Jimmy Carter is great at clearly and concisely describing the direction the leadership of our country has taken in the past 8 years, and the ramifications of such direction. He sums up his points in a very no-nonsense manner, with an authority that doesn't allow for much argument. And lest one get the initial impression that he spends the entire work slamming the Republican party, forget it. While much of his ire is directed at the extreme right wing, the Democratic party does not entirely escape his criticism. Additionally he touts some Republicans as well for their particular actions of which he approves. A rather refreshing and straight forward bi-partisan analysis.

The rather interesting thing about this book is that despite its publication date of 2005, much of the information and impressions included in it were still relevant up to 1/20/09. A startling revelation of how little our country has change in the past 3-4 years.

My other major impression that I took away from this book was that Jimmy Carter seems to represent what it means to be a true Christian in the most traditional sense of the term. If we should all possess an ounce of such selflessness and acceptance and willingness to help the less fortunate and marginalized people of our society, our country and our world might be a very different place.

Review:
Many people have been lamenting the eroding of America’s moral values in the 21st century. Jimmy Carter’s book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis, addresses that concern, but also addresses the erosion of our democratic values in the United States—“preserving peace for ourselves and others, promoting economic and social justice, raising high the banner of freedom and human rights, protecting the quality of our environment, alleviating human suffering, enhancing the rule of law, and cooperating with other peoples to reach these common goals” (Jimmy Carter, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 2005, p. 1). His basic thesis is that the rise of the fundamentalist right with its “black and white rigidities and personal derogation of those who dare to disagree,…narrowly defined theological beliefs,...and the insistence of intensely committed hardliners on imposing their minority views on a more moderate majority” (pp. 3-4) is undermining these democratic values. He gives multiple examples about this trend in each chapter. Since his presidency, Carter has championed the rights and economic needs of the poor globally through The Carter Center and has been working tirelessly to help nations “reduce suffering from diseases, promote humans rights and democratic governments,… monitor many troubled elections” (p. 105), and work for a just and equitable peace globally. He has consistently upheld the values he highlights in this book. Those who champion the values of the fundamentalist right will demonize Carter for his principles and positions. But Carter writes from a reasoned, experienced, moderate position that is firmly grounded in Biblical teachings of social justice, of peace not war, of equality of all people, and of working to love one’s neighbor and one’s enemies. Carter’s book is a thoughtful, challenging read. He brings balance and an impassioned commitment to the values of God lived out in any society. 4 stars. M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 7/7/2017

I have had a soft spot for Jimmy Carter, liking his moral charisma while he was president, disappointed when he was swept out of office after a single term because of raging inflation. Even though I am not a Christian, I respect his desire to help others and his attempts to promote human rights around the world. I felt that he was sincere. His post-office work proves it.

However, I am disappointed in the book. I was looking for a discussion of values and found him listing reasons why the Republican administration of Bush is 'endangering' the USA. Some chapters are sobering, but the statistics are not presented in an even-handed way. So the arguments become demagogery, an opening salvo in the 2008 election. If you are already a Democrat, this book will reinforce your convictions and supply you with some more ammunition. But it will not convert a Republican to become a Democrat. Nor will it guide us through complex issues to some workable solutions.

Carter is quite candid and extremely open in discussing not only his thoughts on the various issues presented (fundamentalism, separation of church and state, GLBT issues, poverty, abortion, death penalty, et.al.) but how he dealt with them as president. He highlights a number of interesting "facts," although, as our book club discussed, he fails to footnote any of these. While he has a high credibility rating for many of us, it is difficult to utilize this information ourselves, just because "Jimmy said so." He also touches on some of his past verbal missteps, as well as his reasons for parting company with the Southern Baptist Convention. You will not find this book to be what some might think of us the typical "Baptist" response to our "endangered values." Well worth the read.

This guy should run for president or something. Who would have thought I could get so behind this Sunday school teacher politically! His approach to foreign policy is the most true to Christian principles I've seen, and yet also the most sound.

The President ponders the bad effect fundamentalists are having on the course of the United States. Especially harsh words for the damage done by Cheney. Published in 2005, things have only gotten worse since then.

How nice it is to realize that there are statesmen out there who still have the best interest of the nation in mind. It's reassuring to hear from someone who has such down-to-earth, reasonable perspectives. Jimmy Carter pretty much summarizes everything that is scary about our nation's politics and how so many things have gotten out of hand under GWB's administration.

I admire former President Jimmy Carter very much. I voted for him when he was elected President and when he lost his bid for reelection due to the Iran hostage situation. In Our Endangered Values, he expresses his strong support for the separation of church and state and his concern that fundamentalist religious fanatics have been endangering the moral fiber of American society. He also discusses how such fundamentalist political influence has been embraced by the Bush administration to a point that endangers our human rights, our democratic way of life, and our country’s stature among the nations of the world. He discusses the death penalty, environmental degradation, nuclear arsenals, terrorism and the melding of religion and politics. It’s a very personal, but well presented work that I enjoyed very much even though it did make me somewhat sad.

Our Endangered Values tackles some of the most controversial issues in our country right now, including abortion, homosexuality, terrorism, and the death penalties. A faithful Christian, Carter voices his opinions on these issues and dares to question whether we are still defending the national values of our founding fathers, or if now we are just doing it for personal gain. I really enjoyed his take on the issues of debate in our country right now, and his passionate arguments make this a must-read for anybody that is interested in the future of our country (which should be everyone).

I would recommend this book to anybody middle school and especially to students because we have a responsibility to know about the future. For grade school students, this book might be a tougher read, but it is well suited to the vocabulary of any middle school student. Some people might believe that certain themes are not appropriate for children, but this book focuses only on the debates on them and what Mr. Carter thinks of them. I urge anybody who is interested in the discussion about these topics to read this book, because it provides a fresh, compelling view on them like no other.

Well, i finished this one in-between my school reading. Mostly it just made me angry. Angry that we are not rioting in the streets about the full-scale assault on the constitution we have had to endure the last 7 years. It's disgusting. I knew that already and reading this just reminds me and it is so exasperating. Well-written though.

I think this is a very important book though I skipped many pages because I couldn't stand the pain of reading so many of our country's atrocities. Our present administration has led us into so many illegal and immoral acts.

I love Jimmy--I admit it. I loved him as a President. Yes, I am that old! I love him for what he has done post- presidency. Can anyone agrue with Habitat for Humanity?

He is moral man, an honest man and a gosh darn near saint! Read anything he writes and you will be challenged to think, even if you don't agree with him.