Rating: 
Summary: Authentic and gripping tale of rural depression life
Review: This is the book that every baby boomer and Generation X-er should be required to read. Jimmy Carter provides a wonderfully vivid tale of southern rural depression life. The Carters and their neighbors were, by today's standard, fairly poor. They lived off the land, went barefoot most of the time, had no air conditioning and television. When they needed to go to town, most of the time their feet was the mode of transportation. As a child, the future president sold boiled peanuts on the streets of Plains, Ga,. He picked cotton, slaughtered hogs, milked cows, plowed fields, ate possum. In short, Jimmy Carter's early life was a hard one. Relatively speaking, however, the Carter's were wealthy, especially when compared to the destitute black sharecroppers and day workers who farmed their land.Carter's beautifully written book should serve as a reminder to us all how easy it is to take life's 21st Century comforts for granted and how soft and privileged the American middle class really is. He helped me understand the world in which my father grew up and also made me proud of my country that someone with the humble beginnings of a Jimmy Carter could still be elected president.
Rating:
Summary: Needs a colorful cover
Review: This was a wonderful book. Mr. Carter tells the story about how he grew up in a warm and candid manner. He grew up in rural Georgia during the depression era. He tells about the farm life and the chores and the cold mornings when he and his siblings would rush to his parents bedroom, the room with the heater, to get dressed. When he was on the farm he would play with black children and was close to the black families on the farm, but if he went to town to the movies with one of his black friends as soon as they got on the train they would seperate and go to different seating areas and when they got off they would walk to the theatre together and then again go to different seating areas. That was the way it was at that time. He talks about his family and how they interacted with each other. He doesn't try to mince his words, he gives an honest account of his youth. His family is a lot like most families {although not too many have one who was president), with some ups and downs, but underlying it all you can feel the love they have for each other. When you read this book you will understand the man, from the history of his youth. When I got done reading this book, I was left with a good feeling and a more positive attitude about the world. Jimmy Carter, through his religious beliefs, has done a lot of wonderful things for the people.
Rating: 
Summary: Jimmy Carter's Best Book
Review: Those who are not fans of former President Jimmy Carter may choose to ignore this book and his others. However, that would be a mistake. This book isn't about politics, its simply a memoir of a boy who grew up in the rural south during the 1930's. Its a down-to-earth and fascinating description of the way Jimmy, his family, and other Georgians lived during that time period which is also known as "The Great Depression". Those people who may appreciate his writings the most are probably those who lived through the time period. However, I think Jimmy really intended his book as an educational tool for the younger generation. Jimmy primarily tells the story through experiences he had with a variety of people: His father, James Earl (a stern but capable father), his mother, Ms. Lillian (who defied stereotypes of the day and worked outside her home), several black share croppers he knew well, his Uncle Buddy, and finally his sisters and brother. Its a highly readable account of lifestyles and the problems rural farmers faced because of the Great Depression. One part that has stayed with me was his father's angry reaction to having to plow his cotton crop underground one year because of New Deal agriculture policies designed to keep the price of cotton up. Jimmy recounts how everyone struggled to keep their farms and businesses afloat under the most difficult circumstances. He describes most of the people in the book in very positive terms. Most of the people were hard-working, courageous, friendly, and law-abiding. Virtues which many of us find absent in today's world. There is an innocence and decency to his childhood that seems to have permanently vanished. The only fault I could find with this book is that I think, at times, Jimmy takes too "rose colored" a view of the past. He does admit to problems.....the discrimination encountered by black people in the south, the poverty of many rural farmers, lack of access to medical care, etc. However, these seem to be sidelights to the rest of the story. The reality is that conditions were so hard that people lead shortened lives because of them. Discrimination against black people required that they attend segregated schools, eat in segregated restaurants, and run the risk of being lynched if they ever uttered a word of complaint. These social problems deserve more comment and condemnation than they get in this book. On the balance, this book is a highly readable account of life in the 1930's. Its a wonderful way to educate people who have no idea how people lived during this period about their way of life. If one reads no other book that Jimmy Carter has written, I would recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: A President Comes of Age.
Review: Using a journalist's eye, and introspect's heart, Jimmy Carter tells a warm and compelling tale of the times, places and people who shaped his life. Humbly examining the elements of his youth, Jimmy Carter recounts his earliest impressions of segregation, politics, and life and death. Jimmy Carters style is natural and compelling, and his honest appraisal of his families past is both frank and welcoming. Clearly a man of great humilty, Jimmy Carter appraises his actions in the face of racism, expressing both pride and regret, he never blames his failings on anyone, or anything, but his own lack of understanding. In the latter chapters of this book, Jimmy Carter closes in on his incompleted relationship with his stern but loyal father - a relationship that both shaped and confounded him. This book is a wonderfully paced read, with the selfeffacing warmth of a Jean Shepherd tale wrapped around the sepia toned history of one of America's greatest living leaders. This is a great read.
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