In this personal account, former Vice President Mike Pence champions one of his most deeply held beliefs: faith makes a family, and family makes a life.
When Mike Pence was a young politician, reporters used to ask him: “where do you see yourself in five, ten years?”
Without fail, the former Vice President would reply, “home for dinner.”
This answer was an honest assessment of his priorities. Throughout his career, Pence has been adamant about putting his family first. As he often told his staff, he’d rather lose an election than lose his family.
Go Home for Dinner is an in-depth, practical guide to balancing the demands of life with the long-term satisfaction that only a commitment to your family can bring. In this personal account, former Vice President Mike Pence champions one of his most deeply held beliefs: that faith makes a family, and family makes a life. And, through straightforward advice and personal storytelling, he shows readers how to do the same.
In short chapters, Pence walks us through the principles that he and his wife, Karen, developed to raise their family. He gives credit to his parents for setting the precedent of gathering around the dinner table and for being attentive listeners. He discusses how he and Karen prioritized their relationship, even when they struggled professionally through two failed congressional races and personally with infertility. He reveals how he learned to trust God, make difficult choices, and take leaps of faith, all with an eye to what his family needed. He also brings in examples of other friends and colleagues, to demonstrate how these principles look in the lives of other families. The Pence family is far from perfect, but the values portrayed in this book have helped them remain together—and thrive—through their extraordinary journey in public service.
Go Home for Dinner is filled with practical, timeless advice about how readers can pursue their dreams while keeping their family close. This is a book for anyone who wants to achieve their goals and put their family and faith at the center of their life—but who needs a nudge to get home in time for dinner.
Pat –
“Go home for dinner: advice on how faith makes a family and family makes a life” (2023) by Mike Pence, with Charlotte Pence Bond is a sweet book of family lessons.Chapters are generally short, easy reading and may be savored independent of one another.Read the author’s droll ‘pull yourself over’ road story in “Practice Integrity,” Chapter 33. The other 48 meditative-type chapters are: 1) the titular “Go home for dinner”, 2) be a parent who listens, 3) Fulfill your purpose, 4) Embrace faith, 5) Sit awhile with Him every day, 6) Talk faith first, 7) Go to the shoot, 8) Have the faith of a hummingbird, 9) Build the house you’ll need tomorrow, 10) Know you are never better, 11) Know that children heal your heart, 12) Let Mom translate, 13) Stop counting, 14) Take your daughter to breakfast, 15) Hit the open road, 16) Teach your children to love America, 17) Follow your peace, 18) Go together, 19) Build levees, 20) Find the lizard, 21) Teach your kids to speak their dreams, 22) Let music minister to you, 23) Beat yourself, 24) Take time to pay your respects, 25) Go first, 26) Return to the rock, 27) Face tragedy together, 28) Encourage one another, 29) Let your kids ride, 30) When you’re there, be there, 31) Swim in the creek, 32) Have a family night, 33) [mentioned above], 34) Carry your children, 35) Find a furry friend, 36) Let the kids put up the decorations, 37) Train together, 38) Take the swing set with you, 39) Follow your instinct to serve, 40) Give your family Sunday, 41) Take your spouse there, 42) Learn from falling short, 43) Use your authority to put your family first, 44) Buy a red truck, 45) When you’re being honored, honor your family, 46) Pass the Dad test, 47) Get away with family, 48) Stay, 49) Epilogue.Recommended family inspirational book for the home library and other libraries.
James D Moore –
I’m not an avid reader, but this book grabbed my attention. It is nice to have a book written about the importance of family and faith. I appreciate Mike Pence and his daughter sharing their experiences and thoughts. I grew up in rural Indiana where we valued family and God. I often reflect on the special moments we spent as a family around the dinner table. As we raised our sons over the years eating, praying, and worshiping together was important. I’m proud to say that my sons are raising their families on the same values.
Matt K –
A fantastic piece of pandering to the white Christian nationalist GOP base. Extra points for tying Zionist propaganda in to the twisted muscular US evangelical version of “faith.” With leadership like Pence, small wonder churches are emptier than ever and the US is a global embarrassment.