The recent death of former President Jimmy Carter got me thinking about what prolific writers our presidents have been. Every president since Herbert Hoover (31st U.S. President) has a presidential library established in their home state. These archives house the documents and artifacts of each president’s administration.
Fourteen presidents have published books; most have written papers, essays and speeches. Jimmy Carter was one of the most productive presidential authors with over thirty books in all, including a published version of a Nobel Prize lecture, a book co-written with his wife, Rosalynn, and a children’s book illustrated by his daughter Amy.
The majority of books written by presidents are memoirs and autobiographies, but to my surprise there are several fiction books out there. The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War by Jimmy Carter (2003) is hailed as “the first work of fiction written by a President of the United States”. Described as “a sweeping saga of the American South and the War of Independence”, Carter’s novel runs almost 500 pages.
Only one other former president has published fiction books - Bill Clinton, who has co-authored three titles with bestselling author James Patterson. Here are the titles and brief summaries:
- The President is Missing (2018) - How can the U.S. President disappear from the White House without a trace? This is the central question of this thriller, which also confronts some of the darkest threats that face the world today.
- The President’s Daughter (2021) - When his teenage daughter is abducted, the former president - and Navy SEAL - is forced into a special-ops mission to find his child and bring her home safely.
- The First Gentleman (coming June 2025) - America has a powerful new female president. And her husband is on trial… for murder.
There are more fiction books about presidents and former presidents than there are fiction books by them. Below are some novels containing characters who really were presidents:
- Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shafer (2018) - Joe Biden and Barack Obama team up to solve the suspicious death of a railroad conductor
- The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood (2023) - Historical fiction about Edith Bolling, the widow who married Woodrow Wilson
- Roosevelt’s Beast by Louis Bayard (2014) - Adventure fiction based on Teddy and Kermit Roosevelt’s 1914 Amazon expedition
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) - In this alternative history, the main character travels back in time to attempt to stop the Kennedy assassination
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (2010) - The first book to reveal Abraham Lincoln’s valiant fight against the forces of the undead
- Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut (2006) - this novel follows the tale of a previously unknown co- conspirator in the Watergate Affair
There are, of course, many well-written biographies of Jimmy Carter and other former presidents. Visit the library to find out more about your favorite!
New at the Library
Fiction
- Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
- Assassin’s Mark by Ward Larsen
- All the Glimmering Stars: A Novel by Mark T. Sullivan
Nonfiction
- How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days by Kari Leibowitz
- American Bulk: Essays on Excess by Emily Mester
- A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings by Peggy Noonan
Children
- A Year in the Castle: A Look and Find Fantasy Story Book by Nikola Kucharska
- Nessie by Ilse De Keyzer
- Mr. Krup’s Pup by Eva Lindstrom
