4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Book Was Carter's Introduction to the Public, October 25, 2007
This review is from: Why Not the Best? (Paperback)
The book is Jimmy Carter's autobiography. It was written in 1976 and served to introduce him to the American public, when he was a little-known former Governor of Georgia, running for the office of President of the United States. Carter tells of his early years growing up in and around Plains, Georgia, his entry into the United States Naval Academy, his marriage to Roslyn, his brief career as an officer in the U. S. Navy, and his decision to end his naval career so that he could return to Plains to operate the family peanut business following the death of his father. He also describes his own effort to overcome the then-prevalent views in the South regarding the status of black people. Carter also describes his entry into Georgia politics, his determination to become President, and he also provides us with insights as to his personal and political philosophy.
The book also relates the story of Carter's religious conversion experience and gives clues as to his extremely self-righteous attitude and his inability to tolerate or even attempt to understand points of view that differ from his own.
For example, prior to the 1960's, the Georgia General Assembly (legislature) was apportioned on the basis of the county unit system, which was an attempt to balance the interests of the rural areas of the state with those of the urban areas. Completely unable or unwilling to see the rural point of view in the matter, Carter describes the county unit system as "corrupt," but provides no evidence of that. Considering that attitude, and the fact that the book was written to coincide with Carter's initial effort to become President, I have given the book 3 stars.
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