Books

A Remarkable Mother
By Jimmy Carter, Simon and Schuster, 2008, 240 pp.

A Remarkable Mother is an attempt by author Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States, to illustrate the extraordinary life of his mother, Miss Lillian Carter.

It appears to have been written as a belated gesture of love from the son, Jimmy, to his mother, Miss Lillian.

Bessie Lillian Gordy was born in Chattahoochee County, Ga., on Aug. 15, 1898. The book begins with Lillian describing her early and middle-age years growing up in rural Plains, Ga.

After the death of her husband, Earl Carter, in 1953, a new chapter in her life began. Lillian became the strong matriarch of the family and a force to be reckoned with in many arenas.

In 1966 at the age of 68, she volunteered for a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, where she was stationed in India to use her skills as a registered nurse. In her request for placement, she only asked that she be sent "where it's warm, people have dark skins, and need a nurse's service."

Upon her return, Lillian helped her son gain the positions of governor of Georgia and eventually president of the United States. In the book, Jimmy Carter discusses his mother's roles in his election campaigns, his presidency and his eventual fall from grace.

Miss Lillian was a favorite guest of Johnny Carson, served as a Goodwill Ambassador to numerous countries including Egypt, Israel and Ireland, and was the recipient of the 1977 Humanitarian of the Year award, before she succumbed to breast cancer on Oct. 30, 1983, at the age of 85. She died peacefully in her sleep with her family by her side.

The strength of the book is obvious: it is Miss Lillian's character herself. She is the epitome of the strong Southern woman. Jimmy revisits his mother's zest for life that truly was allowed to blossom after the death of her husband.

Rather than sinking into depression or obsessing about the future, Lillian found new interests that eventually expanded into her earnest desire to help those in need.

Those last 30 years were the most eventful, to say the least. She would travel around the world in a moment's notice, give a candid interview on various topics, and address a head of state as if he were her own child.

Miss Lillian had the unique ability to be straightforward without being insulting and could drop a mild profanity without being considered profane.

The only seeming weakness of A Remarkable Mother is that Jimmy Carter was not able to get more stories about his mother onto the page. But the book can resonate with so many readers.

Is there not a Miss Lillian in every family — a strong woman who holds the very thread of the family together when times are tough and whose spirit for life supersedes all those around them?

Lillian Carter had an enthusiasm for life that few could match but all could love. And I suppose that Jimmy Carter, like so many others, probably thought his mom would live forever.

This book is a fitting tribute to a woman gone but not forgotten.

Banyon Allison, Ed.D., is the assistant principal at Alexandria High School and an adjunct professor in the department of educational leadership at Jacksonville State University.