RaveThe Washington Post... [a] splendid new biography ... nothing short of inverting the conventional narrative about Carter ... The major failures of Carter’s presidency are amply covered here, too, most prominently the Iranian hostage crisis ... Alter’s account is ably sourced and fluidly written, one of the best in a celebrated genre of presidential biography ... The most interesting passages of this book trace Carter’s personal journey on race ... he could be self-righteous and stubborn, for which he often paid a price. But as Alter convincingly demonstrates, the upside was an elected official who pursued the public good relentlessly, disregarding the political consequences.