President Carter

February 15, 2018
Jimmy Carter's chief domestic policy adviser tells all.In 1981, Eizenstat (The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces Are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States, 2012, etc.) began research on a history of the Carter presidency. Drawing on 5,000 pages of his own "detailed, often verbatim" notes; 350 interviews with individuals within and outside of the administration (including Carter, his wife, and Walter Mondale); and copious material from the Carter Presidential Library and many other sources, the author has created a mammoth, authoritative, and comprehensive history of four tumultuous years. A born-again Christian peanut farmer, Carter promised to fight "for the common good against Washington's entrenched interests." He disdained politics and had no interest in--or talent for--"buttering up Congressional egos and rallying interest groups and the public" to support his policies. Eizenstat highlights Carter's many accomplishments: He championed human rights domestically and internationally; reined in Soviet interests in the Persian Gulf and Middle East; doggedly negotiated a peace accord between Israel and Egypt; deregulated crude oil and natural gas prices as well as the transportation industry; pursued an aggressive conservation policy; bailed out New York City and Chrysler from bankruptcy; and oversaw the creation of 10 million new jobs. From the outset, though, Carter's administration was undermined by mismanagement, astounding ineptitude, and bad luck. He assembled a strong Cabinet but provided no clear guidance on his own goals, and most staff were inexperienced. A micromanager, he drowned himself in details, and he failed to communicate adequately to the press, lawmakers, and the public. He was also beset by divisiveness in Congress and among various constituencies. Domestically, he faced stagflation (high inflation and rising unemployment). In his final year, to the CIA's surprise, Iran erupted in revolution, resulting in 52 Americans held hostage in the U.S. Embassy. Eizenstat enlivens his chronicle with deft portraits of a huge cast of characters, including a headstrong 29-year-old pollster who became "almost like Rasputin" to Carter.An astute, often shocking, behind-the-scenes chronicle.

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Starred review from March 15, 2018
Few Americans anticipate seeing the face of Jimmy Carter added to Mount Rushmore, but Eizenstat?Carter's chief domestic-policy adviser?sees in him a much better president than historians have yet acknowledged. As one who experienced the Carter presidency up close, Eizenstat draws from his own copious in-the-moment notes, as well as hundreds of interviews, to deliver an exceptionally detailed chronicle of four eventful White House years. That chronicle exposes failures that made Carter a one-term president but also illuminates accomplishments likely to elevate his reputation over time. Readers see Carter's obsessive micromanaging, his preachy idealism, and his political na�vet�, weaknesses that hamstrung the president in his struggles to free America's economy from stagflation and to liberate 52 of its citizens from captivity in Iran. But readers also see Carter's courageous leadership in modernizing the economy by deregulating the energy, transportation, and communications industries; protecting the environment by expanding the national park system; improving relations with Latin America by ending American ownership of the Panama Canal; and reshaping diplomacy by making human rights a new global priority. And Eizenstat's taut behind-the-scenes narrative gives readers unexpected reasons to appreciate Carter's stunning accomplishment in negotiating peace between Egypt and Israel. A compelling reassessment of an oft-maligned chief executive.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from March 15, 2018

Eizenstat (Imperfect Justice), chief domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (b. 1924), brings an invaluable insider's perspective to a study of the 39th U.S. president based on information from the author's own notes, declassified documents, and interviews with members of both political parties. Historians are most likely to use this book, but general readers willing to take up the challenge of this substantive tome will also benefit. Eizenstat details Carter's efforts, at the time relatively new for a democratic president, to deregulate industries (air passenger travel, fossil fuel production, and mass communications) and promote a more competitive economy. He shows how Carter was sidelined by squabbles within his own party and shifts in partisan loyalties, along with the Iran Hostage Crisis. By the end of his single term, Carter unwittingly came to symbolize establishment inaction. While professing the worthiness of his own goals, Eizenstat refreshingly admits to past errors in tactics and judgement. VERDICT This comprehensive, unflinching narrative and analytical treatment of Carter is essential for a new evaluation of an earnest, often exasperating, yet important figure in late 20th-century U.S. history.--Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Lib. of Congress, Washington, DC

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018

Eizenstat (Imperfect Justice), chief domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (b. 1924), brings an invaluable insider's perspective to a study of the 39th U.S. president based on information from the author's own notes, declassified documents, and interviews with members of both political parties. Historians are most likely to use this book, but general readers willing to take up the challenge of this substantive tome will also benefit. Eizenstat details Carter's efforts, at the time relatively new for a democratic president, to deregulate industries (air passenger travel, fossil fuel production, and mass communications) and promote a more competitive economy. He shows how Carter was sidelined by squabbles within his own party and shifts in partisan loyalties, along with the Iran Hostage Crisis. By the end of his single term, Carter unwittingly came to symbolize establishment inaction. While professing the worthiness of his own goals, Eizenstat refreshingly admits to past errors in tactics and judgement. VERDICT This comprehensive, unflinching narrative and analytical treatment of Carter is essential for a new evaluation of an earnest, often exasperating, yet important figure in late 20th-century U.S. history.--Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Lib. of Congress, Washington, DC

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.