The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter

Written by Kai Bird

Narrated by Arthur Morey

“Important . . . [a] landmark presidential biography . . . Bird is able to build a persuasive case that the Carter presidency deserves this new look.”—The New York Times Book Review

An essential re-evaluation of the complex triumphs and tragedies of Jimmy Carter’s presidential legacy—from the expert biographer and Pulitzer Prize–winning co-author of American Prometheus

Four decades after Ronald Reagan’s landslide win in 1980, Jimmy Carter’s one-term presidency is often labeled a failure; indeed, many Americans view Carter as the only ex-president to have used the White House as a stepping-stone to greater achievements. But in retrospect the Carter political odyssey is a rich and human story, marked by both formidable accomplishments and painful political adversity. In this deeply researched, brilliantly written account, Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Kai Bird deftly unfolds the Carter saga as a tragic tipping point in American history.

As president, Carter was not merely an outsider; he was an outlier. He was the only president in a century to grow up in the heart of the Deep South, and his born-again Christianity made him the most openly religious president in memory. This outlier brought to the White House a rare mix of humility, candor, and unnerving self-confidence that neither Washington nor America was ready to embrace. Decades before today’s public reckoning with the vast gulf between America’s ethos and its actions, Carter looked out on a nation torn by race and demoralized by Watergate and Vietnam and prescribed a radical self-examination from which voters recoiled. The cost of his unshakable belief in doing the right thing would be losing his re-election bid—and witnessing the ascendance of Reagan.

In these remarkable pages, Bird traces the arc of Carter’s administration, from his aggressive domestic agenda to his controversial foreign policy record, taking readers inside the Oval Office and through Carter’s battles with both a political establishment and a Washington press corps that proved as adversarial as any foreign power. Bird shows how issues still hotly debated today—from national health care to growing inequality and racism to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—burned at the heart of Carter’s America, and consumed a president who found a moral duty in solving them.

Drawing on interviews with Carter and members of his administration and recently declassified documents, Bird delivers a profound, clear-eyed evaluation of a leader whose legacy has been deeply misunderstood. The Outlier is the definitive account of an enigmatic presidency—both as it really happened and as it is remembered in the American consciousness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9780735209053

Kai Bird

Kai Bird is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer and journalist. With Martin J. Sherwin, he won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2006 for American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award–winning Best Picture, Oppenheimer. Bird is Executive Director and Distinguished Lecturer at the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. He has won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Duff Cooper Prize for History and is the recipient of numerous fellowships. His work includes critical writings on the Vietnam War, Hiroshima, nuclear weapons, the Cold War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the CIA. He is an elected member of the prestigious Society of American Historians.

Reviews for The Outlier

[c.archer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Outlier is a very well written and balanced compilation of the events of Jimmy Carter's presidency. The author presents him and those who were a part of his presidency in a clear unvarnished light. I found it a fascinating look back in history with much that remains relevant and prescient of our world today.

[gregdehler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Outlier is book on Jimmy Carter's presidency, but it feels more like a biography than a more traditional history of an administration. Bird presents a very sympathetic view of Carter and his personality, but does not shy away from his flaws and failings. Overall, it is favorable to President Carter, his policies, and achievements. He considers Carter to be an under appreciated, consequential president who was ahead of his time in many policy proposals, especially regarding energy. If there is a villain it is National Security Advisor Zbiginew Brzezinski. It seems his every idea and recommendation to president was the wrong one to follow. Its almost comical. Despite its length, I felt The Outlier omitted some information that I as a reader would have appreciated. For example, there is almost no discussion of votings in the 1976 primaries or either the 1976 or 1980 general elections. Carter's enemies -- be them Democrats or Republicans -- seem to get a very superficial analysis. I felt some legislation/laws were mentioned but their contents went largely unexplained.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Outlier
The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter
by Kai Bird
Crown Publishing
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book!

Jimmy Carter has to be my favorite President. Obama was good but even he had flaws he just hid them. With Carter, he was open and honest and according to polls, people would rather have someone that breaks the rules a few times if it means getting things done. Not me, I want someone with integrity and honestly! But Carter did get things done. I think Carter's time in office was often bad timing on the world stage and other staged plots by Roy Cohn as described in the book.

This follows Carter from his humble beginning on a farm with no running water or electricity to after his Presidency. From boy, man, husband and soldier, to Senator, Governor, then to President and beyond. It deals with family, friends, co-workers, his ideals, his accomplishments, and his failures. It told how he was conservative on some things and liberal on others.

As Governor, and this really wasn't too different than when he was President, he worked for prison reform, education, climate and preserving land, childcare, hunger, and more. But he also was ok with the death penalty for some cases.

As President, he was before his time in climate change. He put solar panels on the White House. (Of course ignorant Reagan took them down!) The only big problem he had was one of his main advisors was accused of cooking the books and the rest of his staff made the guy resign. After the trial, he was proven innocent. Roy Cohn later was the one that started it all to bring shame on Carter's legacy. Carter's popularity went down due to that.

He was working on the high inflation, about had it going in the right direction but not in time to save his election bid, and he should've cut defense spending and focused more on internal development. But the was no wars but a hostage situation at the end of his term, again due to interference.

Overall, Carter manage to get the Panama deal, and several more international issues started or completed. Social security running well. Other major accomplishments we take for granted today. He tried to get a universal healthcare but couldn't get it through. Obama's healthcare piggybacked off of Carter's.

Carter, in his later 90's, is still helping humanity. Still the honest, sweet man that did what he felt was right and didn't care what side of the political stick you were on.

This is a very informative and interesting look into a great man. It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or Republican, this is a story of a solid citizen, too honest for politics, but he accomplished things anyway! Highly recommend!

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Outlier: The Life and Presidency of Jimmy Carter by Kai Bird is an enlightening reassessment of Carter's presidency by putting it in line with the rest of his life. Doing so shows that what went right or wrong in his administration was less about doing the "wrong" thing but doing what he believed was the "right" thing regardless of political fallout or the impact on his reputation. When embedded in a system that rewards corruption and rarely does the "right" thing because it is right, trying to be fair and equitable becomes unpopular and comes largely to failure through efforts of those who want to undermine.

What makes this such a compelling read is that Carter is not presented as some kind of saint, his mistakes and weak points are mentioned as well as his good. But we see the consistency with which he leads his life. So often in politics, some current new upcoming right wing terrorists that have been elected to Congress are perfect examples, when a politician gains a platform those who knew them before don't recognize them. they change in big ways, not just shifting a bit on policy one way or another. Carter has been, as a human being, far more consistent than most of us and definitely far more than almost all politicians. Thus the dismal view of his term, we tried to do what he thought was right rather than what might get him reelected. And the evil regime that followed threw American lives away in order to seal that fate.

I would recommend this to those who would like to reconcile, in their minds, Carter's presidency with the Carter we have all come to respect in his post-presidency. In addition, for those who appreciate a good biography that contextualizes the events rather than simply telling them will enjoy this book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.