An Hour Before Daylight : Memories Of A Rural Boyhood

An Hour Before Daylight : Memories Of A Rural Boyhood Features

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In an American story of enduring importance, Jimmy Carter re-creates his Depression-era boyhood on a Georgia farm, before the civil rights movement that changed it and the country.

In what is sure to become a classic, Carter writes about the powerful rhythms of countryside and community. Along the way, he offers an unforgettable portrait of his father, a brilliant farmer and strict segregationist who treated black workers with his own brand of "separate" respect and fairness, and his strong-willed mother, a nurse who cared for all in need -- regardless of their position in the community.

Carter describes the people who shaped his early life, only two of them white: his eccentric relatives who sometimes caused the boy to examine his heritage with dismay; the boyhood friends with whom he hunted and worked the farm, but who could not attend the same school; and the eminent black bishop who refused to come to the Carters' back door but who would stand in the front yard discussing crops and politics with Jimmy's father.

Carter's clean and eloquent prose evokes a time when the cycles of life were predictable and simple and the rules were heartbreaking and complex. In his singular voice and with a novelist's gift for detail, Jimmy Carter creates a sensitive portrait of an era that shaped the nation.

An Hour Before Daylight is destined to stand with other timeless works of American literature.

What Customers Say About An Hour Before Daylight : Memories Of A Rural Boyhood:

Was really into this book. He is a very good writer. I didn't want to put it down. I grew up in the country and could relate to so many things. I will read it again later. Would recommend to anyone for a good read.

Jimmy Carter is known to have done more work out of the White House than almost any president before him. The stories don't seem unique to Carter-- many of the hardships seem to have been experienced by anyone growing up in rural America during the early 20th century. People looking for his early political views will not find them here. Carter, at 84, is as well informed, active, and sharp as he was in his boyhood. Yet, the simple and innocent nature of the 1930s and '40s should be interesting for any American to read. The influence his family and upbringing had on Carter is immense-- we see through the book how he became he man he is today.Carter describes a boyhood that is quintessentially American. Readers looking for a current scope of his life should not miss the documentary, Jimmy Carter Man from Plains. The book is most interesting for Georgians, Farmers, and Southerners (and also in that order).

Growing up on a farm, he often attended to manual labor and rose as early as dawn. The entire book revolves around stories and experiences in Plains, Georgia (where he still lives). Many of the stories in the book will seem random, and insignificant. Although hard to find, a good follow up is Carter's campaign book- "Why not the best."

If you are planning to purchase a book or anything else from CAPITAWHYS don't do it. I purchased this book as a gift and never received the order. Luckily I had read it before. They don't answer emails and they don't send your items. If you want a good book to read, DO order this one.

This book gives one of the best first hand accounts of farm life in the rural South during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Of course the most important aspect of the book is that it is told in President Jimmy Carter's own words and is important in understanding who he was, and particularly his views on race, with some of the most influential figures in his life being black people living on the farm. In it you read what it was like to farm with horses and mules and how the introduction of tractors and other farm machinery revolutionized farming and created tremendous agricultural surpluses. There is a discussion of the share cropping system and mention of rural electrification, with the Carter family getting electricity before most of their neighbors. This was surprisingly enjoyable reading.

Just picking up this book transports me to a simpler time. If I can't wind down from a frantic day, I open this book to any page and it calms me down. Last night, I learned from President Carter where buttermilk comes from. This is one of my top five favorite books of all time.