Why Not the Best: The First Fifty Years [Paperback]

Jimmy Carter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

In this autobiography, Jimmy Carter details the youth and experiences that led him to seek the highest office in the land. He describes his idyllic childhood, his naval career, his strong Christian underpinnings, and the values of his mother and father.

Product Details

• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557284180
• ISBN-13: 978-1557284181
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Carter, Jimmy

More About the Author

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, and served as thirty-ninth President of the United States. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that prevents and resolves conflicts, enhances freedom and democracy, and improves health around the world. He is the author of numerous books, including Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, An Hour Before Daylight and Our Endangered Values. He received a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy Award for his recording of Our Endangered Values. All of President Carter's proceeds from this series will go to the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Why not the best?" is the best introduction to Carter, October 14, 2000

By 

a friend of public servants (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Not the Best: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

This book is the campaign biography which helped elect Jimmy Carter in 1976. He takes the title from the question Adm. Rickhover asks of all naval cadets, 'in your life was there ever a time in which you did less than the best?' He would follow up the question with "Why not the best?" as a way to focus young men, including James Earl Carter, on striving for exellence. The book outlines in detail what Carter would later refer to as his "sources of strength." This book is a must read for those who feel Jimmy Carter is a model of public service, an outstanding peacemaker, and our best ex-president.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Not The Best, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Not the Best: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

I am writing a review simply because the other person's review was so obnoxious and mean-spirited. Carter was the most honest and decent man we have ever had running the country, at least in my lifetime. And he is probably doing a lot more with his life right now than that reviewer ever will. Shame.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative Campaign Bio, March 8, 2009

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Not the Best: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

Then-Governor Jimmy Carter mixes personal biography and a modest agenda in this readably serious advertisement for his upcoming 1976 run for the White House. Honest and forthright, Carter is at his best describing his upbringing in rural Georgia and years as a U.S. naval officer. He's nearly as good describing the need for an energy policy, international diplomacy based on morality, and increasing opportunities for the poor. But the book lacks specifics on Carter's capable term as Governor of Georgia. Also, there's little sense here of what would arguably prove to be Carter's greatest weakness as President - his aloof unwillingness (or inability) to smooze important members of Congress. The book's title comes from Admiral Hyman Rickover, who as Carter's naval commander always demanded that his men do their best. This is a surprisingly good portrait from the standpoint of years later.