A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter  272 pp.

The first presidential election I voted in was in 1976 when Carter won. This autobiography/memoir was published in 2015 after Carter's 90th birthday. Now the longest retired U.S. President in history, Carter writes of his childhood on the family farm in the predominantly African-American town of Archery, Georgia (near his current home in Plains). Much is written about the hard work of farming and how he learned many of his mechanical and woodworking skills and how, as a teenager, was the owner of property he rented to tenants. From there Carter tells of his time at the U.S. Naval Academy and his naval career that ended when he returned home to Georgia to manage the family business after his father's death. After following his father's footsteps into heading various social organizations he migrated into politics and ultimately the Presidency. But his biggest successes followed his time in office with his work with the Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, and serving as a negotiator during various world conflicts. Carter writes very matter-of-factly about his successes and failures and always acknowledges the presence and assistance of his wife Rosalynn who he frequently calls Rosa in the book. Definitely worth reading.

Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom

Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom by Condoleezza Rice, 486 pages. Narrated by Condoleezza Rice and Grace Angela Henry.
Former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, and current Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy, Rice is well-suited to tell us the stories of governments in transition moving towards democracy, and then sometimes away from it again.
Rice witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union firsthand, as part of George HW Bush's National Security team, and she tells of how Russia, Ukraine, and other regions of the fomer USSR lurched toward a more democratic way of governing and then backed away, sometimes violently.
Yushchenko (leaning towards democracy) versus Yanukovych (leaning towards his good friend Putin) in Ukraine; Uribe against the FARC and the AUC in Colombia, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf trying to rebuild Liberia after the warlord Charles Taylor was overthrown all have their stories told here. And Rice is an excellent storyteller. She comes across as a supremely intelligent, compassionate, and competent diplomat. Her insider's view of the George W Bush administration makes one nostalgic for a time when you only suspected the President didn't know what he was doing.

The man of Independence

The man of Independence / Jonathan Daniels, 384 pgs.

This book was written while Truman was still president.  It gives a bit of a biography of Truman and then talks at length about his time in office as a county judge, senator, vice president and president.  Truman kind of defines the guy who was in the right place at the right time when Roosevelt was running for his final term but worried he would not live to complete his term.  He and Truman were not particularly friendly but had great respect for each other.  Truman supported the New Deal and also headed up an important committee during the war that made sure money was not wasted and that contracts were upheld for military spending.  This committee was credited with saving billions of dollars.

This book doesn't touch much on his relationships outside of politics.  It was interesting reading a contemporary book of a historical figure from the mid century.  A nice addition to my list of Truman books.