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His Very Best
- Jimmy Carter, a Life
- Narrated by: Michael Boatman
- Length: 31 hrs and 4 mins
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Publisher's summary
From one of America’s most respected journalists and modern historians comes the highly acclaimed, “splendid” (The Washington Post) biography of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian.
Jonathan Alter tells the epic story of an enigmatic man of faith and his improbable journey from barefoot boy to global icon. Alter paints an intimate and surprising portrait of the only president since Thomas Jefferson who can fairly be called a Renaissance Man, a complex figure - ridiculed and later revered - with a piercing intelligence, prickly intensity, and biting wit beneath the patented smile. Here is a moral exemplar for our times, a flawed but underrated president of decency and vision who was committed to telling the truth to the American people.
Growing up in one of the meanest counties in the Jim Crow South, Carter is the only American president who essentially lived in three centuries: his early life on the farm in the 1920s without electricity or running water might as well have been in the nineteenth; his presidency put him at the center of major events in the twentieth; and his efforts on conflict resolution and global health set him on the cutting edge of the challenges of the 21st.
“One of the best in a celebrated genre of presidential biography,” (The Washington Post), His Very Best traces how Carter evolved from a timid, bookish child - raised mostly by a Black woman farmhand - into an ambitious naval nuclear engineer writing passionate, never-before-published love letters from sea to his wife and full partner, Rosalynn; a peanut farmer and civic leader whose guilt over staying silent during the civil rights movement and not confronting the white terrorism around him helped power his quest for racial justice at home and abroad; an obscure, born-again governor whose brilliant 1976 campaign demolished the racist wing of the Democratic Party and took him from zero percent to the presidency; a stubborn outsider who failed politically amid the bad economy of the 1970s and the seizure of American hostages in Iran but succeeded in engineering peace between Israel and Egypt, amassing a historic environmental record, moving the government from tokenism to diversity, setting a new global standard for human rights and normalizing relations with China among other unheralded and far-sighted achievements. After leaving office, Carter eradicated diseases, built houses for the poor, and taught Sunday school into his mid-nineties.
This “important, fair-minded, highly readable contribution” (The New York Times Book Review) will change our understanding of perhaps the most misunderstood president in American history.
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It was the election that would ultimately give America "Camelot" and its tragic aftermath. 1960 is a stunning recreation of the bare-knuckle politics of the primaries, the party conventions' backroom dealings, the unprecedented television debates, along with hot-button issues of race, religion, and foreign policy. And, at the center of it all, three future presidents - Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. In this essential work of history, David Pietrusza chronicles 1960's struggle for power by bringing to life its towering events and personalities, unlocking its secrets, and turning expert scholarship into rich, human storytelling.
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No F words, but the N-word is allowed
- By Porter on 12-04-18
By: David Pietrusza
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Dewey Defeats Truman
- The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul
- By: A. J. Baime
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President comes the thrilling story of the 1948 presidential election, one of the greatest election stories of all time, as Truman mounted a history-making comeback and staked a claim for a new course for America.
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Excellent account of the 1948 election
- By A. Crystal on 07-15-20
By: A. J. Baime
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JFK
- Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
- By: Fredrik Logevall
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation that he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War. Born in 1917 to a striving Irish American family that had become among Boston’s wealthiest, Kennedy knew political ambition from an early age, and his meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president cemented his status as one of the most mythologized figures in American history.
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Excellent Portrait of JFK & His Times
- By John David on 12-14-20
By: Fredrik Logevall
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31 Days
- The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today
- By: Barry Werth
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In 31 Days, Barry Werth takes listeners inside the White House during the tumultuous days following Nixon's resignation and the swearing-in of America's "accidental president", Gerald Ford. The congressional hearings, Nixon's increasing paranoia, and, finally, the devastating revelations of the White House tapes had torn the country apart. Within the White House and the Republican Party, Nixon's resignation produced new fissures and battle lines and new opportunities for political advancement.
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The politics of 1974
- By D. Littman on 11-27-06
By: Barry Werth
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Lyndon
- An Oral Biography
- By: Merle Miller
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 32 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling presidential biographer Merle Miller has crafted a candid portrait of one of the most complex, fascinating, difficult, and colorful figures in American history. From his birth in 1908 to his death in 1973, the story of Lyndon B. Johnson is told with no sparing his personal excesses and contentious public image - while also highlighting the strength of his greatest accomplishments in Washington.
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Flawless
- By Jeffrey on 01-04-21
By: Merle Miller
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Camelot's End
- Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight That Broke the Democratic Party
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Carter presidency was on life support. The Democrats, desperate to keep power and yearning to resurrect former glory, turned to Ted Kennedy. Camelot's End details the incredible drama of Kennedy's challenge - what led to it, how it unfolded, and its lasting effects - with cinematic sweep. It is a story about what happened to the Democratic Party when the country's long string of successes, luck, and global dominance following World War II ran its course, and how, on a quest to recapture the magic of JFK, Democrats plunged themselves into an intra-party civil war.
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Does character count in political office?
- By marwalk on 07-29-19
By: Jon Ward
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American Carnage
- On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump
- By: Tim Alberta
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 26 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The 2016 election was a watershed for the United States. But, as Tim Alberta explains in American Carnage, to understand Trump’s victory is to view him not as the creator of this era of polarization and bruising partisanship, but rather as its most manifest consequence. American Carnage is the story of a president’s rise based on a country’s evolution and a party’s collapse. As George W. Bush left office with record-low approval ratings and Barack Obama led a Democratic takeover of Washington, Republicans faced a moment of reckoning.
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masterpiece
- By ZZ on 07-26-19
By: Tim Alberta
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Team of Five
- The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump
- By: Kate Andersen Brower
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Residence and First Women - also a New York Times best seller - comes a poignant, news-making look at the lives of the five former presidents in the wake of their White House years, including the surprising friendships they have formed through shared perspective and empathy.
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Fascinating
- By Jean on 06-18-20
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The Education of an Idealist
- A Memoir
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Samantha Power
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign.
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Sam's Power: Privilege in U.S. Politics
- By RelizzScholar27 on 11-09-19
By: Samantha Power
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The Last Republicans
- Inside the Extraordinary Relationship Between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
- By: Mark K. Updegrove
- Narrated by: Milton Jeffers
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In this balanced, illuminating audiobook, Updegrove tells the story of the Bushes' relationship from the birth of George W. through their postpresidential years and Jeb Bush's failed candidacy. Drawing on exclusive access and interviews with both presidents and the key people in their lives, Updegrove reveals the Bushes' views on the current state of the nation and the GOP and how the party they both led and helped build is undergoing a radical transformation.
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Father and Son Presidents
- By Jean on 02-14-18
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The Presidents
- Noted Historians Rank America's Best - and Worst - Chief Executives
- By: Brian Lamb, Susan Swain, Douglas Brinkley - introduction, and others
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann, Grace Angela Henry
- Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The complete rankings of our best - and worst - presidents, based on C-SPAN's much-cited Historians Surveys of Presidential Leadership. Over a period of decades, C-SPAN has surveyed leading historians on the best and worst of America's presidents across a variety of categories - their ability to persuade the public, their leadership skills, their moral authority, and more. The crucible of the presidency has forged some of the very best and very worst leaders in our national history, along with everyone in between.
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Too Much Praise
- By veronica d on 02-05-21
By: Brian Lamb, and others
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Great Society
- A New History
- By: Amity Shlaes
- Narrated by: Terence Aselford
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In Great Society, Shlaes offers a powerful companion to her legendary history of the 1930s, The Forgotten Man, and shows that in fact there was scant difference between two presidents we consider opposites: Johnson and Nixon. Just as technocratic military planning by "the Best and the Brightest" made failure in Vietnam inevitable, so planning by a team of the domestic best and brightest guaranteed fiasco at home. At once history and biography, Great Society sketches moving portraits of the characters in this transformative period.
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How have we forgotten how bad these ideas were?
- By Robert S. Allen on 02-09-20
By: Amity Shlaes
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The Unexpected President
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Despite his promising start as a young man, by his early 50s Chester A. Arthur was known as the crooked crony of New York machine boss Roscoe Conkling. For years Arthur had been perceived as unfit to govern, not only by critics and the vast majority of his fellow citizens but by his own conscience. As President James A. Garfield struggled for his life, Arthur knew better than his detractors that he failed to meet the high standard a president must uphold. And yet, from the moment President Arthur took office, he proved to be not just honest but brave.
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Exceptional
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What listeners say about His Very Best
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jae Miles
- 11-15-20
Very enlightening
I am inspired to do more during my retirement. l spent my career in service to others. This book encouraged me not to give up. But, seek new ways to help and uplift others.
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- Stuart Korshak
- 04-19-22
Jimmy Carter and climate change it could’ve occurred but didn’t because he was not reelected
Great book. I had never understood what a good man and wonderful president Jimmy Carter really was. What he accomplished for peace in the world, climate change, and the environment made him one of our better presidents. Had he been reelected I believe we would’ve had real action come on in I’m climate change a lot earlier
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-17-22
Fair, honest, thorough
Well written, objective, a pleasure to listen too. I throughly enjoyed the detail and narration
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- Martha
- 08-28-22
Excellent.
It's well past time that we should re-examine Jimmy Carter, and this book did a wonderful job. It peeled back the curtain not only on what the Carters presidency actually was, but also all of the factors that worked together to convince everybody that it was something else. I knew some good things about Carter going into this book, but (unlike almost any other politician), the more I actually learned about him, the more respect I gained. Now I am very much a Jimmy Carter fan.
(In all seriousness though, this book helps to illuminate a widely misunderstood period, and I would highly recommend reading it, even if you don't particularly like Carter).
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- J. Webster
- 11-04-20
Glad to Read this Book
It is important to have examples to lead us. As a Southerner, the choices we have made are not always the best but to see another human’s improvements as he works his way the the choices is confirming and inspiring. Thank you, Jimmy Carter.
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- AnnKatrin Petersen
- 06-04-21
A personality of extraordinary willpower &humanity
masterfully told story of Jimmy, Carter and all the many characters of our human species that are pulling the strings on power, money, ideologies, and geopolitical influence. How to achieve peace and humanity in all this mess is at the core of JC work?
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- albionmark
- 05-30-21
Pretty comprehensive history of a complex man
The first presidential election that I was eligible to vote in, I proudly voted for "Jimmy". My mom and I agreed that he seemed like a good and decent man. Little did I know that I was also voting for one of the most complex and compelling people of all time. Many of his accomplishments as president were "before his time", including his actions on climate change.
I was disheartened to hear about the poor treatment he received from successive presidents. I'm glad to see that his reputation has changed for the better in 2020 and beyond. I highly recommend this book.
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- Carin Berger
- 12-28-23
Comprehensive and informative
I was born right after Carter‘s presidency ended, so I did not know very much about the details of it or honestly the man who became president. All I really knew about was the guy afterwards all around the world doing good. What this book really illuminates to me, is how many things in our world today or influenced ultimately for the better by Carter’s presidency. Though he did not get to enjoy many of those policy changes the next 40 years of American history would not have played out how it did for better or worse, without the hard decisions that he made. If you like presidential biographies, this one is definitely worth the read.
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- Jean
- 02-10-21
Excellent
I have read some of Carter’s books and most of the biographies about him. I am glad to read a new in-depth biography of Jimmy Carter. He is one of the most under-covered former presidents.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. Including access to Carter’s diaries. The book is comprehensive, not overly detailed and, in my opinion, unbiased. It comes across that Alter thinks that Jimmy Carter is the most misunderstood president. At the end of the book, Alter covers Carter’s post presidency. Alter is a journalist. So, the book reads from that prospective rather than of an academic historian/biographer. If you are interested in presidential biographies, I highly recommend this book.
The book is thirty-one hours and four minutes or 670 pages. Michael Boatman does a good job narrating the book. It is my first experience with listening to Boatman. Boatman is an actor and audiobook narrator.
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- Edgar
- 12-28-20
Incredible story about an incredible life!
although I admired President Carter immensely and valued his presidency, I had no idea how much he accomplished that remains in place today.
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