His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life

From one of America’s most-respected journalists and modern historians comes the first full-length biography of Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States and Nobel Prize–winning humanitarian.

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“Jonathan Alter’s important, fair-minded, highly readable contribution provides not just an authoritative introduction to Carter’s feats and failures but also insight into why a man of such intelligence, drive and noble intentions floundered in the White House as haplessly as he did.“

–New York Times Book Review

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Jonathan Alter’s new book, His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life, is available now.

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“In this definitive biography, Jonathan Alter provides a wonderfully readable assessment of the character and achievements of our most underrated modern president. It is a deeply personal account, filled with fascinating new information. Carter's story is a needed inspiration in this dark time.”
Walter Isaacson
Walter IsaacsonNew York Times bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci
“This deeply researched and fluidly written biography is the first truly comprehensive look at our 39th president. Alter illuminates Carter’s character, and explains much about the strengths and weaknesses of the elusive man from Plains. This is a fascinating work.”
Annette Gordon-Reed
Annette Gordon-ReedPulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello
“In this extraordinarily well-researched and well-written book, Jonathan Alter perfectly captures how Jimmy Carter was the most misunderstood president since Thomas Jefferson, and the only other not to lose a single American soldier in war. It's a compelling story of a complicated and brilliant life.”
Andrew Young
Andrew Youngformer US Ambassador to the UN, Mayor of Atlanta, and close confidant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Jonathan Alter has painted an important and revealing portrait of Jimmy Carter, an American president who led many different lives. Alter’s memorable book goes a long way toward illuminating the shadows that have long obscured him.”
Jon Meacham
Jon MeachamPulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America
“Students of recent presidential and world history will find Alter’s anecdotally rich narrative immensely rewarding.”
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Jonathan Alter has a gift for beleaguered America - an insightful, uplifting portrait of Jimmy Carter, a former president who never gave up on activating America’s essential goodness.
Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokawtelevision journalist and author
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Photograph ©️ Molly Alter

About Jonathan Alter

An award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer and radio host.

An award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer and radio host.

He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies”(2013), “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” (2010) and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope”(2006), also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. Alter released his latest book: “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life” on September 29th, 2020.

Since 1996, Alter has been a contributing correspondent and political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2019, he co-produced and co-directed the HBO documentary, “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists,” winning the 2020 Emmy for Best Historical Documentary.

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Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists

Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrating the acclaimed journalists and the city they loved.

Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary.
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