The Outlier

“An ‘outlier’ among politicians, Carter shows what democratic politics could be, if the power-hungry, dishonest figures would just get out of the way. Bird’s book offers a rich and compelling account of Carter’s sincere efforts to make American policies match the nation’s ideals.”—The Washington Post“In Kai Bird’s latest masterpiece, a book that models the virtues of the biographer’s craft, Jimmy Carter receives his due. Deeply empirical and exquisitely sculpted, The Outlier … is a landmark… . Bird’s treatment gives Carter’s presidency the deep analysis it deserves.” —Foreign Policy“Bird’s nuanced study not only sets the record straight on Carter’s misunderstood presidency, it brings him to life in a way that few other biographers have been able to thus far.”—Variety “A bracing reminder that the 39th president was a man of probity, decency, high hopes, and high moral standards … Bird’s take on whom he calls ‘our most enigmatic president’ is relentlessly fair-minded. [The Outlier] redeems [Carter’s] presidency and reminds us of how callous we might have been during his years in office.” —The Boston Globe“This is superior history, superbly researched and marvelously written.”—Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of American Moonshot“This beautifully written book will take its place alongside other superb one-volume biographies of American presidents. The Outlier will raise readers’ estimates of Jimmy Carter’s term in office.”—Robert Dallek, New York Times bestselling author of Franklin D. Roosevelt and An Unfinished Life “A grand work of revisionist history, prodigiously researched and gracefully written, The Outlier tells the story of a singular man and a unique presidency at a critical point in American and world history.”—David Nasaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Million “Bird tells the story with sympathy, intelligence, and a wealth of marvelously organized information. The Outlier is a pleasure to read.”—Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments“Books about presidents are often fat and dull—not this one. Bird has talked to everybody and written a compelling account of the most underrated president in American history.”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The Killing of Crazy Horse“Incisive … [The Outlier is] the best study to date of the Carter era and a substantial contribution to the history of the 1970s.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“… a lucid, penetrating portrait that should spur reconsideration of Carter’s much-maligned presidency.”—Publishers Weekly “A readable, masterful biography of a complex leader …”—Booklist (starred review)

Kai Bird is an award-winning historian and journalist. Executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, he is the acclaimed author of biographies of John J. McCloy, of McGeorge and William Bundy, Robert Ames, and President Jimmy Carter. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for American Prometheus- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (co-authored with Martin J. Sherwin), which was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer. His work has been honored with the BIO Award for his significant contributions to the art and craft of biography. He has also written about the Vietnam War, Hiroshima, nuclear weapons, the Cold War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the CIA. He lives in New York City and Washington, D.C., with his wife, Susan Goldmark.

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