It’s no surprise that Jimmy Carter has been a hard worker since his boyhood on a farm near Plains, Ga. Now, even while undergoing treatment for cancer at age 91, Mr. Carter is still working. The 39th U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient recently suggested a plan for ending the crisis in Syria in an op-ed piece in The New York Times.

In “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety” published in July before his cancer diagnosis, Mr. Carter provides fascinating glimpses of this work ethic and drive to be productive in ways that improve other people’s lives. In chapters that take readers from his childhood through his 90th year, he focuses on the people, events and challenges that have shaped his life and his values. He tells readers that reaching his 90th birthday in 2014 was “a good time to look back on moments that changed my life and reflect on some of the memories that are especially important to me.” Mr. Carter’s reflections on his life, including his accomplishments and regrets, give readers an interesting perspective on changes in America, and in the world, during his lifetime.

Mr. Carter packs a lot of information into 238 pages. He discusses his family, his Navy and farming careers, his marriage to Rosalynn (to whom the book is dedicated), his early years in politics, his Christian faith, his campaigns for governor and the presidency, his White House years and post-presidency, including establishment of The Carter Center to promote global peace and health, and hobbies (woodworking, fly fishing, painting). About a quarter of the book is devoted to addressing specific issues from his presidency that are “mostly resolved” or “problems still pending.” The list of topics covered is long: Panama, the Cold War, Middle East peace, the hostage crisis, Three Mile Island, drug policy, Cuba, nuclear issues and North and South Korea are just some of them.

I enjoyed the book most when Mr. Carter discussed topics of a personal nature: his parents; the racial attitudes in the Plains of his youth and in his early years in politics; an intimidating interview with then-Capt. Hyman Rickover to be part of a nuclear submarine development program; his decision to resign from the Navy to return to Plains (a decision that was distressing to Rosalynn); their temporary move into government housing in Plains and later into the local “haunted house”; his years as a farmer and businessman; life as the first family; and his relationships with former presidents.

Of regional interest is a mission trip that Mr. Carter made to Lock Haven, Pa., to strengthen his religious faith in the 1960s after becoming disillusioned with politics for a while. He and a partner called on families identified as having no religious commitment. He also mentions his family’s friendship with Wayne Harpster, whose farm in Spruce Creek, Pa., near Penn State University, has long provided a regular fly fishing retreat for the Carters.

Because Mr. Carter has had such an active and full life, most of the material is covered briefly, and portions left me wanting to read more. That void might be partially filled through one of Mr. Carter’s many other books (he says most of his family’s income since he left the White House has come from the books he has written). However, according to Mr. Carter in the introduction, “A Full Life” presents many personal and intimate details for the first time. So those who are familiar with his other writings will find new material well worth reading.

Alice Rowley (arowley@post-gazette.com) is the letters editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

First Published: November 15, 2015, 5:00 a.m.