Overall I enjoyed this book. I have always had a soft spot for President Carter and I enjoyed reading his take on events as he progressed through his presidency. What struck me most was his intense disdain for the media and the similar problems that he encountered that President Obama now faces. I loved the fact that he added in commentary to parts of the diary entries to further explain or update about events/issues/people. This gave a real insight to his mind. Some have said that the book was at times tedious. It's a diary and it goes through his day-to-day affairs. I didn't expect to be on the edge of my seat while reading it, instead I hoped to appreciate the time and issues that he faced/ It gives a great glimpse into the late 1970s and the state of America and the World. It was interesting for me to see how the Cold War played out in those years before Reagan and I also wanted to gain more insight to the Camp David Accords. I would recommend this book to anyone he wants to gain a greater understanding of the Carter Presidency, rather then someone who is looking for an autobiography. ( )

I have to admit that I quit on the book, which is not something I do often. Maybe it got better, but I didn't find the book at all engaging. I thought Bush's book "Decision Points" revealed something of his thinking at points during his presidency, and I liked Reagan's abridged diary, but the Carter diary was flimsy, filled with random thoughts which were all too brief and without insights. Perhaps I liked Reagan's book more than Carter's because Reagan as a personality is more engaging, and his Presidency was more successful, and therefore what he discussed was by extension more interesting. At any rate, I found the beginning of the book disappointing, which caused me to cut my losses and move on to a book I would find more engaging. ( )

Let it be known, despite popular opinion, I'm a fan of President Jimmy Carter, and all his post-presidency work. But this book was a complete revelation. Finding out that Carter was a shade short of old-fashioned Republican values like fiscal conservative policy, deregulation, federalism, and opposition to government assistance was unbelievably surprising. In today's world, he could run as a Republican and probably win. The next discovery was all the many things Carter is responsible for. Sure, everyone knows he was behind the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt, and that would be enough to secure a legacy. But this list: establishing the Department of Energy; establishing the Department of Education; establishing FEMA; almost single handedly revamping the federal judiciary with over 150 appointments, more females and people of color than ever before; securing the Panama Canal Treaty; establishing the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Added to all that, he promoted human rights in a way no other president or American government official ever had before - it was the basis for his Carter Center work later. And the most interesting tidbit - his use of paranormal people on a couple occasions, which he said, though it defied logic, couldn't be denied as effective. Having just read President Obama's book, this one is very different, styled as an actual diary with modern insertions to provide additional detail. The structure gives you a sense of what a day in a president's life might be like. ( )

In his preface to White House Diary, former President Jimmy Carter writes, “For the sake of compression I concentrated on a few general themes that are still pertinent – especially Middle East peace negotiations, nuclear weaponry, U.S.-China relations, energy policy, anti-inflation efforts, health policy, and my relationships with Congress. I also included some elements of my personal life that illustrate how it feels and what it means to be president” (pg. xiv).

One particularly unique feature of this book is that it allows the reader to track President Carter’s policies as they evolved over the course of his term. One of his major victories while in office was the creation of the Department of Education as a distinct cabinet department from the Department of Health. Discussing education policy, Carter writes, “With [Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joe] Califano I went over elementary- and secondary education proposals for 1978. Our educational system is discouraging. We ought to go into a rigid testing program, emphasize reading capability at the fourth-grade level and mathematics at a higher level, broaden representation of the poor in the educational process, equalize state funding, including parents in the teaching process, restore school buildings to the center of community activity, et cetera” (pg. 145). Later, on September 26th, 1979, Carter writes, “We’re making an all-out press for the Department of Education. The opposition is formidable with abortion, busing, private schools, and other issues being foisted on the bill. Frank [Moore] and his staff said we could not change any votes, but I got aggravated and we started trying again. I spent a lot of time calling members to support our legislation” (pg. 358). Carter reflected later on, “To see the establishment of an independent Department of Education had been a goal of mine ever since I served as chairman of our county’s board of education in the 1950s. For years, the vital subject of education was overshadowed by health and welfare; when HEW did focus on education, most of its attention was dedicated to judicial contests regarding such issues as busing students, equal opportunity for female athletes, and the role of the federal government in state and local education systems. My hope and expectation were that the new department would devote almost all its resources to making an effective contribution to education and supplementing the primary roles of state and local governments” (pg. 426).

At times, President Carter’s musings seem particularly prescient given our current political situation. Forecasting the rise of white-nationalist evangelicalism, Carter writes, “I met a group of national religious leaders who are even more concerned than I about the right-wing radical TV religious performers who equate a belief in Christ with the embracing of right-wing South American dictators, opposition to ERA, and a move to abolish the Department of Education. They are a threat to the Christian faith and trying to promote themselves through political means into a nationwide force” (pg. 454). Further, he demonstrates the consistent concern with drug use, and abuse, by policymakers. Carter writes on November 7th, 1977, “I met with the Council on Drug Abuse, and we’re making some progress under Dr. Bourne’s leadership. The heroin purity on the streets is the lowest in seven years, the price is up 25 percent, and this year the National Crime Index is down 7 percent. We’re moving on legal drugs like barbiturates, Valium, and others and trying to make some progress on the treatment of drug and alcohol abusers” (pg. 131). Carter discusses at several points the importance of treatment over punishment, a theme that medical professionals consistently urge 40 years later.

President Carter’s commitment to global peace and honesty with the American people pervades this account. Even as he struggled during his term, one can read the hope he held both for the people he served and for their future. In his conclusion, Carter honestly discusses areas where he feels the administration fell short or where new problems would prevent the type of active governing he championed during his term. Both for historians and those seeking to learn more about Jimmy Carter, this is a must-read. ( )

Interesting and revealing history of a president who had a lot of problems to deal with, but who still did as much as he could, and had a very productive post-presidency. Very interesting reading. ( )