Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President

by Jimmy Carter

Book Overview

In Keeping Faith, originally published in 1982, President Carter provides a candid account of his time in the Oval Office, detailing the hostage crisis in Iran, his triumph at the Camp David Middle... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553050230
• ISBN13: 9780553050233
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 622 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Too Honest for the White House

I met Jimmy Carter in 1991, when he and I were in Zambia at the same time. It is hard to meet a former US Presdient, and ironic to meet him in Africa. I was resident in Kenya at that time, working as a linguist designing language and culture training programs for foreigners coming to work with Christian churches. I happened to be visiting in Zambia at that time investigating local resources for organizing a language programs for the language of the Lozi people, who live along the Zambezi River in Zambia and surrounding countries. Jimmy was there with staff from his Carter Foundation monitoring the elections of the country for a transition to democracy after a long period under the first president, really a dictator, Kenneth Kaunda. I was invited to attend a meeting of American missionaries he was scheduled to address. He was a wonderfully unpretentious and personable person, a real person meeting other real persons. He spoke formally and then informally at a general reception with us. After the meeting with the gorup, I had a further opportunity to visit with Jimmy personally. I joined the leader of the mission group that had arranged the meeting to talk informally with President Carter as he sat in the open door of his van, while waiting for the final security checks to be finished by his Secret Service officers before his departure. In this book Jimmy Carter presents his experiences and memories of his one term in office as President of the United States. He expresses himself in the same personal, unpretentious and humble style he exhibited when speaking to us in person. He writes in an honest and confessional style to present his experiences. He writes not in terms of a catalogue of events, but in personal terms of his thoughts and feelings as the events unfolded. He starts off with the Iran hostage affair, which was not finally resolved until a few minutes after he had already relinquished his office to Ronald Reagan at the January 20 swearing-in ceremony. It was clear to us who observed this sad situation from an overseas view that the Iranian Revolutionary government had conducted this affair over the last year of the Carter Presidency primarily to undermine the US, but specifically as a slap at President Carter. This in itself is ironic, because the general reaction to President Carter from overseas, and epecially the "Third World," was that now we had a US president who could be trusted, who tried to meet the rest of the world on its own terms, and who wanted to do what was best for the whole world community -- to do what was right. Carter expresses the same disappointed concept of the Iran hostage affair. Perhaps the Revolutionary government of Iran had already been given some word from the Reagan Republican campaign that they would get a special under-the-table deal on arms if Carter were defeated. Who knows why they thougth this was the right approach towards America and its conciliatory president? In this book Carter rev

Great book by a great man

Growing up in the 1990s, I was never familiar with President Carter or his specific policies. This book gives a very thorough and honest review of the major policy issues confronting President Carter in the late 1970s. If you think his presidency was a failure, you should at least take time to read about why he acted the way he did. He explains the seemingly endless energy debate in great detail and also what led him to give his infamous "crisis of confidence" speech. He gives a practically minute-by-minute account of the hostage crisis and how he worked (successfully) to win their release without nuclear weaponry or massive bloodshed. His coverage of the 1980 election was somewhat superficial so I suggest those interested in that election look elsewhere. If you are a die-hard Republican intent on bashing President Carter, this book is not for you, but if you are sincerely interested in knowing more about the Carter administration, then by all means buy it. Carter does try to justify his actions, but what presidential memoir doesn't? This is a great book that some of the other reviewers seem not to have read.

Well Written - Insightful

Jimmy Carter was a unique individual among recent US Presidents. In the wake of Watergate a man unknown outside of Georgia stunned the pundits by taking both the Democratic Nomination and the Presidency. He brought to the Oval Office a habit he shared with two of his 20th century predecessors, Nixon and Truman - that of writing dailiy entries in a diary. This he maintained, thankfully, throughout his presidency. It is from these entries that his memoirs are constructed. The book is refreshingly open and honest abount the man's objectives, triumphs, mistakes and regrets. The problems that Jimmy Carter faced in the White House were tremendous. His solutions were thoughtful and long term. Thus we are left with the perception that Carter was a failure. He did fail in making Americans feel good, and he failed in the image game. He never came across well on television and came across preachy.Had Ford won in '76 he too would have faced the same crises, and, perhaps would have managed them as well as did Carter. Ford would have done so with a Washington savy that smacked of competence. Carter won essentially because he lacked such Washington savy - I honestly believe he lost in '80 for the same reason. The This book succeeds where President Carter failed - in communicating his ideas.Ironically, The Great Communicator's book fails where Reagan was most successful. 'Keeping Faith' is well written and worth the reading - this cannot be said of Mr. Reagan's memoirs 'An American Life'.

The Misunderstood Presidency Re-examined

Jimmy Carter has received an unfavorable review after his four year presidency. He has been left open to hawkish critics for a number of events that occured during his four year presidency. Afghanistan and Iran left blemishing marks on Carter's record. What we fail to consider is the fact that events in Iran, the greatest concern during his presidency, grew out of regional concerns; the Shah was a menance, unfavorable to the majority of Iran and Carter did not opposed Khominei's Iranian republic. While he may have disliked the idea of losing Iran, a pillar of support in a volatile region of the world, he recognized the new government. In addition, he did everything possible to get the hostages out of Iran as soon as possible, while maintaining America's elevated moral position and avoid millitary intervention. In retrospect, the hostage crisis was a product of internal Iranian society and politics, not Carter's decisions.Carter must be viewed as a loyal American, who tried his best to salvage a messy Iranian sitauion, and a president who has miraculously redefined his image in the US after his presidency.

Keeping Faith: What a memoir should be!

Jimmy Carter's, Keeping Faith, is one of the most intriguing Presidential memoirs. Its story isn't bogged down with boring numbers or percentages, just the facts being told in a fascinating manner. From Carter's description of his administration the reader develops an understanding behind the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Peace Accords, and the Iran hostage affair. It's not difficult to understand why the Presidency is such a stressful job. Carter's memoirs manage to hold the reader's attention from start to finish and that's something worth reading!