An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural BoyhoodAn Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood
Score Modern
What it's about
Jimmy Carter remembers growing up on a farm in Archery, Georgia, during the Depression: working in the fields, his strict, segregationist father, his independent, nurse mother, and the Black families who were his neighbors and closest playmates, in a rural South that has now vanished.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was a Pulitzer finalist. It's a warm, honest memoir.
You'll love it if you liked
Growing Up
A Painted House
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
It's gentle and nostalgic, but frank about segregation.
By the numbers
- Readers50 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood worth reading?
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was a Pulitzer finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 66.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood about?
Jimmy Carter remembers growing up on a farm in Archery, Georgia, during the Depression: working in the fields, his strict, segregationist father, his independent, nurse mother, and the Black families who were his neighbors and closest playmates, in a rural South that has now vanished.
How long does it take to read An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood?
About 7 hours (298 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood?
If you liked it, try Growing Up by Russell Baker, A Painted House by John Grisham or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.