Sharing Good Times

President Jimmy Carter recounts a lifetime of mixing business and pleasure in this series of personal recollections. Carter is relaxed and clearly enjoys reading his work as he describes trips taken with the entire Carter family, fishing excursions, mountain-climbing adventures, and more. His self-deprecating humor, as well as his wisdom and balanced look at life, meshes well with his classic Southern drawl. While the stories themselves are interesting, the fact that he continues to lead such an active life and to undertake new pursuits is inspirational. His willingness to share this aspect of his life is a treat. While this is not Carter's best book, his voice is reassuring, and his subject matter is entertaining. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

October 25, 2004
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. Agent, Lynn Nesbit. (Nov. 23)

Forecast:
Carter-lovers and even a few forlorn Mr. Rogers fans will want to add this literate fireside chat to their bookshelf.