Synopses & Reviews
In An Hour Before Daylight, Jimmy Carter, bestselling author of
Living Faith and
Sources of Strength, recreates his Depression-era boyhood on a Georgia farm before the civil rights movement forever changed it and the country.
Carter writes about the powerful rhythms of countryside and community in a sharecropping economy, offering an unforgettable portrait of his father, a brilliant farmer and a strict segregationist who treated black workers with respect and fairness; his strong-willed and well-read mother; and the five other people who shaped his early life, three of whom were black.
Carter's clean and eloquent prose evokes a time when the cycles of life were predictable and simple and the rules were heartbreaking and complex. In his singular voice and with a novelist's gift for detail, Jimmy Carter creates a sensitive portrait of an era that shaped the nation and recounts a classic, American story of enduring importance.
Review
"Captivating." Jesse Birnbaum, Time
Review
"A love story of a man's passion for his home, his family, and...for his fellow man...Will stay in the mind long after the last page is read." United Press International
Review
"More than just an engaging memoir, this book is first-rate social history, a portrait of a subculture of America...a genetic road map of the making of a president." Ray Jenkins, Baltimore Sun
Review
Jesse Birnbaum
Time
Captivating.
Review
"A lovely and haunting piece of work...conveys with quiet passion...its author's love for the place in which he grew up and where, he says, he expects to rest for eternity." Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World
Review
"An American classic." The New Yorker
Review
andlt;divandgt;"An American classic."andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Captivating."andlt;/divandgt;
Synopsis
"An American classic." --The New Yorker In An Hour Before Daylight, Jimmy Carter, bestselling author of Living Faith and Sources of Strength, recreates his Depression-era boyhood on a Georgia farm before the civil rights movement forever changed it and the country.
Carter writes about the powerful rhythms of countryside and community in a sharecropping economy, offering an unforgettable portrait of his father, a brilliant farmer and a strict segregationist who treated black workers with respect and fairness; his strong-willed and well-read mother; and the five other people who shaped his early life, three of whom were black.
Carter's clean and eloquent prose evokes a time when the cycles of life were predictable and simple and the rules were heartbreaking and complex. In his singular voice and with a novelist's gift for detail, Jimmy Carter creates a sensitive portrait of an era that shaped the nation and recounts a classic, American story of enduring importance.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Jimmy Carterandlt;/bandgt; was born in Plains, Georgia, and served as thirty-ninth President of the United States. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that prevents and resolves conflicts, enhances freedom and democracy, and improves health around the world. He is the author of numerous books, including andlt;Iandgt;Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, An Hour Before Daylightandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Our Endangered Valuesandlt;/iandgt;. He received a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy Award for his recording of andlt;Iandgt;Our Endangered Valuesandlt;/iandgt;. All of President Carter's proceeds from this series will go to the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ONE andlt;Iandgt;Land, Farm, and Placeandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;TWO andlt;Iandgt;Sharecropping as a Way of Lifeandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;THREE andlt;Iandgt;Hard Times, and Politicsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;FOUR andlt;Iandgt;My Life as a Young Pupandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;FIVE andlt;Iandgt;My Mama and Daddyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SIX andlt;Iandgt;Boiled Peanuts in Plainsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SEVEN andlt;Iandgt;Breaking Ground, to Be a Manandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;EIGHT andlt;Iandgt;Learning More About Lifeandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;NINE andlt;Iandgt;Learning About Sinandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;TEN andlt;Iandgt;The Carters of Georgiaandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ELEVEN andlt;Iandgt;The Navy Versus Plainsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ACKNOWLEDGMENTSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;INDEX