Sharing Good Times

The former president and best-selling author of Keeping Faith recalls some of the simple joys that he has enjoyed throughout the years, especially those that he has shared with members of his family, friends, and colleagues, from attending big league baseball games and annual holiday trips with his family to working together at the Carter Center. 350,000 first printing.

Former president and Nobel laureate Carter has published several memoirs. His latest heartfelt effort tackles a somewhat abstract topic: how sharing affects the enjoyment of any activity. When he was a boy in Archery, Ga., Carter realized he had to share an experience (seeing puppies born, watching a rat die of poisoning, etc.) with his buddies before they could collectively understand its meaning. As Carter matured, relationships became more compartmentalized, and he learned to act independently. His early married years were the height of his unilateralism; when he decided to retire from the navy and move the family to Plains, Ga., he simply exercised his "dominance as a husband" and announced it to his wife, Rosalynn. Learning to treat Rosalynn and their children as "equal partners" didn't come easily for Carter; it was only after his election as Georgia's governor that he started sharing fully with his wife (although, with characteristic candor, he adds, "I have to admit... that on occasion, I long for the earlier days"). Sharing the planning, the doing and the evaluating of an activity—whether it's running for office, volunteering or taking family excursions—gives it more depth, more meaning, he says. Indeed, as Carter ages and contemplates becoming slightly less active, the pleasure he's found by simply watching his grandchildren's pleasure has been a whole new revelation.
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Carter, generally held in high regard these days, is the poster president for the good works that former chief executives can accomplish. His books always prove popular, whether they are memoirs or historical fiction, and his latest one undoubtedly will be no exception. This is an even more personal book than his previous autobiographical works. In it, he recalls various occasions in his life that became "lasting sources of pleasure." Arranged in relatively chronological order, these special remembrances, which endowed him with special feelings he can still almost taste, include his personal reasons for seeing his father as a hero, watching minor- and major-league baseball games growing up, his days in the navy, road trips with his wife and children, his entry into politics, taking vacations while in the White House, his famous volunteer work, and even his hobbies. Carter admits that this book is a way for him not only to share some good experiences but also to inspire "anyone desiring to stretch mind and heart, to combine work and pleasure, and to reach out to others." Brad Hooper
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