Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President

by Jimmy Carter

In Keeping Faith , originally published in 1982, President Carter provides a candid account of his time in the Oval Office, detailing the hostage crisis in Iran, his triumph at the Camp David Middle East peace summit, his relationships with world leaders, and even glimpses into his private world. “Responsible, truthful, intelligent, earnest, rational, purposeful. Thus the thus the book” ( The Washington Post ).

Genres: Biography, Politics, History, Presidents, Nonfiction, Memoir, American History

648 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Earl Carter, Junior, known as Jimmy, the thirty-ninth president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, creditably established energy-conservation measures, concluded the treaties of Panama Canal in 1978, negotiated the accords of Camp David between Egypt and Israel in 1979, and won the Nobel Prize of 2002 for peace.

Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, the incumbent, in the presidential election of 1980.

He served and received. Carter served two terms in the senate of Georgia and as the 76th governor from 1971 to 1975.

Carter created new Cabinet-level Department of education. A national policy included price decontrol and new technology. From 1977, people reduced foreign oil imports one-half to 1982. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the second round of strategic arms limitation talks (SALT). Carter sought to put a stronger emphasis on human rights in 1979. People saw his return of the zone as a major concession of influence in Latin America, and Carter came under heavy criticism.

Iranian students in 1979 took over the American embassy and held hostages, and an attempt to rescue them failed; several additional major crises, including serious fuel shortages and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, marked the final year of his tenure. Edward Moore Kennedy challenged significantly higher disapproval ratings of Carter for nomination of the Democratic Party before the election of 1980. Carter defeated Kennedy for the nomination lost the election to Ronald Wilson Reagan, a Republican.

Carter left office and with Rosalynn Smith Carter, his wife, afterward founded the nongovernmental center and organization that works to advance human rights. He traveled extensively to conduct, to observe elections, and to advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. He, a key, also figured in the project of habitat for humanity. Carter particularly vocalized on the Palestinian conflict.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jimmyc...

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book of his presidential years. The man comes off as forthright. It is not entirely a chronological re-telling of those years – some of the events or his major legislation is told within that context – such as the revision to the Panama Canal Treaty and his genuine pursuit for conservation of energy and fuel consumption. He recalls all these logically and elaborates on the pitfalls he encountered. It is amazing how any bill or legislation can get passed in the United States – needing the approval of both the Senate and Congress.

Jimmy Carter describes the ignorance of some Congressman who disparaged the country of Panama when the Treaty was up for approval. The entire country of Panama was following this avidly only to hear some American Congressman publicly ridiculing their country – another example of American self-centredness.

It must always be remembered that Jimmy Carter was the first American President who brought energy conservation and oil consumption in particular, to the forefront of the nation’s consciousness. He also conveyed human rights issues. Perhaps this was somewhat naïve, but at least it was a worthy effort. The Reagan years followed - energy conservation was abandoned and lavish spending was encouraged on the military (which Jimmy Carter opposed) and the economy was de-regulated for which we are now paying a horrible price. If one now compares the Carter years with the Reagan ones - Reagan is seen as living entirely in the moment with no concern for the future.

President Carter faced terrible problems during his years in power – the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet incursion stymied his efforts for nuclear de-escalation (the SALT talks). He seems somewhat awkward as to events in Iran prior to the hostage taking – his ambassador Sullivan was informing him that the Ayatollah was being favoured to replace the Shah. President Carter did not seem to be listening and reacting to this very carefully.

From a geo-political point of view it is interesting that after the Shah took power in Iran the Soviet Union invaded their neighbour Afghanistan. Could this be viewed as an attempt by the Soviets to stop the spread of religious fundamentalism on their borders?

Over one hundred pages are devoted to the peace talks with Sadat and Begin. Even after the talks were completed it took several months of follow-thru by the President to ensure “success” – even so, not all the passages of the Treaty were implemented. Maybe on this occasion (and a few others) President Carter put too much of himself into the task. Did he have a problem delegating?

The book is filled with many personal observations on the many personalities he met – Brezhnev, Sadat, Begin, Deng Xiao Ping. It is a delight to read.

[Aaron Million · Rating 5 out of 5]

One constant has emerged in recent years about former President Jimmy Carter: he is a tireless worker, always straining to accomplish one more task. That trait is fully apparent in his presidential memoir covering his single term in office. Carter worked non-stop on the important issues of the day, and when he wasn't working he was exercising and thinking about the work waiting for him in his office. And while Carter's term is not looked upon highly by historians (with some justification - there were many missteps, as will be the case with every administration), it was not as devoid of success as is commonly believed.

Carter actually begins at the very end: his last full day and final morning as President. He literally sleeps overnight in the Oval Office, not because he is mentally struggling to come to grips with losing power, but because he is trying everything he can to get Iran to release the fifty-two Americans that they took hostage in November 1979. This one issue dominates Carter's final year in office. After this introduction, he does not return to the topic until later as he structures the memoir topically, but also with a somewhat chronological approach. Sometimes this works better than others, but generally he keeps it together. Carter was tortured over the plight of the hostages, and reading this book shows just how much effort he and his national security team put into every conceivable option. Unfortunately, the rescue attempt that Carter approved turned tragic, with a helicopter crashing into a C-130 plane, killing several service members. Carter was beyond upset and dejected yet he did not give up. Unfortunately for him, this heavily led to his defeat in 1980 at the hands of Ronald Reagan. And, just as galling, the prisoners were not released until the moment that Reagan took the oath of office.

Despite that bitter ending, Carter had some serious accomplishments on his ledger. One of them was the negotiation and passage of the Panama Canal treaties, belatedly turning over control of the Canal to Panama. This was a difficult political risk for Carter to take, but he knew that the United States' overall position in Latin America was harmed in part by its continued control of the Canal and refusal to give that up. This reinforced the sadly all-too-accurate stereotype of the U.S. as being an imperial aggressor within its own hemisphere. He worked waffling Senators constantly, cajoling them to get their votes so the treaties could be ratified. Occasionally, Carter flashes a dry sense of humor. He gives an example on page 177 while he is writing about having to indulge Senator S.I. Hayakawa's penchant for semantics and wanting to give Carter advice: "I knew he was listening when they [other Senators] asked me if I needed to meet occasionally with the California semanticist to get his advice on African affairs. I gulped, thought for a few seconds, and replied, "Yes, I really do!" hoping God would forgive me."

Another line that made me laugh was when Carter was describing his only debate with Reagan during the 1980 campaign. (Incidentally, Carter admits to initially being glad that Reagan was the Republican nominee, as he thought he would be the easiest candidate to defeat.) "He has his memorized lines, and he pushes a button and they come out." I have read virtually that same impression about Reagan by other people as well, so I am thinking that Carter was right on the mark there. The remark came from one of his diary entries, which he makes frequent use of throughout the book, always effectively too. Carter interjects the entries to show the reader what his thoughts were in the moment, which adds authenticity to his account. While the entries come almost every page, they never seem to distract from the narrative, instead serving to augment whatever situation Carter is describing.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the Camp David Accords. Out of all the places on the globe, this is the area where Carter spent the most time on. And the fractured relationship between Israel and Egypt took up a huge chunk of that time, only to immediately be replaced by the Iran hostage situation. Carter walks the reader through how he came to get involved in the Middle East, how the area around Jerusalem held special meaning for him due to his deep devotion to Scripture and the Bible, how he forged an extremely close relationship with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and his immense frustration in dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He spent thirteen days sequestered with the two leaders at Camp David, trying everything he could think of to forge a peace deal. I do not know how he had the patience and the stamina to do so, as he was under severe strain. Just like with other parts of his presidency, I got the distinct impression that Carter squeezed every ounce of authority out of his position that he could.

There were a few things that I wish Carter had delved more into: his disastrous Cabinet shuffle which really did him no good, more analysis of the 1980 results and what final impact he thought independent candidate John Anderson had on the outcome, and his Alaska policy. For the latter, he signed a major lands bill shortly after being defeated for reelection, and mentions how he became intimately familiar during his term with maps of Alaska. I would have liked to have learned more from him about his conservation policies. He does devote an early chapter to his energy policies and the energy crisis that gripped the country in the late 1970s. This is one of the best presidential memoirs that I have read, although I liked George W. Bush's a lot as well. Here, you can tell that this was written by Carter and only by Carter. It is in his voice, not that of a team of writers. He is quite candid at times, even about his own failings. Yes, his stubbornness and self-righteousness are on display too, so it is not always a pretty portrait. But it is a realistic one, and that is about the best that one can hope for from a presidential memoir.

Grade: A

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

very well-written and engaging memoirs. i liked the organization, which was by issue rather than a straight chronology. i expected this to be a slog that would take some time (i'm looking at you, clinton's autobio), but it was very readable, and i found myself staying up late to finish chapters.

[Dean Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the preface, entitled “A First Word,” Carter tells us that at the end of his presidency, one of the key things he took home with him was a 5000 page diary containing his day-to-day writings of the happenings of his four years as president.

Once he had settled back into his private life, he began re-reading what he’d written about the years of 1977 to 1981, the span of time he and his family spent at the White House. Shortly after reflecting on this diary, he decided to begin writing a memoir.

He summarized the reason for the book in the following way:

“This is not a history of my administration but a highly personal report of my own experiences.”
After reading this, the word that stood out for me was “personal,” which fit with his last statement of the preface:

This book, “May even be helpful to the reader in giving a more accurate picture of the kind of person I am.”

As I read these opening pages, I realized that my early impression of Carter’s book was going to match my long-held view of him as a genuine, plainspoken, down-to-earth person. In my opinion, he best demonstrated these personal characteristics through a desire to live his life “close to people,” both as a man, and as I discovered when reading this book, as a president.

It’s a personal account of what was for a four-year period, a very public life. That feeling began on day one of his presidency:

“The inaugural parade route stretched before us with tens of thousands of people lining the streets. I leaned forward and told the Secret Service driver to stop the automobile, then touch Rosalynn’s hand and said, ‘Let’s go!’ the security men looked all around, saw only friendly faces, and opened the doors of the long black limousine.

As we stepped into the street, the people seemed anxious and concerned about us. They obviously thought something was wrong with the car. Then out three sons and their wives joined us as we began to walk down the center of the broad avenue.

It seemed that a shock wave went through the crowd. There were gasps of astonishment and cries of, ‘They’re walking!’ ‘They’re walking!’ The excitement flooded over us; we responded to the people with broad smiles and proud steps. It was bitterly cold, but we felt warn inside. Even our nine-year-old daughter Amy got the spirit, walking in front of our family group and carefully placing her small feet on the white centerline.

We were surprised at the depth of feeling from our friends along the way. Some of them wept openly, and when I saw this, a few tears of joy ran down my cold cheeks. It was one of those few perfect moments in life when everything seems absolutely right.”

And even when Carter was choosing his vice-presidential running mate, Walter “Fritz” Mondale, he described the process as “very personal and private.” I was also impressed when I read that as president, Carter was determined to establish a very close relationship with Mondale, and that he wished for him to be closely involved in the presidential duties so that he would be ready, should the circumstances arise, to step into the job immediately. The first practical step toward that goal was to relocate the Vice President’s personal office from the Old Executive Office Building (now referred to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) to the West Wing of the White House, which was much closer to the center of activity in the Oval Office.

This just made sense to me. I’ve always thought that every president and Vice president should operate in a close working relationship, but as I read more and more history of the Presidents of the United States, I quickly learned that this was not true for many pat administrations. The fact that Jimmy Carter made this a priority, spoke volumes as to his intent to empower Vice President Mondale as much as possible.

Carter even managed to apply his “practical personal touch” when choosing members of his cabinet as well.

I started seeing a trend here. President Carter strove to be a man who governed by “seeing people,” taking a hands-on approach to finding solutions to problems, and not forgetting who it was that he was working for, the American people. This desire was evident as he was crisscrossing the country, running for the nation’s highest office, describing the process as his “Graduate Course in America,” here is what he said about what he did in the campaign:

“I spent as much time as possible in close proximity to Americans. In the streets, in the factories, in the farms and in the kitchens and livestock auction barns.”

As I read this, I couldn’t help imagining how great this would be if today’s political candidates were to adopt a posture of being “servant leaders” who keep themselves close to the people that they should be serving as national leaders.

I also believe that the way in which a leader “frames” the position of those to report to him or her has a great impact on how the person carries out their duties. One example of this in the Carter Administration was that he asked his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance to see himself as a “foreign policy educator” to the American people. This suggestion greatly affected how Vance did his job, especially by making the American people feel “in partnership” with the State Department. And as it turned out, Cyrus Vance was a fine teacher! I think that one of the most important aspects of this is that it helps bring the complexity of the federal government departments and agencies “down to earth” and understandable for all of us. As I read this, I recalled how many times I researched a subject using a “Children’s Encyclopedia” because it gave me the most important information without “muddying” my understanding through overt complexity.

Carter’s telling of the Panama Canal Treaty was dramatic reading indeed! Not only does he give us an understandable, highly readable account of the ups and downs of this groundbreaking agreement between the U.S.A. and Panama, but he also gives ample credit to the legislators who courageously voted in favor of the bill despite forceful and sustained opposition. Consistent with Carter’s style in other areas, he continues to desire to bring his case “to the people,” as well as place his key officials in the role of “educator.” This time it was various State Department officials, including Secretary Cyrus Vance, that hosted more than 1,500 appearances across the nation to a variety of groups. This immense effort to bring a longstanding agreement to a facility so commercially critical, and so awe inspiring that the American Society of Civil Engineers referred to it as, “one of the seven wonders of the modern world.” After learning more about the canal, I agree with the engineers, and after reading the president’s account of the passing of the bill, it looked as if it would take an out of this world effort to bring agreement between all parties.

As I read this book, I gained a perspective on the way Carter’s “common touch” with the people of the United States was also in evidence in the bonds he made with other world leaders. The Western impression of the leadership of the People’s Republic of China has been one likening them to “communist hardliners,” but in Carter’s memoir, we see a charming, warm, fair-minded Chairman Deng Xiaoping, a man who worked with Carter to normalize relations between the U.S.A. and the P.R.C. It was a tricky negotiation, especially considering the “Taiwan issue,” but real gains were made in the relationship of these two countries. It was moving to read Carter’s account of Deng’s visit to Washington, one that was socially delightful and fruitful from a negotiation standpoint. The president reflected on his memories of Deng’s visit, summing up his feelings this way:

“I then learned why some people say the Chinese are the most civilized people in the world.”

And when it came to relations with other world leaders, things took more time. Such was the case with General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev. And if the initial connection was not as immediately warm as that of the PRC leader’s it was intriguing and at time humorous nonetheless, what with Brezhnev himself introducing the Almighty into his initial conversation with President Carter, to the “after meeting” musings of Carter’s National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, describing the history of Soviet Chairmen this way:

“Under Lenin the Soviet Union was like a religious revival, under Stalin like a prison, under Khrushchev like a circus, and under Brezhnev like the U.S. Post Office.”

I found this quote amusing and somewhat prophetic as I read the later accounts of the American negotiations with the Soviet leadership. The focus of the Vienna, Austria based meetings were the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, (S.A.L.T. 2), a tough and mind numbingly detailed series of talks aimed at nuclear arms reduction, but despite the challenges, and setbacks, progress was made and part of it was, in my opinion, President Carter’s talent for finding “common ground” with others.

And then there were the most special relationships Carter formed with other world leaders, including Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. And if the trusting bond forged between these two men in the midst of very difficult times in the Middle East was not inspiring enough, then the telling of Sadat’s bold announcement to the Egyptian Parliament that he was going to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Menachem Begin certainly was. Carter described his first meeting with Sadat as the “best day of his presidency.” We read that despite the courage and foresight of Sadat and Begin, they alone would be unable to solve the deeply intrenched challenges between Israel and Palestine and that most of the leaders of the Arab world were of the opinion that the U.S.A. needed to stay involved in the talks.

Carter did such a good job of framing this important chapter in history. He chose to tell the story through the lens of the humanity of the players involved, which helped the reader better appreciate the proclivities of the key players and the context of the negotiations themselves, since many of the most important points of discussion were related to where and how people in the region lived.

To give an example of just how personal those 13 days of negotiations became, Carter relates a touching moment he shared with Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin. There were serious problems with the Israelis concerning the “Jerusalem section” of the peace agreement. Up to this point, Carter had established a very close and trusting relationship with Egyptian President Sadat, but his relationship with Begin was not as close. Then this moment happened:

“Earlier, my secretary, Susan Clough, had brought me some photographs of Begin, Sadat, and me. They had already been signed by President Sadat, and Prime Minister Begin had requested that I autograph them for his grandchildren. Knowing the trouble, we were in with the Israelis, Susan suggested that she go and get the actual names of the grandchildren, so that I could personalize each picture. I did this and walked over to Begin’s cabin with them. He was sitting on the front porch, very distraught and nervous because the talks had finally broken down at the last minute.

I handed him the photographs. He took them and thanked me. Then he happened to look down and saw that his granddaughter’s name was on the top one. He spoke it aloud, and then looked at each photograph individually, repeating the name of the grandchild I had written on it. His lips trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes. He told me a little about each child, and especially about the one who seemed to b his favorite. We were both emotional as we talked quietly for a few minutes about grandchildren and about war.”

Carter then spoke about walking back to his cabin after this heartfelt talk with Begin, wishing there was some way to move the “Jerusalem section” forward. Shortly after arriving at his cabin, his phone rang, it was Begin:

“I will accept the letter you have drafted on Jerusalem,” he said, much to the amazement and delight of the President.

It was Carter’s telling of stories like these that reminded me how personal politics and political leadership, even at the highest levels, can be.

Carter did not shy away from sharing details of the lowest points of his presidency and his failures to resolve certain issues. One such low point happened on Sunday, November 4, 1979 when the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran was overrun by radical students, resulting in the capture of 52 Americans. The negotiations for the release of these hostages was an arduous and painfully detailed process, much of it negotiated through third parties. Carter’s account of it was as painful as it was dramatic.

And if the successful signing of the Panama Canal and Egypt-Israel Peace Treaties were Economic and International Peace highpoints, then the passage of the bill to protect more than 150 million acres of land in Alaska was a major environmental win for Carter’s Administration.

Overall, this was a very readable and inspiring memoir of a man who was committed to peace, human rights, nuclear arms control, energy challenges, welfare and tax reform, environmental stewardship and the efficient and “moral fiber” of government.

One of the finest tributes to Carter and his administration came from the Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor Slava Rostropovich as he commented on Carter’s 1980 presidential election defeat. He spoke of the historical fact that the masses of people were often wrong and that what was significant was the personal relationship that developed between leaders or performers or artists and others. He said that the Carter’s meant more to him and his family than anyone in the United States when they arrived from the Soviet Union.

He pointed out that the masses made a mistake on November 4th, as they had when they rejected Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, rejected La Traviata, and in the first performance of Tosca the audience reacted against it so violently that they couldn’t even raise the curtain for the third act. He said history was going to treat Carter’s Administration the same way they did Verdi, Puccini, and Beethoven.

“It was beautiful.”

It was exactly how I felt as I finished reading one of the most hopeful and energizing memoirs I’d ever read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly not the most gripping thing I've ever read, but I don't know that I've ever read anything that I've learned more from.
From the way the political system actually works, to how to negotiate treaties, this book lays it all out.
It further adds to my support for Jimmy Carter as an exemplary human being.

[Jason Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter's memoir was fascinating and contrasted others in that he was much more open about mistakes made and his decision making processes. It reads much more like a neighbor telling you a story than a statesman reviewing his career, and in a good way.

I also prefer the memoirs that focus on specific events and large decisions made, and Carter sticks to that format without getting too bogged down in daily details (like Clinton and Nixon tend to in their memoirs).

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

President Jimmy Carter's 1st hand account of his presidency. Particularly interesting when he takes you inside the delicate peace negotiations between him, Prime Minister Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Also tells the beginnings of our continuing troubles with Iran,as he describes the taking of hostages from our embassy in Iran and the failed rescue mission he authorized.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good overview memoir of some of the bigger topics during Jimmy Carter's time as president: the Iran hostages, Middle East peace, the Soviet Union, China, the economy, the environment, etc.

Rather than being chronological, the book is broken up by topics: a section about China, a section about the Panama Canal, a major section about the hostages, on and on. This was a good and bad way to lay out the book: on the one hand, it made it easier for the reader to focus on one topic, and all of the intricacies that came about as time went on; on the other hand, I sometimes got confused about all of the different things going on at one time -- I forgot that the world wasn't put on hold until the China issue was resolved, and then *just* the Camp David Accords. It must be hard to be President.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire President Carter more with each passing year, and I'm still proud to have voted for him in the first presidential election in which I could vote. I was a junior in college, about to turn 21, and I went to my polling place and stood in line for about an hour to vote. His memoirs of his presidency demonstrate the integrity of the man I supported in 1980.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good look into exactly how conservative Carter's presidency really was. Puts into perspective the provocative view that Nixon was the last "liberal" US President. Still, parts of the memoir are particularly interesting to at least see the leader of US imperialism grapple with the actual facts of that imperialism in sections on the Shah, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. The pragmatic evil of the Evil Empire.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating read for presidential history/political history folks but probably not one that I'd recommend a person pick up and read in general. It is interesting to read Carter's perspective on his presidency, and I'd like to read more of his memoirs to see if he returns to any of the reflections that he touched on in this memoir and, if so, if they change over time. The most exciting part to me was the details of the Camp David summit. It was fascinating to read about the back and forth of the top level negotiations and how conducting the public business became so personal for the individuals involved. Well-written and thoughtful, but as with many memoirs, there is a bias that is to be expected. Overall, if you're interested in Carter, it's a good read.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. All politics aside, I just didn't find the book well written.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jimmy Carter was the first President I have recollection of as a kid. My major recollections weren't detailed but I do remember the famous smile and big hair. I also remember the inflation, gas lines, Camp David peace talks, Ted Kennedy challenging him, Iran hostage situation and of course defeat to Reagan. All of is addressed in his memoirs in varying degrees. I've read books on Nixon, Ford, Reagan and even one about Kennedy/Carter but this is first from or about Carter alone.

The memoir generally runs chronologically taking guidance from the Presidents personal diary. It was interesting to hear about his perspective of events I remember as a kid. He's highly detailed but is still very thoughtful. Though book though was heavily into the details of his administration goings on but seemed like First Lady Rosalynn and daughter Amy were barely mention. In contrast the week at Camp David with Anwar Sadat(Egypt)of and Menachem Begin(Israel) trying to iron out peace accords feels like half the book. I'm sure some would find it interesting but it did seem it went on forever.

The last part of the book covers of the Iran hostage situation and his reelection bid. A little surprising is how underplayed his rivalry with Senator Ted Kennedy was. By most other accounts I've come across it was quite bitter. Perhaps even more so than against Reagan. I feel his reelection against Reagan was also underplayed. Not sure if it was just too bitter to talk about when he wrote this which was relatively soon after his Presidency.

I kind of felt like Jimmy Carter was great at being a heavily involved in the Presidency's day to day stuff but it did seem to lack a lot of warmth or humor. In other words, dry. He seemed to skip or skim over unpleasant stuff like Kennedy, malaise speech, Reagan etc... I like President Carter but I don't know if this does him justice. It's still worth reading if you're into Presidential history.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first presidential memoir, so it's impossible to compare it with other works in the genre and assess it among its peers. Published under two years after leaving the White House, Keeping Faith intersperses snippets from Carter's diary with deeper reflections on the major events of the Carter presidency. The bulk of the book deals with the Camp David Accords and the Iran hostage crisis, which perhaps remain the biggest pro and con of Carter's foreign policy. At times, the book gets a bit too bogged down in the details, such as the nitty-gritty of negotiating energy legislation. While the details gave me a sense of the intense back-and-forth between Congress and the White House, as well as the incremental progress towards policy goals, I wish Carter had spoken more about the big picture of his presidency, although I suspect he may do that in some of his later memoirs. I also wish Carter spoke a little more about domestic affairs and the 1976/1980 elections; aside from his energy package, there's not much commentary on the oil crisis or inflation or the "Crisis of Confidence" speech. That said, my goal in reading this memoir was to learn a bit more about Carter before he passes on, and I'm left with a sense that he was a morally decent man who may not have always made the most popular decisions but always tried to do what he felt was the right thing for the country.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each section brings you into Carter's process, and mindset, as he works through a major issue. There are about half a dozen sections, each weighty, and many of the issues span multiple years and multiple chapters. Journal entries on almost every page deepen the immersion. But Carter is by no means the only character - one observes that the daily work of the president is, to a great extent, working on people, and Carter thoroughly illustrates these people (mostly in terms of policies, but not omitting personality when relevant).

The picture, while clear within its scope, is of course not a complete day-to-day. As Carter acknowledges in the Afterword: "I felt free to emphasize those matters in which I played a personal and more dramatic role, which for a President tends more often to be in foreign affairs than in domestic affairs."

As for my impression of Carter (and here ends the review portion of this review) I was struck, almost from the first pages, by Cater's intense intentionality and persistence in utilizing his presidency for good. I still am. But as the memoir progressed, I could not but wonder whether Carter had, in some instances, reached too far with too much optimism.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

As one could expect, very heavy on the Middle East.

[Douglas Graney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, interesting. Much better than Clinton's, Reagan's and Nixon's.

[Catherine Adde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true proponent for peacekeeping, that is why he is a hero to me. A generous and kind man, and one who I met while he signed this very book for me in 1983. God bless you Jimmy Carter.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

JImmy Carter is a true peacekeeper and and a better example of his faith in action is inspiring.

[Julian Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading both Keeping Faith and Jonathan Alter's biography of Jimmy Carter, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life has cemented my viewpoint that he was one of America's most underrated and underappreciated presidents of our modern era. The amount of progress that Carter was able to accomplish in only four years on seemingly intractable issues, like forging the Camp David Accords, is not only remarkable but showed true leadership: many of Carter's achievements ultimately led directly to his defeat, even though they were best for the country. Sadly, democracies are only as good as the population will let them be, and since Reagan's election in 1980, Americans have largely led themselves be governed by a succession of slogan-spouting populist demagogues that make everyone feel better but ultimately accomplish nothing (or less than nothing). Any politician with half a brain who ultimately makes choices to act to strengthen the country instead of their own reputation (exhibit 1: Obama) unfortunately creates such a backlash that all of that progress, and sometimes more, is undone (exhibit 2: Trump). And so it goes for Carter, who not only did a lot, but was also dealt a terrible hand that severely damaged his reputation regardless of any action or inaction he could have taken.

Alter's biography is more readable and far less dry -- Carter is a policy wonk and often goes into far too much detail about what is now, 40 years later, a lot of inside baseball that has become irrelevant -- but overall, he comes across as a plainspoken, earnest, and honest actor. Like most politicians, he is less critical about his own missteps as he could have been, but bear in mind that Keeping Faith was written only a few years after he left office. It's possible that some of his other books written in the late 1980's or 1990's are more sanguine about the things that he did wrong, which is also why I would recommend Alter's book instead as a Carter primer. However, if you are interested in hearing Carter's raw perspective on many of the same topics described in His Very Best, this is the book to pick up.

Carter turns 100 in only a few days, and although he is essentially on his deathbed now (he's been in hospice care for over a year), I hope that he is still lucid enough to take one of his final acts and cast a vote for the Democratic nominee for President, Kamala Harris, to carry on at least some of his legacy.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish that our 39th president had included a bit on his life before the presidency in this memoir of
his four White House years. Might have provided greater insights into these years.

Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere when after Watergate, America was looking for some fresh faces
and new leadership. Carter was just about everybody's second choice and managed to forge a path
between better known contenders. He had a tough general election, much tougher than expected when he defeated Gerald R. Ford.

Jimmy Carter came in touting the fact he was a Washington, DC outsider and spent four years proving
exactly that. His relations with Congressional Democrats were bad. Very little of his domestic agenda got passed during his tenure.

Carter did much better in foreign policy. Under Carter we finished what Nixon started and formally
recognized the People's Republic of China. About time the myth of Cjhiang Kai-Shek 'liberating'
China was put to rest. We no longer looked like fools on that question.

A great deal of the book is taken up with the Camp David accords as Carter invited Anwar Sadat of
Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel and signed those historic accords. An Arab nation finally
acknowledged Israel's right to exist.

The return of the Panama Canal is also dealt with in great detail. It was a great engineering achievement, but a great bit of embarrassment from an age of jingoism. We are now where we
should be, tenants of the sovereign state of Panama.

No president ever ran under the hardship of something like the Iran hostage crisis. Militant Islam
running amuck after the Shah was overthrown. After the rescue attempt failed I think Jimmy Carter was doomed in the 1980 campaign against Ronald Reagan.

One thing more. It was under Carter that human rights became an issue and something we can and should base foreign policy. Dealing with the apartheid regime in South Africa, something
Carter was reluctant to do. Nations were taken to task by this president as they never were before
and in some cases since.

It was nice to get to know Jimmy Carter the president. I just wished the book was more encompassing of his whole life before the White House years.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read “Keeping Faith” in preparation for a talk about Jimmy Carter. It is a memoir of his days as president, not a whole life autobiography. I rate it as “fair” among the presidential memoirs I have read. In evaluating this book, I compare it to “President Carter: The White House Years” by Carter’s National Security Advisor Stuart Eizenstat. Both authors report on the same events. Whereas Eizenstat can assess events critically, noting occasions during which Carter did not “get it”, Carter explains how he was misunderstood by others who got it wrong. An example is the fight with Congress over Carter’s determination to eliminate many “pork barrel” water projects, mostly dams. Whereas Eizenstat presents this as an occasion during which Carter, determined to remain the outsider committed to “Keeping Faith” with his promises, impaired his effectiveness by refusal to compromise. Carter admits no such introspection, still asserting the rectitude of his position.

This work does address many of the consequential issues of the Carter Administration. It takes us into the President’s mind as he recounts the Panama Canal treaties, budget battles, energy crises, relations with the Soviet Union and China, the Camp David “reassessment” of his administration in 1979, Mount St. Helens, an influx of Cuban refugees, the Kennedy challenge, the contest with Ronald Reagan and, most consequentially, Middle East Peace, both leading up to the Camp David Accords and their aftermath, and the Iranian hostage crisis. Eizenstat’s assessment of the “reappraisal” as a “circus” with a narrative that a reader could characterize as a proverbial “train wreck” contrasts glaringly with Carter’s” It was one of my most productive times.”

I value “Keeping Faith” as expressing the views and recollections of the President, but urge relying on other sources for history.

[René · Rating 3 out of 5]

A study in contrasts - while claiming to hold human rights over and above everything else, Carter supported to the very end the fate of the late Shah of Iran, who was known to govern with an iron fist, admitting to Carter that he held about 2,500 political prisoners. This decision by Carter pushed the Iranian opposition in the hands of another tyran, Khomeini, and the world still suffers from Carter's decision at the time.

The detailed account of the Camp David accord, however, is well worth reading, and shows what we are still seeing 40 years later - the Israelis' hard-stance on Palestinian rights, the ongoing push for more and more Jewish colonies (where long-standing residents are pushed out, often at gun point), etc.

But in both Israel and the US, democracy is increasingly demolished and taken over by extremists, at the cost of the rights of each and every well-thinking individual.

[Aspar · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only real exposure to Jimmy Carter, but gives off very genuine vibes. He seems very forthright and earnest in his writing. Gives the insider account on the Camp David Accords (leading to 1979 Egypt-Israel treaty) and a riveting and emotional account of the Iranian hostage rescue.

Slightly boring only in the sense that Carter's 4 years were not as dramatic as his predecessor, and Carter himself is not as dramatic a character as his successor.

Interesting parallels with Carter and Biden, both relatively bland centrist democrats (leaning conservative) who have cross-aisle friendships and came to power in the wake of a divisive and extremely partisan Republican presidency.

[Evan Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s insane how this book is very applicable to the politics of today. The conflict in Gaza, the Panama Canal Treaty, Department of Education, the government bureaucracy, Department of Energy, Inflation, and a rather radical President of his time, Ronald Reagan. I would highly recommend reading this for people who have any interest in those issues.

[Andrew Greer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense read. Carter's autobiography written after leaving the White House to settle his debts from the mismanagement of his peanut farm that was put in a blind trust during his White House years. Comprehensive. Set his pen to work–as he authored over 30 books, many NYT bestsellers, on a wide range of topics after his presidency.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honesty and reality ....it has been a great privilege to hang out with Jimmy these past few weeks. It's been an honor Mr. President.
This is a great read...not action packed but a total fascinating read.

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was first presidential memoir I read. It gives a different perspective of Jimmy Carter’s presidency than the contemporary press of the period would chronicle. The section on the Camp David accords is a must read for those who have an avid interest in the history of diplomacy.

[Beatrice De Filippis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to be one of the few who found the book utterly boring.
Perhaps because I have always admired Carter, I felt a greater disappointment

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#97 of 120 books pledged to read during 2022