First Lady from Plains is a 1984 autobiography by Rosalynn Carter, who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as her husband, Jimmy Carter, was President of the United States.[1] It is divided into 12 chapters. The book was generally well received by critics, who particularly praised its "intimacy".[2]

Background

Rosalynn Carter was First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 while her husband, Jimmy Carter, was President of the United States. She was born near Plains, Georgia, in 1927 and grew up on the family farm, leaving to attend Georgia Southwestern State University. She married Jimmy Carter in 1946. Rosalynn helped her husband in his presidential campaign, becoming nicknamed the "steel magnolia" for her discipline. As first lady, she focused on mental health issues, the elderly, passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and functioned as a goodwill ambassador to Latin American nations.[1] She wrote her memoir with help from Linda Bird Francke, a former writer for Newsweek.[3] It was published by Houghton Mifflin and the first edition was 370 pages and divided into 12 chapters covering her life from birth to the 1980 United States presidential election.[4][5]: 573  First Lady from Plains outsold Jimmy Carter's memoir, Keeping Faith.[6]: 2 

Reception

Gaddis Smith reviewed the book for the journal Foreign Affairs and wrote that "These earnest, well-constructed memoirs depict a determined and informed politician who played a significant role as her husband's closest adviser".[7] In The Globe and Mail, Ruth Clements felt that "Rosalynn Carter emerges from these memoirs as a very likeable woman"[8] and Phil Gailey in The New York Times considered the account useful in understanding Jimmy Carter, calling it "intimate". Gailey continued to say that the book was "readable, lively and revealing" and was possibly the "best human account" of Carter's presidency.[9] A reviewer in The Boston Globe agreed, praising the book's intimacy and describing Rosalynn's story as "truly an American success story".[2] Commentary noted that the book had a "dreamy, cinematic quality" in parts because it described events in the present tense.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hannan, Caryn (January 1, 1999). Georgia Biographical Dictionary. State History Publications. pp. 152–156. ISBN 978-1-878592-42-2.
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Ann F. (April 29, 1984). "Two Closeup Views of the Carter Years". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ "Rep. Ferraro Sells Rights to Memoirs For About $1 Million". The Wall Street Journal. December 21, 1984.
  4. ^ "First Lady from Plains, by Rosalynn Carter". Commentary Magazine. September 1, 1984. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Katherine A.S. Sibley (March 2, 2016). A Companion to First Ladies. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-73224-3.
  6. ^ Sibley, Katherine A. S. (March 2, 2016). A Companion to First Ladies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-73224-3.
  7. ^ "First Lady from Plains". Foreign Affairs. 1984. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Clements, Ruth (June 9, 1984). "The First Lady as over-achiever". The Globe and Mail.
  9. ^ Gailey, Phil (April 15, 1984). "Memoirs of a Political Partner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "First Lady from Plains, by Rosalynn Carter". Commentary Magazine. September 1, 1984. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
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