How co-writing a book threatened the Carters' marriage
This combination of book cover images shows some of the many books authored by President Jimmy Carter, top row from left, "An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood," "Christmas in Plains: Memories," "The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture," "The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War," "Sharing Good Times," "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," and "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," bottom row from left, "Beyond the White House," "A Remarkable Mother," "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work," "White House Diary" (FSG), "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power," "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety," and "Faith: A Journey for All." Credit: AP
NEW YORK — No ex-president had a more prolific and diverse publishing career than Jimmy Carter.
His more than two dozen books included nonfiction, poetry, fiction, religious meditations and a children’s story. His memoir “An Hour Before Daylight” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002, while his 2006 best-seller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” stirred a fierce debate by likening Israel’s policies in the West Bank to the brutal South African system of racial segregation.
And just before his 100th birthday, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation honored him with a lifetime achievement award for how he wielded "the power of the written word to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.”
In one recent work, “A Full Life,” Carter observed that he “enjoyed writing” and that his books “provided a much-needed source of income.” But some projects were easier than others.
“Everything to Gain,” a 1987 collaboration with his wife, Rosalynn, turned into the “worst threat we ever experienced in our marriage,” an intractable standoff for the facilitator of the Camp David accords and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
According to Carter, Rosalynn was a meticulous author who considered “the resulting sentences as though they have come down from Mount Sinai, carved into stone.” Their memories differed on various events and they fell into “constant arguments.” They were ready to abandon the book and return the advance, until their editor persuaded them to simply divide any disputed passages between them.
“In the book, each of these paragraphs is identified by a ‘J’ or an ‘R,’ and our marriage survived,” he wrote.
Copies of former President Jimmy Carter's book, "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety," sit in stacks at the Free Library in Philadelphia, July 10, 2015. Credit: AP/Matt Rourke
Here is a partial list of books by Carter:
“Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President”
“The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East”
(With Rosalynn Carter) “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life”
Former President Jimmy Carter holds a copy of his book, "An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections," in May 1988 in Georgia. Credit: AP/Joe Holloway Jr.
“An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections”
“Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age”
“Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems”
(With daughter Amy Carter) “The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer”
“Living Faith”
“The Virtues of Aging”
“An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood”
“Christmas in Plains: Memories”
“The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War”
“Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis”
“Faith & Freedom: The Christian Challenge for the World”
“Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid”
“A Remarkable Mother”
“Beyond the White House”
“We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work”
“White House Diary”
“NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter”
“A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power”
“A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety”
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