White House Diary [Hardcover]

I was expecting this book to closely mirror President Carter's well-written and introspective presidential memoir, "Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President." While the underlying presidential timeline is obviously the same, the content in White House Dairy is entirely different.

In "Keeping Faith," President Carter explains that in writing his memoir, he frequently referenced his diary, and he often includes diary entries directly in the text. These selections compliment the narrative very well, and illustrate the thought process behind some of his decisions. However, the diary selections in "Keeping Faith" consist of just a sentence or two here or there. Also, "Keeping Faith" was written in 1982, so while still relevant, many of its discussions have become dated.

While "White House Diary" is not an unabridged copy of every single diary entry, it does provide thorough, comprehensive coverage of Carter's presidency. I don't know of any other modern US president who has given us this level of access to their private thoughts and feelings. The writing style is classic Jimmy Carter: intelligent yet easy to read, slightly stiff yet completely honest. This hardcover book's layout and quality are top-notch, including dozens of black & white photos; some familiar, some that I don't recall ever having seen.

The text is organized in an intuitive manner. Diary entries comprise the majority of the text, which is printed in standard font. Notes about the diary passages are indicated by italics, and are very helpful. This is where Carter ties in relevant personal thoughts, past and present leaders and political players, and current events. Rather than being a distraction, these italicized notes are quite helpful and serve as a kind of a guide throughout the book. A good example of this mentioned by Carter is the 1978 FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), which Congress passed and which Carter supported, but which was circumvented by President Bush in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

Carter has been a prolific writer; many of his books have been topical, and a handful of them are quite forgettable. For those who want to understand Jimmy Carter and his presidency, I recommend four of his books: "Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President," his presidential memoir; "An Hour Before Daylight : Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood," which focuses on his family and upbringing; "Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope," which covers his post-presidential activities and the Carter Center's work; and this book, "White House Dairy," not only for it's intimate look at the life of a president, but also because of the correlations made in this book between the events of Carter's presidency and those of today.

5 of 5 stars: Entirely new material, unique perspective, well written and edited, appropriate length, and good presentation.

If you're considering buying this book, you're likely beguiled by some of the suspicious, one star reviews here on Amazon. I'd like to address this before I continue with my own review.

The latest tactic from conservative extremists is to criticize and demean anyone who has a differing political bent. It's a sad and distasteful way to represent the proud party of Lincoln; himself a gentleman and free thinker. In the spirit of free speech and intelligent discourse, there is certainly a place to argue the merits and deficiencies of our leaders. But a book review of any merit will focus on matters of writing style, content, and narrative; that's why it's called a "book review" and not a "cable news debate". Further, it lacks a fair and balanced sense of integrity if one criticizes a book they have never read. The lack of genuine content in these reviews makes this fact embarrassingly obvious. And, really, intelligent people of any political stripe deserve more than a bizarre rant.

My advice as a fellow reader and consumer is to ignore BOTH five-star reviews as well as those with a negative agenda and pay special attention to those in between. I often find excellent feedback there; the result of fair and vigorous assessment. Kudos are given where due and appropriately backed. Similarly, weaknesses are addressed without sentimentality or reservation.

Here's what I like about Carter's writing:

1) It's simple, concise, and nicely crafted. Only meaningful details and descriptions make their way into the author's prose. He's not flowery. He's not sparse. It's the right balance which makes for an accessible and engaging read.

2) The subject matter itself, with its broad scope of well-known figures and behind-the-scenes details, makes this the kind of insightful "tell all" that an adult won't be ashamed to read. :) Indeed, there is much to be culled about human nature, leadership, and negotiating from Carter's experiences.

3) The author is bold and frank enough to highlight his mistakes, shortcomings, and painful lessons. In this way, there is no pretense or vanity which might isolate the reader from the protagonist's journey. In fact, one feels like they are "in the thick of it" with the president; sharing the same experience and learning the same lessons.

4) This is a book that could have been dry and self-important. Instead, it reads like an elegant adventure through the halls of Washington power and over the world stage of public opinion. Engrossing.

No book is perfect but I'm giving "White House Diary" a solid four stars. It's worth your money and a terrific read.

J. Coleman
Actor/Writer
[...]

President Carter's latest book, White House Diary, is an rare look into the daily operations of the White House and Presidential Management Style. Any student of the Presidency should read this book with an open mind, as rare as that may be today. Carter simply presents his daily diary entries, no edits, no deletions. For many entries he includes updates and historic perspective. Should give everyone a better understanding of the unique challenges a President faces each day he/she's in office.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 43 reviews  3.3 out of 5 stars