Billy Carter

Kirkus Reviews

How President Jimmy Carter's late younger brother, Billy, dealt with instant celebrity when the media stereotyped him as a southern "redneck" and "ol' boy" freak, as told by Billy's son. Buddy writes of his own youth in a hardworking blue-collar family in the small, rural town of Plains, Ga. Billy had matured in the family warehouse business of processing peanut, soybean, and cotton crops, proving himself a successful manager and a serious, dedicated family provider. Billy also enjoyed relaxing with lifelong friends in his "station" (a combined auto-service shop and snack bar). When Jimmy returned home after ten years in the navy, he ran the family business before becoming governor of Georgia and president of the US. Suddenly, reporters, photographers, PR people, cheap souvenir stands, and thousands of tourists intruded on quiet Plains. When the media discovered Billy, who had lost control of his cherished warehouse, having a beer, a legend was born. He was offered unheard-of profitable deals and exploited as an amusing redneck character actor, selling Billy Beer and appearing on endless talk shows. Despite his leap in income, his family was mortified as they saw their beloved, witty father and husband turned into a buffoon. Billy descended into alcoholism and was discarded by his exploiters as he was harassed by the IRS and the FBI, investigating a suspicious deal with Libya. He eventually recovered and tried to rebuild his former life, even though the family business went bankrupt and Jimmy lost his reelection bid. Buddy, author of the novel The Search for Savin' Sam (not reviewed), shows a genuine talent for writing in this poignant, highly emotional profile of a complex man, adoredby his family and friends, whose once contented life was changed by a media onslaught and a controlling disease. A touching account by a son who loved his father deeply and skillfully describes how fame and fortune can almost destroy a life.