Where You Go

October 8, 2018
In a slender paean to Vice President Mike Pence, his daughter shares family moments, stories, and rules to live by. The book meanders a bit, mixing in anecdotes from the vice president’s early political career (such as an amusing mix-up which saw the family, newly arrived in Washington, D.C., bringing their pets to a Capitol Hill event) and fond childhood reminiscences about the author’s siblings, Michael and Audrey, but most of the stories involves the period from July 2016 to August 2017, with the focus squarely on Dad. There are rules—the “rule of three things” (faith, studies, and health) and the “Pence Rule” (the only woman he will have dinner with is his wife)—and plenty of quotes from the vice president: “Do the right thing. Then go home for dinner.” Pence rarely drops names; in fact, a few more names, and accompanying details, would have rounded out this skimpy book. Readers looking for some dish on the president won’t find it here, as he makes surprisingly few appearances, though Pence reports being impressed in their first meeting by Trump’s “kindness,” “genuine heart,” and “desire to help people.” This lightweight narrative provides no revelations.