Go Home for Dinner

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.