Faithful Steward: Devry’s Book Review of The White House Diary by Jimmy Carter

January 9, 2025

Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States of America. Photo: Austin, Texas, 2014, LBJ Photo Library.

Today, many Americans watched the state funeral of our country’s 39th President, James (Jimmy) Earl Carter, to grieve and honor a man who lived a life dedicated to serving all people and the natural environment. The word “Steward” surfaced a few times during the service to describe this faithful man whose commitment to his Savior and his Christian faith grounded all his thoughts, interactions, and actions in both his public and private life.  

The funeral was a beautiful, emotional tribute to a life well lived: a farmer, navy veteran, nuclear engineer, Governor, President, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, healer (eradicator of the guinea worm), philanthropist (a dedicated Habitat for Humanity volunteer), Sunday School teacher, friend, son, husband, brother, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Here is a link to read more extensively about today’s service.

In honor of one of the most remarkable leaders to have walked this earth, I am dedicating this book review to The White House Diary of Jimmy Carter published in 2010. This book is the first gift my husband, Doug, gave me when we began dating in 2010. Doug must have picked up on a reference I made to Carter in one of our conversations, and he purchased the book for me. Like many good books over 500 pages, it sat on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I picked it up after President Carter’s death. The book is the unvarnished truth of his feelings and observations during his four years in office.

As an aside, I am a nerd for these types of historical transcripts and dictations. When I lived in Washington, DC, many years ago, I would drive around the District on Saturday mornings after long-distance runs and listen to The Johnson Tapes on the radio aired on our local NPR station. These were the recordings that President Johnson made of his time in the White House. It is essential to listen to the words a leader says and not to have them always interpreted through the filters of others.

This book by Carter is a collection of his personal diary entries that he would dictate to his secretary in the moment or from his hand-written notes that he would dictate later. The book covers issues that are relevant today: inflation, politics in the Middle East, hostage negotiations, the Panama Canal Treaty, Soviet invasions, normalized trade relations with China, climate change, renewable energy and energy security, the threat of nuclear weaponization, education policy and the establishment of the Department of Education, growing gap between rich and poor, women’s rights, mitigating toxic waste in our communities, preserving America’s landscape, and other pressing issues.    

I recommend immediately getting in the groove of President Carter’s diary, knowing that it is a daily account in chronological order of his presidency; it’s not in order of issues. It’s as if someone were to pick up your diary and get the back-and-forth dialogue you are having with yourself on what mattered or stood out to you that particular day. As you read the entries, you will get immersed in what it is like to be the Chief Executive of the country and how issues get “hot” and then can be placed on the back burner for more pressing issues of the moment. CEOs of companies and your leadership teams—no matter your political party preference—should read this book, especially if you want historical context for today’s economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical issues.

In all, Carter had 21 volumes of type-written entries, and about a quarter of them made their way into his book. He decided not to revise his original manuscripts, “Despite a temptation to conceal my errors, misjudgments of people, or lack of foresight,” writes Carter, “I decided when preparing this book not to revise the original transcript, but just to use the unchanged excerpts from the diaries that I consider to be most revealing and interesting.” I find Carter’s transparency and constant pursuit to remain truthful, no matter the consequences, to be a genuine strength of his character and conviction, a strength that today's business and political leaders should study and attempt to emulate.

At our company, our guiding principle is the truth, and Jimmy Carter gives all of us a lesson in truth-telling in this book by being vulnerable enough to share his thoughts with the American public. As he said in the Afterword of the book, “Almost three decades after leaving the White House…I have tried to reexamine these years objectively. It’s not easy for me to accept criticism, admit my mistakes, or revise my way of doing things…” Siding with the truth–no matter the pain associated with it–is a forgotten and buried leadership virtue in our society. In today’s business and political environment, truth too often falls by the wayside for financial and political gain. 

If we are to unite as one nation and a peaceful global community, we need to resurrect the leadership lessons of President Carter, a truthful, faithful steward of creation who served his God first and then his country. Not only do I recommend reading this book, but I also recommend watching the entire state funeral from today, which can be found here

As our company delves deeper into the Stewardverse in 2025, we will pull inspiration from President Jimmy Carter, a devoted warrior for all humanity. One major lesson he has taught us, integrated through his diary, is that he did not hide his faith while serving in his leadership roles. He pulled on his deep faith to bridge divides across cultures and other religions by aligning on shared values to forge peace. The 1978 entries surrounding the Camp David Accords in the book exemplify his faith leadership in action. Peace was the desired outcome. He followed the lessons in the Bible of the Prince of Peace to achieve peace.

An important message to draw from President Carter’s diaries, and frankly from how he lived his entire life, is that faithful leaders who strive for peace and harmony among all people and nations and who honor and protect the wonders of nature should be more present and active in board rooms, C-suites, and Oval Offices.      

Jimmy Carter took the time to record his experience as president and to write this book, so as U.S. citizens, as global citizens, and children of God, we should all take the time to read it. We have seen repeatedly that President Carter was using his time on earth to spread lessons and the good word. That good word can make us all better business leaders. 

You can pick up a copy of the The White House Diary here.

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