His mother worked as an executive assistant for Julian Bond and M. Carl Holman of the National Urban Coalition.

An attorney turned administrator, his father was executive director of the Washington Urban League, and later a vice president at Cornell University.

Carter graduated from Ithaca High School in 1972, and his essay "The Best Black" is based in part on his experiences there.

[12] Carter's non-fiction books have received praise from voices across the political spectrum, from Marion Wright Edelman to John Joseph O'Connor.

Carter's first novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park, spent 11 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list in 2002.

In August 2014, The Globe and Mail tagged Carter's Back Channel as one of "five new crime novels worth a read.

In addition to his policy writings and novels, Carter for several years wrote a feature column in Christianity Today magazine, and he has been quoted in the media on religion in public life.