Jimmy Carter Turns 100: The Former President Has Written More Bestsellers Than Have Been Written About Him

Mar. 15, 2025

Jimmy Carter.Photo:Scott Cunningham/Getty Images; Amazon

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images; Amazon

Jimmy Carterhas another big milestone to celebrate on his 100th birthday — his ranking as the most successful author out of any former president.

These includeTalking Peace: A Vision For the Next Generation(1995),A Remarkable Mother, written in tribute to his mother Lilian Carter (2008),White House Diary(2010) and his most recent titleFaith: A Journey For All(2018), among many more.

Jimmy Carter pictured in 2014.Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

Other notable former presidents included in the list areBill Clintonin fourth place,Barack Obamain sixth, George W. Bush in ninth and Donald Trump in tenth.

While Carter has written the most bestselling books, he has had the least number of bestselling books written about him and his turn in office, in stark contrast. “It’s true that he has written a lot, and it’s also true that he’s kind of an overlooked president,” Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird toldNYT.

Drew Angerer / Getty Images

“He out-writes what’s written about him, which may be why people don’t always write about him," added Meredith Evans, the director of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

As often happens over the course of any writing career, Carter has also received criticism over some of his titles includingPalestine: Peace Not Apartheid(2006), for his perceived position against Israel, and his 1982 memoirKeeping Faith, whichNYTpreviouslydeemed “flat and impersonal.”

Former president Jimmy Carter pictured in 1980.Diana Walker/Getty

Diana Walker/Getty

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The career milestone for the former president comes as Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday, Oct 1, 19 months afterentering hospice care. This makes him the oldestliving former presidentandlongest-living president in U.S. history.

Speaking about his legacy in his 2010 memoir,White House Diary, Carter wrote, “I had only one life to live, and I wanted to live it as a civilian, with a potentially fuller opportunity for varied public service.”

source: people.com