Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age - Softcover

Carter, Jimmy

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9780812922998: Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812922999 ISBN 13: 9780812922998

Publisher: Times Books, 1993

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The former president's personal tale of political intrigue and social conflict during his first campaign for public office. Iluminates the origins of his commitment to human rights and bears further witness to the accomplishments of an extraordinary man.

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From Publishers Weekly:

In this engrossing account of his first campaign for public office, the former President describes himself as a naive 38-year-old farmer and small-businessman who got an education in the rough-and-tumble of Georgia politics. The year was 1962, and the "one man, one vote" ruling had just been handed down by the Supreme Court. On Election Day Carter watched helplessly as Joe Hurst, a supporter of his opponent in the race for state senator, stole the election with blatant ballot-stuffing. Carter hired a lawyer and, aided by a journalist's expose, forced a recount to come up a winner. A suspenseful narrative about a neophyte's harsh introduction to regional politics, the story of Carter's local victory also illuminates the end of the legalized system of white supremacy, rural domination of government and deprivation of civil rights for blacks in the South. Noting that the race issue has returned to American politics, Carter characterizes the U.S. as a once-again segregated nation. In the concluding chapter he discusses the Atlanta Project, which he heads with the former First Lady, a project aimed at improving the quality of life in the inner cities. Photos. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Former President Carter has written an account of his successful 1962 bid for a seat in the Georgia State Senate. The campaign occurred as Georgia and the remainder of the South were struggling with federal court mandates to end racial segregation in schools and to reapportion state legislatures to provide greater representation for urban areas. As one of the "New South" Democrats who emerged in the region in the 1960s and 1970s, Carter was a "moderate" on racial issues. He does not, however, clearly explain here what his views on segregation were at the time or how they evolved. Carter's account of the campaign does capture the colorful flavor and the not infrequently irregular election practices that characterized rural Southern politics during this era. General readers will appreciate these aspects of the book, but they may find Carter's discussions of Georgia's unusual "county unit" electoral system and the legal issues raised in his battle against voting fraud somewhat difficult to follow. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/92.
- Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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