Part I. Into the White House -- 1. The 1976 campaign -- 2. A perilous transition -- 3. The making of the modern vice president -- 4. A new kind of First Lady -- 5. The indispensable man -- Part II. Energy -- 6. The moral equivalent of war -- 7. Energizing Congress -- 8. The senate graveyard -- 9. Energy and the dollar at the Bonn summit -- 10. Into the pork barrel, reluctantly -- Part III. Environment -- 11. An early interest -- 12. The water wars -- 13. Alaska forever wild, despite its senators -- 14. Part IV. The economy -- 14. The great stagflation -- 15. The consumer populist -- 16. Saving New York and Chrysler -- Part V. Peace in the Middle East -- 17. The clash of peace and politics -- 18. Sadat changes history -- 19. Carter's triumph at Camp David -- 20. A cold peace -- Part VI. Peace in the rest of the world -- 21. The Panama Canal and Latin America -- 22. The Soviet Union -- 23. Afghanistan -- Part VII. The unraveling: resignations and reshuffling -- 24. The "malaise" speech -- 25. Resignations and reshuffling -- Part VIII. Iran -- 26. The rise of the Ayatollah -- 27. The fall of the president -- Part IX. A catastrophic conclusion -- 28. "Where's the Carter Bill, when we need it?" -- 29. No good deed goes unpunished -- 30. "Are you better off - ?" -- 31. Final days.

"The definitive history of the Carter Administration from the man who participated in its surprising number of accomplishments--drawing on his extensive and never-before-seen notes. Stuart Eizenstat was at Jimmy Carter's side from his political rise in Georgia through four years in the White House, where he served as Chief Domestic Policy Adviser. He was directly involved in all domestic and economic decisions as well as in many foreign policy ones. Famous for the legal pads he took to every meeting, he draws on more than 7500 pages of notes and 350 interviews of all the major figures of the time, to write the comprehensive history of an underappreciated president--and to give an intimate view on how the presidency works. Eizenstat reveals the grueling negotiations behind Carter's peace between Israel and Egypt, what led to the return of the Panama Canal, and how Carter made human rights a presidential imperative. He follows Carter's passing of America's first comprehensive energy policy, and his deregulation of the oil, gas, transportation, and communications industries. And he details the creation of the modern vice-presidency. Eizenstat also details Carter's many missteps, including the Iranian Hostage Crisis, because Carter's desire to do the right thing, not the political thing, often hurt him and alienated Congress. His willingness to tackle intractable problems, however, led to major, long-lasting accomplishments. This major work of history shows first-hand where Carter succeeded, where he failed, and how he set up many successes of later presidents." -- Provided by publisher.