Jonathan Alter

Well, I interviewed him a dozen times, and I had met him when I was a columnist for Newsweek magazine in 2000. I interviewed him on a Habitat for Humanity site, and then I helped the Carters build a house in Memphis in 2015. I traveled with him up to Annapolis for his 75th reunion, 75 years after he graduated from the Naval Academy.

Well, I interviewed him a dozen times, and I had met him when I was a columnist for Newsweek magazine in 2000. I interviewed him on a Habitat for Humanity site, and then I helped the Carters build a house in Memphis in 2015. I traveled with him up to Annapolis for his 75th reunion, 75 years after he graduated from the Naval Academy.

So I did spend quite a bit of time with him and his family, and I just came to have immense respect for his decency and his drive. He really was the only president with the exception of Thomas Jefferson. who could be fairly called a Renaissance man. And so in addition to doing all of these other humanitarian things, you know, he wrote a book of poetry. Some of the poems are not bad.

So I did spend quite a bit of time with him and his family, and I just came to have immense respect for his decency and his drive. He really was the only president with the exception of Thomas Jefferson. who could be fairly called a Renaissance man. And so in addition to doing all of these other humanitarian things, you know, he wrote a book of poetry. Some of the poems are not bad.

So I did spend quite a bit of time with him and his family, and I just came to have immense respect for his decency and his drive. He really was the only president with the exception of Thomas Jefferson. who could be fairly called a Renaissance man. And so in addition to doing all of these other humanitarian things, you know, he wrote a book of poetry. Some of the poems are not bad.

He built all the furniture in his house, and it's beautiful. The woodworking book that he wrote is beautiful. It's very high quality. And he wrote a novel, which is less good. So not all of the things that he taught himself to do were equally successful, but he was an engineer with the soul of a humanist.

He built all the furniture in his house, and it's beautiful. The woodworking book that he wrote is beautiful. It's very high quality. And he wrote a novel, which is less good. So not all of the things that he taught himself to do were equally successful, but he was an engineer with the soul of a humanist.

He built all the furniture in his house, and it's beautiful. The woodworking book that he wrote is beautiful. It's very high quality. And he wrote a novel, which is less good. So not all of the things that he taught himself to do were equally successful, but he was an engineer with the soul of a humanist.

And he used his engineering skills to solve all kinds of problems, including the problem of how do you learn to write a poem?

And he used his engineering skills to solve all kinds of problems, including the problem of how do you learn to write a poem?

And he used his engineering skills to solve all kinds of problems, including the problem of how do you learn to write a poem?

I'm not sure that he was so much of a work in progress, because I think because of the grounding of his faith and his value structure, that there really wasn't that much change, although he did move to the left after he left office. But I think that it was more his many works in progress, and he knew an immense amount about a huge variety of subjects.

I'm not sure that he was so much of a work in progress, because I think because of the grounding of his faith and his value structure, that there really wasn't that much change, although he did move to the left after he left office. But I think that it was more his many works in progress, and he knew an immense amount about a huge variety of subjects.

I'm not sure that he was so much of a work in progress, because I think because of the grounding of his faith and his value structure, that there really wasn't that much change, although he did move to the left after he left office. But I think that it was more his many works in progress, and he knew an immense amount about a huge variety of subjects.

And you could have a fascinating conversation with him on just about anything, music, art. He turned himself into a decent painter as well. And not just culture, but science, history. His mind was such an active and interesting place. And that was something that is very hard to see when you're looking at him from afar. And so I felt like I had to

And you could have a fascinating conversation with him on just about anything, music, art. He turned himself into a decent painter as well. And not just culture, but science, history. His mind was such an active and interesting place. And that was something that is very hard to see when you're looking at him from afar. And so I felt like I had to

And you could have a fascinating conversation with him on just about anything, music, art. He turned himself into a decent painter as well. And not just culture, but science, history. His mind was such an active and interesting place. And that was something that is very hard to see when you're looking at him from afar. And so I felt like I had to

really spent as much time as I could with him in order to get at the deeper questions of what drove this very complex individual.

really spent as much time as I could with him in order to get at the deeper questions of what drove this very complex individual.

really spent as much time as I could with him in order to get at the deeper questions of what drove this very complex individual.