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And the Good News Is by Dana
Perino is an inspiring book. It combines a self-portrait of
her early years, her journey culminating in becoming the first
female Republican press secretary, and her ability to give
very practical advice. No matter what a person’s political
affiliation they can draw from this book refreshing stories
of loyalty, humility, friendship, and family.
She emphasized in the interview how important
it is for a parent to build a bond with their child. In her
case she fondly remembers the hours spent with her father
at the breakfast table. “Dad and I read the newspapers
together starting when I was in the third grade. This really
helped me with my life and future career. It enhanced my critical
thinking skills and how to express my opinion. Now I do it
on The Five in front of millions of people. I have these loving
flashbacks of my time with my dad at the kitchen table. He
loved to play devil’s advocate, asking ‘why do
you think that?’ He drew this style from his love of
the Lincoln-Douglas debate. It must have paid off because
I ended up with a debate-speech scholarship for college. While
on the speech team I learned how to argue persuasively and
to control my nerves. I wrote about that in a section of my
book entitled, ‘making your butterflies fly in formation.’”
Some other advice parents can draw from this book is that
they should not push their children to attend Ivy League Schools.
She looks on her own experience of attending a small college
in Colorado, and feels that people “do not have to shorten
their horizons because they didn’t get to go to an Ivy
League school. Believe me, no one at the White House ever
heard about the college I attended, Colorado State University-Pueblo.
My Western roots were as valuable to the policy and communications
decision-making at the White House than anyone who went to
Yale or Harvard. I contributed on a different level, and the
president has said he appreciated my sound judgment and common
sense advice.”
She noted that being a huge dog lover has
enabled her to break down barriers. “One of the things
I am finding is that dogs are a great equalizer. Even if people’s
politics are different we can all agree on dogs. If I need
to find common ground with somebody the first thing I look
for is a connection that can be made over dogs.”
Something that can resonate with everyone
who has a dog is that in most households they are a part of
the family. Many parents are able to enjoy watching their
four-legged child become playmates with a son or daughter.
Perino reminds us in her book how dogs provide for their owners
joy and sorrow. The book discusses how she “made our
dogs a part of our games, like hide-and-seek... I was taught
the simple pleasures of the love of a dog from early on as
a kid.”
But there is also the torture of having to
decide when to put a dog to sleep. Readers can empathize with
her as she recounts those agonizing moments when she had to
make the decision, noting that she needed to gather the courage
to make sure her dog Henry would not suffer. She commented,
“I still think of Henry every day. He was the kind of
dog that made me a better person.”
What makes this book special is how the author through her
own experiences shares many people’s common concerns.
She believes that a person should be willing to re-locate
their job for new opportunities. An important point to remember
is that it is OK to take risks, making sure your thought process
is ‘what is the worst that could happen.’ She
is hoping that people see her as a mentor of sorts, since
in the book she writes about “shoring up confidence,
encouraging people to strengthen skills where they are weak,
and providing a gentle nudge in the right direction.”
Another tip she wants parents to pass on to their children
is that in this age of technology, personal is better. ““Writing
a thank-you note should not have to be one of these tips,
but somewhere along the way young people stopped writing them.
A handwritten thank-you note is a must, not an option. And
no, an e-mail doesn’t cut it.”
And the Good News Is, a book that is a must read.
Through her anecdotes and stories Dana Perino offers advice
that is both practical and moralistic. This book is written
in a witty and articulate manner that will have readers go
through a gamut of emotions as they reflect on her personal
experiences.
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