Jimmy Carter Wrote 32 Bestsellers: Looking Back at the Late President's Books

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died on December 29 at the age of 100. After a four-year presidency, Carter fostered a successful writing career.

The former president wrote a total of 32 books, all of which were bestsellers. The subjects of the former president’s books were wide-ranging: foreign policy to religious theory, personal experience with faith to historical presidential moments, introspection to art, and even children’s stories. Carter has taken on a wide range of genres and told a great breadth of stories from his unique perspective.

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Simon & Schuster published Carter’s latest book, Faith: A Journey for All 2018. The former president was “America’s most protean author,” Chairman and CEO Jonathan Karp said in a statement.

“Throughout his books, he maintained a voice of great integrity and intellectual honesty,” Karp wrote. “We are grateful to have published so many of President Carter’s books, books that will endure as a legacy to readers who wish to appreciate the life and mind of one of the most inspiring and admired world leaders of our time.”

Explore Carter’s entire collection of books below.

‘Faith: A Journey for All’ by Jimmy Carter.

Why not the best? (1975, 1996)

Carter’s first book, Why not the best? that’s how he presented himself to the international public – the governor of Georgia pushing Americans to strive for better government.

A government as good as its people (1977, 1996)

This book contains a culmination of 62 of Carter’s most memorable public statements before he assumed the nation’s highest office—including speeches, press conferences, debate statements, and excerpts from interviews.

Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President (1982, 1995)

In his first op-ed about his time as president, Carter recalls important moments from his time in the Oval Office — like the Iran hostage crisis and his success at the Camp David Middle East peace summit. He also writes about his experience with other world leaders and his personal life during his one-term presidency.

Negotiation: an alternative to hostility (1984, 2003)

Part of the Carl Vinson Memorial Lecture Series at Mercer University, this book outlines Carter’s ideas on seeking lasting peace, including “bright thinking, unexpected approaches, and unorthodox ideas.”

Blood of Abraham: An Insight into the Middle East (1985, 1993, 2007)

In this political analysis, Carter — who paved the way for the Camp David Accords — outlines the historical and religious context behind the conflicts and tensions in the Middle East.

All you can get: Make the most of the rest of your life (1987, 1995)

Written with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, this book follows Rosalynn and Jimmy’s post-White House marriage, including their work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center, as well as issues of health and their relationship.

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Outdoor Diary: Adventures and Reflections (1988, 1994)

In a significant departure from his earlier books, An outdoor diary focuses on Carter’s love of the outdoors, including his adventures in hunting, fishing and enjoying the natural world.

Turning point: The growth of the candidate, the state and the nation (1992)

This book provides a retrospective look at Carter’s campaign for public office in 1962, as the American South was approaching great change with the Civil Rights Movement.

Talking about peace: A vision for the next generation (1993, 1995)

In this book, Carter explains how any person, regardless of age, can support efforts for world peace, and he draws his thinking from his experience navigating American politics.

Always a Reckoning and other songs (1995)

His first work of poetry – and the first published work of poetry by any American president – this text creatively deals with his childhood, family and political life. This book was illustrated by his granddaughter Sarah Elizabeth Chuldenko.

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Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (1995)

Illustrated by the former president’s only daughter, Amy Carter, Carter’s first children’s book is a tale of fruitful friendship in the wake of tragedy.

A living faith (1996)

In this spiritual autobiography, Carter shares his religious beliefs and conveys the importance of faith in his own life, along with compassion, forgiveness, and acts of service.

Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for Living Faith (1997)

The former president compiled 52 of his favorite Bible lessons — all of which he taught during Sunday school classes at his hometown church in Plains, Ga. — in this accompanying book A living faith.

The virtues of aging (1998)

Carter, who wrote this book in his 70s, looks back on his wide range of experiences, reflecting on his life and sharing the wisdom he has gleaned in this meditative book.

An hour before day: Memories of a country boyhood (2001)

This biography focuses on Carter’s childhood, in the midst of the Great Depression and the stock economy structure. Carter paints a vivid picture of his family and those close to him in his childhood, especially the impressionable blacks who helped shape him into adulthood.

Christmas in the plain: memories (2001)

The former president collects some of his most treasured holiday memories — family, presents, eggnog, decorations and the story of the birth of Christ — from his childhood to adulthood, when he traveled home to Plains, Ga. to the celebration.

Lecture on the Nobel Peace Prize (2002)

In response to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work in finding solutions to peace, Carter gave this lecture, which was subsequently published in writing.

The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the War of Independence (2003)

In this work of historical fiction centered on a family intertwined with Native Americans in Georgia, Carter illuminates the South as the main site of the Revolutionary War,

Sharing good times (2004)

This book is Carter’s account of the small things—small but important. He captures generations of special moments with his family, including parents, children, grandchildren, friends and beloved wife Rosalynn.

Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis (2005)

Carter interweaves his personal views with the main political points of contemporary debate in this book, which looks at the ways in which politics and religion intersect.

‘Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid’ by Jimmy Carter.

Palestine: Peace, not apartheid (2006, 2007)

Drawing on Carter’s relationships with world leaders, this book outlines what Carter believed was the path to peace in Israel while still maintaining a Palestinian identity.

Beyond the White House: Making Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope (2007)

This memoir follows Carter’s life after the White House as he continues his mission toward world peace.

An extraordinary mother (2008)

The former president shapes his mother’s image in this book, highlighting her humanitarian and social justice efforts alongside her work in the Peace Corps and anti-racist efforts in the American South.

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work (2009)

In this book, Carter builds on the ideas he first presented Palestine: Peace, not apartheid to propose a plan for peace in the Middle East.

White House Diary (2010)

In this edited and annotated version of his diary, Carter chronicles his daily struggles and triumphs as president, including the negotiations that resulted in the Camp David Accords.

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Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations of the 39th President (2011)

For each day of the year, Carter offers a piece of wisdom that draws on Christian scriptures and his own life experiences.

NIV Life Bible Lessons: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter; NSRV Simple Faith Bible (2012, 2020)

Carter was the editor of the original edition of this volume, which combines Sunday school lessons with the New International Version of the Bible. The second edition, published in 2020, applies the same concept to the new revised standard version.

Call to action: women, religion, violence and power (2014)

Inspired by leaders of many faiths to write this book, Carter draws attention to issues that women around the world face every day — including slavery, genital mutilation, child marriage and a lack of ownership of their own lives.

‘Pictures of Jimmy Carter’ by Jimmy Carter.

Pictures of Jimmy Carter (2014)

The former president developed an affinity for painting in the 1980s, and transformed his woodworking shop into a home studio. He collected many of his paintings in this book — which contains more than 50 works of art.

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Full life: Reflections in the nineties (2015)

At age 90, decades after leaving the nation’s highest office, Carter wrote a starkly honest account of his life with the clarity of hindsight. It built on ideas from previous books, such as his time in the military and admiring his family.

The artistry of Jimmy Carter (2018)

In this honest tale of hard work, Carter reflects on the fruits of his manual labor — using a range of tools to make furniture and a plow to till the soil.

Faith: A Journey for All (2018)

Carter’s latest book conveys all that he has learned on his journey of faith. In this text, the former president explores how religion affects different aspects of life and how it intersects with American identity.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education