Jimmy Carter - 'Full Life' - Reflections at Ninety - 2015

Full Life

Reflections at Ninety

Author - Jimmy Carter All Rights Reserved

Published by Simon and Schuster @ 2015

Pagination – 275

Review -

Sampson I.M Onwuka

The interesting narrative of Jimmy Carter’s industrial life ‘Full Life’ begins with the reasons for his cultivated interest at family tree – his father (Evan Carter), his mother (Lilian Gordy), leading to his highly foundering of ‘Family Tree’ through Mormon Church. Part of the reasons for that description is the structure of his family life in South Georgia and the gaps of communication with each other – that the closest family members were 9 miles away and stayed away from each other. People didn’t ask for each others' assistance and like his father, they were mostly self-reliant.

The poor communication in-between his family members may have resulted from lack of adequate facilities saving a rail road that runs through the farm yards, barns and livestock that were usually ‘over-worked’ and died from ‘exhaustion’.  It was these daily scenarios that prompted him to see the rest of mankind, a call he was willing to take on through the service to the military performed with zeal under the shadow of his father’s resistance to New Deal – at least some of it.

He was not kidding when he described his possessing influence, that,  “I grew up, one of my natural ambitions was to escape from the company of other children and women in just hoeing, picking cotton, and skating peanuts and to graduate to the exalted status of a skilled plowman who cultivate a crop.” (39). The Democrats held most of Jobs in Southern Georgia was defeating when the New Deal by arch democrat F.D.R arrived for congress. In all the pensive situation of localizing national politics along party lines ended in 1939 with Hatch Act.

These were deciding influences in how he dealt with end of the Breton Wood Accord for International currency basket during administration, how he saw the crises of Middle East in the most demanding decade and he responded to Crude oil crisis. Although the politics of inflation was upon him, his administration saw major reforms in U.S – CCCP relationship, saw the the rise of Japan’s Electronic Company and following the resurgence of some political groups in South America in Welfare reforms and Housing, and the administration witnessed the end of Moa Zedong’s rule in China and the consequences of Deng Xiaoping’s decision to join World Markets.

At ninety, there are hardly any new surprises to keep Jimmy Carter busy saving for the translation of some of the experience into accounts that deals with several stages on any life. Whereas we have several versions of Carter’s life especially the legacy of his one-time U.S Presidency (1976 – 80) at the White House, the book returns to his life as a congressman, unravels his attempts at leadership - detailing his life as Governor of his State and the religious disaffection of politics in 1970 leading to the election that drew him – almost miraculously to the frontiers of American life.

How to define the 70’s would depend on the structure of the Cold War crisis, secondly the age of the ascription during this era versus the uncertainty that Reagan created to bundle a messiah which he champion in dispassion.

Whereas we read the large tracts of humanitarian efforts in 70’s as a log on which the cabin called Jimmy Carter’s life and Politics is rested, is a valid judgment left to experts on the subjects. The fall of Shah could hardly be called a twist in the long forms of interesting relations with Middle East; part of result of his administrative influence is Deng Xiaoping’s decision and the central issue of cold war.

Short view

In politics as in life, the worst culprit are usually among the best ; the innocent, the who complain first, often and have disposed ability to do the oddest noon day impossible assuages.  Those who throw their failures and game to others end up leading from behind, exactly where they are going is not saved in literature either in ‘Tristan & Isolde’ but ‘most believers of unity in diversity’ try to lead from behind.

His book is a cloister call to genre of some popular interest, especially Peter Stearns’ ‘Old Age in Europe Society’. Although the title reflect the case by case induction of Europe to old age, there are meeting points and similar trend which appear in Jimmy Carter ‘Full Life’ with emphasis on the most demanding episodes you wished to change. For Jimmy Carter it was the loss for re-election to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 elections. It was not for failing the elections that is for him for important – as the hard case of American Operands detained in Iran – not trying was his definition of failure.    

It is important that we mention that contrary to what was believed in the South of United States about African Americans – majority of African Americans in Georgia, were independents and shoved some of their political interest and concerns. Jimmy Carter mentions that “The Republican party in Georgia comprised some Africa-American leaders in Atlanta, and a few isolated whites’ cliques in the rural areas, and they dealt only with national politics.”

The strange language torches African American interest – which lacked national persuasion in Georgia as against the expectations and longing that eventually ended the voting miscarry in the late 60’s and 70’s. It is not wishful to suppose that the decision of Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education was a bit of crusade led by the wrong party for wrong party with enough African American feathers seating on the fence, but somewhere the story of that age of civil strife and triumphalist interest of civil transformation in the 60's formed the background of the 70's and the life of Jimmy Carter at the pinnacle of power.