacations, and private hobbies. He has a few humorous stories concerning his eleven grandchildren, which are just delightful.
Most importantly, President Carter opens up about topics, which are dear to his and his wonderful wife's hearts; serving others. He provides insight of some of his volunteer work and he also writes of some of his activities at his real life's passion, the Carter Center. This modest man really glows throughout this book and I am very happy to see that he has allowed us to learn more about his current work at the Carter Center as he strives to "wage peace, fight disease and build hope", throughout the world.
Mr. President, thanks for "sharing" this great book with us.
Ricardo A. Fernandez
Orland Park, Illinois

45 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun with the Family Carter, November 26, 2004

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharing Good Times (Hardcover)

Former President Jimmy Carter's latest book is in many ways and addendum to some of his earlier works and it includes many stories that will be found in those previous works. In this book however, Carter adds to and builds on those previous stories and in a few cases adds details that he probably left out of his earlier books on purpose. President Carter may seem like an austere and serious individual but as one follows his adventures in this book his lighthearted and fun-loving side becomes obvious. In many instances I was reminded of the perpetual adolescence of Teddy Roosevelt.

In this book the former President chronicles many of the, "Good Times" in his life. He writes of vacations, side excursions to business trips, and his numerous hobbies. It seems that even on the most serious trips that President Carter makes for the Carter Center he takes at least some time for his hobby of bird watching. This is an addictive hobby that I share with Mr. Carter and can fully relate to his excitement when first spotting a new species. My wife often notes that around our house the birds will always have food whether we do or not.

The real story behind these tales of adventure however is the story of how the former President learned to fully include his family and friends in his adventures. Most Southern men who grew up in the pre World War II South have the common trait of being somewhat aloof. There is no doubt that these men love their families but they have a very hard time expressing or sharing that love. My father was born about ten years before President Carter and shared this same problem with him. I have found that sometimes I even have a little problem in this area and from both my own experience and my experiences with my father I can relate very well with Jimmy Carter's struggle. I have learned, as has Mr. Carter, that shared fun is the best kind of fun and I applaud the former President for the open way he has addressed this problem in this book.

Despite the serious nature of this book's main plot, this book is a very fun read. The more Mr. Carter writes the better he is at it and this may be his must enjoyable book yet. The stories are generally about activities that almost everyone can relate to right down to late night 'coon hunts. I once visited President Carter's church and watched as he showed off the TV stand he had made for the church. He talks about his woodworking in this book and admits that is one of the hobbies he enjoys pursuing alone. He does enjoy sharing the fruit of his labor with others though and I think he was as proud of that TV stand as he is of the Camp David Accords. Thankfully he also shares his private hobby of writing with the rest of us and he can be just as proud of this book as he is of that TV stand.