Jonathan Alter’s important, fair-minded, highly readable contribution to this literature provides not just an authoritative introduction to Carter’s feats and failures but also insight into why a man of such intelligence, drive and noble intentions floundered in the White House as haplessly as he did ... In his preface, Alter promises to advance a revisionist brief for Carter’s presidency. And he has some persuasive evidence ... But the book is no apologia. It exposes Carter’s weaknesses as well as his undervalued strengths, his reverberating failures as well as his unsung triumphs. Above all, it shows how the qualities that propelled Carter to the pinnacle of American politics also kept him from rising to his historical moment ... Ironically, when the book hits its narrative stride, it is largely a chronicle of defeat and drift. Alter’s most gripping sections detail such unhappy stories as the hostage saga ... Alter digs up forgotten details that make Carter’s travails even more excruciating than we might recall ... On Carter’s post-presidency, Alter is also provocatively revisionist.

... [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.

Alter makes his case convincingly ... while it's evident that he admires Carter—the title of the book is a bit of a giveaway—His Very Best isn't at all a hagiography; it's a fair-minded assessment of the life and career of the politician from Plains. Alter paints a vivid picture of Carter's childhood in rural Georgia ... if the past four decades of Carter's life don't get as much ink as some readers might hope, Alter does do a good job summarizing the former president's extensive humanitarian work with the Carter Center ... a fascinating book, and Alter tells Carter's life story beautifully and with admirable fairness—he treats Carter as a real person, as flawed as anyone else, and not as a saint. Alter's pacing is wonderful; his accounts of some of the more dramatic events in Carter's presidency are thrillingly told, but this never comes at the cost of the humanity of the people involved. It's a book that's bound to fascinate anyone with an interest in American history, and an excellent look at the man whom Alter considers, justifiably, 'perhaps the most misunderstood president in American history.'

Alter’s scrupulously researched and judicious book...provides a fascinating account of Carter’s formative years ... Alter also provides a candid and often compelling assessment of Carter’s policy successes and failures ... In foreign policy, Alter acknowledges that the president was slow and unimaginative in responding to developments in Iran. And he suggests that the Camp David Accords may inadvertently have freed Israel to attack Palestinians in Lebanon and build more settlements on the West Bank. That said, critics may find Alter’s overall assessment too generous.

It’s somewhat surprising that there has not been, until now, a thorough and authoritative biography of the 39th president. Alter makes up that deficit, in style and substance. His Very Best is a deeply researched, carefully evenhanded and engagingly written journey through the life of a highly complex man. Although it’s clear Alter admires his subject, he doesn’t hesitate to address Carter’s faults and failures as well as his successes, to give us a fully developed portrait of the man in his historical context ... Alter’s recounting of Carter’s presidential run is fascinating.

... compelling ... It is obvious that Alter still admires Carter greatly but does not pull any punches from examining his failures as well. And the author interviewed Carter many times for this thorough and deftly condensed assessment of the political legacies of the Carter administration ... Alter also brings dimension to Carter’s personal life ... Alter provides a multi-dimensional portrait of an American president’s journey as a husband, father, and perhaps his most fulfilling role, as humanitarian ... In a year when the current administration scandal books are glutting the bestseller lists this is a most welcome biography of a busy 96-year-old ex-president who is still out there, with Rosalyn, working to build a better world despite the raging political storms.

Alter demonstrates [Carter's strengths], meticulously unfolding proof of Carter’s many accomplishments while just as carefully showing his missteps ... his achievements, both during his presidency and after, are significant, as Alter capably demonstrates ... Students of recent presidential and world history will find Alter’s anecdotally rich narrative immensely rewarding.

... a sweeping, meticulously-researched biography ... Alter’s fluidly written account adds depth and nuance to the popular understanding of Carter’s presidency, yet his post–White House career gets short shrift. Still, this is an illuminating and persuasive reevaluation of Carter’s legacy.