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Huckabee: The Authorized Biography
The Mike Huckabee Story
An Intimate Look
For the first time, the former governor of Arkansas opens up the vault to friend and biographer W. Scott Lamb (Pujols: More Than the Game, 2011) to tell his life story. In this thoroughly unique biography of one of the most likeable, influential leaders in America, Lamb covers the entire scope of Mike Huckabee’s life and career. With full, unfettered access to Governor Huckabee’s personal library, files, and family records, fans will finally get the definitive account of one humble man’s rise to political prominence.
Readers are introduced to young Michael Dale Huckabee, son of a local fireman in Hope, Arkansas. Huckabee would soon share the same grade school teacher as Bill Clinton, who is nine years his senior. Huckabee’s collegiate aspirations took him to Ouachita Baptist University, where he graduated in two and a half years and met his future wife, Janet. Huckabee also honed his musical talents, becoming a bass player and forming the band Capitol Offense. Later he would also serve at the side of television personality James Robison during the early years of his television ministry. He hit his ministerial stride in the early 1980s, when he took the helm of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from 1980 to 1986.
Most people, however, know Mike Huckabee as a politician. In 1994, he became lieutenant governor and faced the now infamous Whitewater scandal that sent then-governor Jim Guy Tucker into court to face felony charges of corruption and fraud. In the interim Huckabee decided to run for governor, but not before Tucker would change his mind at the eleventh hour and cause a statewide constitutional crisis that challenged Huckabee to the core. Huckabee’s courageous handling of the debacle endeared him to the hearts of many citizens, causing him to serve as the forty-fourth governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007.
Huckabee also takes a good look at other difficult decisions he faced. In 2000 he granted clemency to prisoner Maurice Clemmons, who, while on parole, moved to Washington State and murdered four policemen in 2009. Huckabee was forced to field question after question about this case during his 2008 presidential bid—a race in which he finished second to John McCain.
Today, Mike Huckabee is known for his television program on the Fox News channel and as a potential contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. His many fans will now have the opportunity to get to know the man behind the famous, reassuring smile.
An Intimate Look
For the first time, the former governor of Arkansas opens up the vault to friend and biographer W. Scott Lamb (Pujols: More Than the Game, 2011) to tell his life story. In this thoroughly unique biography of one of the most likeable, influential leaders in America, Lamb covers the entire scope of Mike Huckabee’s life and career. With full, unfettered access to Governor Huckabee’s personal library, files, and family records, fans will finally get the definitive account of one humble man’s rise to political prominence.
Readers are introduced to young Michael Dale Huckabee, son of a local fireman in Hope, Arkansas. Huckabee would soon share the same grade school teacher as Bill Clinton, who is nine years his senior. Huckabee’s collegiate aspirations took him to Ouachita Baptist University, where he graduated in two and a half years and met his future wife, Janet. Huckabee also honed his musical talents, becoming a bass player and forming the band Capitol Offense. Later he would also serve at the side of television personality James Robison during the early years of his television ministry. He hit his ministerial stride in the early 1980s, when he took the helm of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from 1980 to 1986.
Most people, however, know Mike Huckabee as a politician. In 1994, he became lieutenant governor and faced the now infamous Whitewater scandal that sent then-governor Jim Guy Tucker into court to face felony charges of corruption and fraud. In the interim Huckabee decided to run for governor, but not before Tucker would change his mind at the eleventh hour and cause a statewide constitutional crisis that challenged Huckabee to the core. Huckabee’s courageous handling of the debacle endeared him to the hearts of many citizens, causing him to serve as the forty-fourth governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007.
Huckabee also takes a good look at other difficult decisions he faced. In 2000 he granted clemency to prisoner Maurice Clemmons, who, while on parole, moved to Washington State and murdered four policemen in 2009. Huckabee was forced to field question after question about this case during his 2008 presidential bid—a race in which he finished second to John McCain.
Today, Mike Huckabee is known for his television program on the Fox News channel and as a potential contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. His many fans will now have the opportunity to get to know the man behind the famous, reassuring smile.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2015
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25 people want to read
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October 15, 2015
This is one of those books that I will buy and make my daughters read when they are older. Not only is it full of fascinating history, but it also shows how hard work, determination, strong moral character, and a solid faith in God can positively shape and impact your life. I am very thankful to Thomas Nelson – W Publishing for this free ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested in reading this book because I am both very interested and very familiar with the subject matter. I am good friends with Mike Huckabee’s son David. But that relationship does not bias my review, as I will speak about both Scott Lamb and the content of the book. This review will be somewhat longer than my normal reviews because it is a biography. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Mr. Lamb’s writing style. I was fascinated by the history and stories throughout the book. I am also good friends with Dr. Lester Sitzes III, lifelong friend of Mike Huckabee that is mentioned and quoted throughout the book. Lester told me that Scott Lamb interviewed him and that he is a very nice guy.
Each chapter of the book starts out with a memorable quote either from or about Mike Huckabee that is pulled directly from its respective chapter. I also noticed that the chapter names are unique, many named after famous songs or lyrics. The book is broken down into four different parts, each dealing with a specific time period in Huckabee’s life. Part One gives an extensive history of Hope, AR, and Texarkana TX/AR, the Huckabee family lineage, and a little bit about the Clinton family and how their lives paralleled and intersected at various points. Part One takes you up through age 5. I could tell that Lamb definitely performed hours of research just for this section alone, and you will appreciate the history as it provides a backdrop for the rest of the story.
Part Two talks about Huckabee’s school years: little league sports, the start of his broadcasting career (at age 12), Nixon, desegregation, the start of his political career (junior high student council), charity work, bible studies, the start of his evangelistic career, and two (of four) major trips that would impact the trajectory of his life. Lamb draws from various classmates and community members to provide commentary for these years. My mother-in-law has told me stories of how she remembers a young Mike Huckabee giving student council campaign speeches that would knock your socks off. The two trips from this period that would impact his life were: 1) Representing Arkansas at a space seminar at Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida, and 2) Attending Boys State, where he was elected “governor”.
Somewhere around this point in the book I began to realize that the author jumps ahead a lot. For example, just when you think you have moved on to Huckabee’s college years, he takes you back to the beginning of his senior year in high school. It is somewhat confusing, but not terribly. The purpose is to show how one event leads to another down the road, then he goes back to where he was in the timeline.
Part Three picks up directly after Boys State and finds Huckabee and Lester Sitzes hitting the road to Dallas to attend Explo ’72, hosted by Billy Graham and Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusades for Christ), to join nearly 100,000 young Christians for a week of intense Bible study, prayer, music, and discipleship training. This was the third trip that shaped his life. After Boys State, many community and state leaders urged Huckabee, now 17, to pursue a career in law and politics. However, after Explo ’72, Huckabee veered away from the political world and began to turn to a different vocation. In his senior year, Huckabee was very active on the debate team, and he was voted “most outstanding senior” by the school faculty. After graduating he began to lead youth revival services at various local churches, and he worked as a writer for the Baptist Missionary Association. The fourth trip that impacts Huckabee’s life is a trip to Israel in the summer of 1973, just prior to entering college. This would be his first of more than forty trips since then to the Holy Land. Huckabee enrolled in college at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia and plowed through the coursework to graduate magna cum laude three semesters early. He was the first male in his line to ever attend college. During his time at OBU Huckabee pastored a church, DJ’d for a local radio station, worked as a custodian, got married, and helped his new wife defeat spinal cancer. Mike Huckabee married Janet McCain, his high school sweetheart, in May of 1974. There is also a section here that provides a short history of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. After graduating from OBU at age 20 Huckabee enrolled in Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth. During the first year Mike and Janet welcomed their first son, John Mark. While enrolled at the seminary, Huckabee took the advice of one of his professors to put seminary on hold to take an offer of a full-time job in evangelist broadcasting. This advice, Huckabee says, began a whole chain of events in his life that led him to the Arkansas governor’s office. Huckabee was one of the organizers of the Freedom Rally that was held at Dallas Reunion Arena. This rally was sparked by the removal of Huckabee’s boss, James Robison, from local station WFAA because of a sermon in which Robison denounced homosexuality. It was here that the Moral Majority was born, which gave the framework for the National Affairs Briefing. Ed McAteer, a member of Adrian Rogers’ church, formed a political caucus called the Religious Roundtable, with such members as Pat Robertson, Charles Stanley, and Jerry Fallwell. The Religious Roundtable convened at Reunion Arena in 1980 with more than 15,000 evangelicals in attendance. Special guest Ronald Reagan also attended and spoke, a move that helped him move into the White House. At this event, Mike Huckabee first witnessed the convergence of politics and religion, and how both could be used together for the good of the country. But instead of diving into politics after this event, Huckabee moved his family to Pine Bluff, AR, where he became pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. The Huckabees welcomed their second son, David, in 1980, and a daughter, Sarah, in 1982. While in Pine Bluff Huckabee had to deal with racial tension and racial divides among church members, to which he stood a firm ground that Christians should be color-blind. In 1986, the family moved to Texarkana, AR. Beech Street First Baptist Church was in need of a pastor, and they called on Huckabee to join them and replicate the television ministry he had created in Pine Bluff. During his time here, Huckabee would be elected president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. In 1990, Mike and Janet read and studied the popular book “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry Blackaby. Through their study of this book it became clear to them that God was leading Mike to resign his pastoral ministry to run for political office.
Part Four begins with Huckabee’s first political campaign for U.S. Senate, which was a bold move. Not only did Huckabee not have any national political experience, but he would be up against a democratic incumbent in an election year where Bill Clinton (also a democrat) would likely win the White House. At this time, Arkansas was a blue state. What this meant is that Arkansans would likely show up in force at the polls to vote for Clinton, almost assuring that the senate seat would remain with the incumbent. Many close friends tried to talk Huckabee out of the idea, while others thought that running for that particular seat was a genius plan to actually put him in line for the governor’s mansion instead. Huckabee claims that there was no genius plan, instead he just believed that he could win the election. With his mind made up, Huckabee’s friends and supporters gathered together and swept through the state on a grassroots campaign. Huckabee lost that race, but it did put him in a good position to win a special election for lieutenant governor. Clinton was elected president, Jim Guy Tucker moved up to governor, and that left the lieutenant governor’s office vacant for a special election. So Huckabee, who had state recognition from his recent campaign, was primed to win the office. Then, in early 1996, Senator Mark Pryor announced that he would be vacating his seat. Huckabee jumped at the chance to run for senator again, but the campaign would only last a few months. In May 1996, Governor Tucker was convicted of fraud in a Whitewater-related case and had to resign his office. Huckabee withdrew from the senate race to move in to the governor’s office. Once he was secured in the governor’s office, Huckabee struggled to find common ground with both the House and the Senate because the democrats were in the majority. He initially faced harsh criticism for decisions he made from the media as well as the majority party. Later on in his tenure, the state of Arkansas would develop a website, and email would come along to provide his staff the means to streamline government processes (like vehicle registration and taxes) and push information out to citizens of the state. Huckabee next focused on creating ARKids First, a program to provide insurance for kids from lower-middle class homes. He then set initiatives to support programs affecting environment and conservation. Huckabee went on to easily win re-election in 1998, and he soon began to develop a plan to improve the poor highways of Arkansas. He also gained a better standing with the media during this time. In 2000, the Huckabees planned an extensive renovation of the governor’s mansion. You may remember the many jokes that came out of this period due to the fact that the family relocated to a triple-wide on the grounds. I have been inside that triple-wide home, and it was nothing to laugh about. In his third term, Huckabee set out to improve the educational infrastructure of the state. The Supreme Court of Arkansas called for education reform that would level the playing field for all schools in regards to state and federal funds. His first initiative was the consolidation of small school districts and to streamline the administration of the entire system. The second initiative was aimed at improving students’ math and reading skills. The third (and most controversial) initiative was to pass a bill affording educational opportunities to children of illegal immigrants. Though his staff and supporters pleaded with him that this would be political suicide, Huckabee stood his ground and charged forward. The bill, however, was ultimately defeated. Huckabee received national praise during his final term in office: 1) Named one of the Top 5 Governors of 2005 in “Time Magazine”; 2) Given the AARP Impact Award, which was awarded to those who have done something extraordinary to make the world a better place; and 3) Named Official of the Year by “Governing Magazine”. Of course he was not without criticism either. Some conservative groups attacked Huckabee for his state spending, calling him a liberal in disguise. To this day, these groups are active in funding campaigns against him. Also in 2005, Huckabee gained national attention with three different events: 1) He led a public ceremony of covenant marriage, putting a spotlight on the high divorce rate in Arkansas; 2) He ran a marathon and published a weight loss book highlighting a two year journey of improving his health; and 3) He earned praise in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as 75,000 refugees flooded into Arkansas.
In January of 2007, Huckabee officially declared his intentions to run for President of the United States. Ironically, one major downfall of this campaign was the lack of early evangelical support he garnered. Most evangelicals seemed to think along the lines that Huckabee was not a serious candidate and was unelectable. Despite his exceptional debate skills, and a few victories in key states, Huckabee eventually lost the GOP nomination. To be sure, Huckabee fought to the bitter end of his campaign. Everywhere he turned he came up against advisors, opponents, and even President Bush advising him to throw in the towel. I admire his drive to fight until he was defeated instead of simply quitting and handing the nomination to John McCain. Huckabee did not run again in 2012, citing “All the factors say go, but my heart says no.” Instead he focused on his popular FOX News TV show, his radio shows, and nationwide speaking engagements. He and Janet built a beachside home in Florida where they enjoy spending time together and with their three children and five grandchildren. Huckabee split his time between his new home and the TV studio in New York until January 2015, when he announced that he was leaving his FOX News show to explore the possibility of running for president again. In May of 2015, Huckabee returned to his hometown of Hope, AR, to formally announce his intentions to enter the presidential race. He hit the ground running and launched an aggressive social media campaign to rally the troops. Time will tell what will come of this campaign.
Each chapter of the book starts out with a memorable quote either from or about Mike Huckabee that is pulled directly from its respective chapter. I also noticed that the chapter names are unique, many named after famous songs or lyrics. The book is broken down into four different parts, each dealing with a specific time period in Huckabee’s life. Part One gives an extensive history of Hope, AR, and Texarkana TX/AR, the Huckabee family lineage, and a little bit about the Clinton family and how their lives paralleled and intersected at various points. Part One takes you up through age 5. I could tell that Lamb definitely performed hours of research just for this section alone, and you will appreciate the history as it provides a backdrop for the rest of the story.
Part Two talks about Huckabee’s school years: little league sports, the start of his broadcasting career (at age 12), Nixon, desegregation, the start of his political career (junior high student council), charity work, bible studies, the start of his evangelistic career, and two (of four) major trips that would impact the trajectory of his life. Lamb draws from various classmates and community members to provide commentary for these years. My mother-in-law has told me stories of how she remembers a young Mike Huckabee giving student council campaign speeches that would knock your socks off. The two trips from this period that would impact his life were: 1) Representing Arkansas at a space seminar at Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida, and 2) Attending Boys State, where he was elected “governor”.
Somewhere around this point in the book I began to realize that the author jumps ahead a lot. For example, just when you think you have moved on to Huckabee’s college years, he takes you back to the beginning of his senior year in high school. It is somewhat confusing, but not terribly. The purpose is to show how one event leads to another down the road, then he goes back to where he was in the timeline.
Part Three picks up directly after Boys State and finds Huckabee and Lester Sitzes hitting the road to Dallas to attend Explo ’72, hosted by Billy Graham and Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusades for Christ), to join nearly 100,000 young Christians for a week of intense Bible study, prayer, music, and discipleship training. This was the third trip that shaped his life. After Boys State, many community and state leaders urged Huckabee, now 17, to pursue a career in law and politics. However, after Explo ’72, Huckabee veered away from the political world and began to turn to a different vocation. In his senior year, Huckabee was very active on the debate team, and he was voted “most outstanding senior” by the school faculty. After graduating he began to lead youth revival services at various local churches, and he worked as a writer for the Baptist Missionary Association. The fourth trip that impacts Huckabee’s life is a trip to Israel in the summer of 1973, just prior to entering college. This would be his first of more than forty trips since then to the Holy Land. Huckabee enrolled in college at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia and plowed through the coursework to graduate magna cum laude three semesters early. He was the first male in his line to ever attend college. During his time at OBU Huckabee pastored a church, DJ’d for a local radio station, worked as a custodian, got married, and helped his new wife defeat spinal cancer. Mike Huckabee married Janet McCain, his high school sweetheart, in May of 1974. There is also a section here that provides a short history of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. After graduating from OBU at age 20 Huckabee enrolled in Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth. During the first year Mike and Janet welcomed their first son, John Mark. While enrolled at the seminary, Huckabee took the advice of one of his professors to put seminary on hold to take an offer of a full-time job in evangelist broadcasting. This advice, Huckabee says, began a whole chain of events in his life that led him to the Arkansas governor’s office. Huckabee was one of the organizers of the Freedom Rally that was held at Dallas Reunion Arena. This rally was sparked by the removal of Huckabee’s boss, James Robison, from local station WFAA because of a sermon in which Robison denounced homosexuality. It was here that the Moral Majority was born, which gave the framework for the National Affairs Briefing. Ed McAteer, a member of Adrian Rogers’ church, formed a political caucus called the Religious Roundtable, with such members as Pat Robertson, Charles Stanley, and Jerry Fallwell. The Religious Roundtable convened at Reunion Arena in 1980 with more than 15,000 evangelicals in attendance. Special guest Ronald Reagan also attended and spoke, a move that helped him move into the White House. At this event, Mike Huckabee first witnessed the convergence of politics and religion, and how both could be used together for the good of the country. But instead of diving into politics after this event, Huckabee moved his family to Pine Bluff, AR, where he became pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. The Huckabees welcomed their second son, David, in 1980, and a daughter, Sarah, in 1982. While in Pine Bluff Huckabee had to deal with racial tension and racial divides among church members, to which he stood a firm ground that Christians should be color-blind. In 1986, the family moved to Texarkana, AR. Beech Street First Baptist Church was in need of a pastor, and they called on Huckabee to join them and replicate the television ministry he had created in Pine Bluff. During his time here, Huckabee would be elected president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. In 1990, Mike and Janet read and studied the popular book “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry Blackaby. Through their study of this book it became clear to them that God was leading Mike to resign his pastoral ministry to run for political office.
Part Four begins with Huckabee’s first political campaign for U.S. Senate, which was a bold move. Not only did Huckabee not have any national political experience, but he would be up against a democratic incumbent in an election year where Bill Clinton (also a democrat) would likely win the White House. At this time, Arkansas was a blue state. What this meant is that Arkansans would likely show up in force at the polls to vote for Clinton, almost assuring that the senate seat would remain with the incumbent. Many close friends tried to talk Huckabee out of the idea, while others thought that running for that particular seat was a genius plan to actually put him in line for the governor’s mansion instead. Huckabee claims that there was no genius plan, instead he just believed that he could win the election. With his mind made up, Huckabee’s friends and supporters gathered together and swept through the state on a grassroots campaign. Huckabee lost that race, but it did put him in a good position to win a special election for lieutenant governor. Clinton was elected president, Jim Guy Tucker moved up to governor, and that left the lieutenant governor’s office vacant for a special election. So Huckabee, who had state recognition from his recent campaign, was primed to win the office. Then, in early 1996, Senator Mark Pryor announced that he would be vacating his seat. Huckabee jumped at the chance to run for senator again, but the campaign would only last a few months. In May 1996, Governor Tucker was convicted of fraud in a Whitewater-related case and had to resign his office. Huckabee withdrew from the senate race to move in to the governor’s office. Once he was secured in the governor’s office, Huckabee struggled to find common ground with both the House and the Senate because the democrats were in the majority. He initially faced harsh criticism for decisions he made from the media as well as the majority party. Later on in his tenure, the state of Arkansas would develop a website, and email would come along to provide his staff the means to streamline government processes (like vehicle registration and taxes) and push information out to citizens of the state. Huckabee next focused on creating ARKids First, a program to provide insurance for kids from lower-middle class homes. He then set initiatives to support programs affecting environment and conservation. Huckabee went on to easily win re-election in 1998, and he soon began to develop a plan to improve the poor highways of Arkansas. He also gained a better standing with the media during this time. In 2000, the Huckabees planned an extensive renovation of the governor’s mansion. You may remember the many jokes that came out of this period due to the fact that the family relocated to a triple-wide on the grounds. I have been inside that triple-wide home, and it was nothing to laugh about. In his third term, Huckabee set out to improve the educational infrastructure of the state. The Supreme Court of Arkansas called for education reform that would level the playing field for all schools in regards to state and federal funds. His first initiative was the consolidation of small school districts and to streamline the administration of the entire system. The second initiative was aimed at improving students’ math and reading skills. The third (and most controversial) initiative was to pass a bill affording educational opportunities to children of illegal immigrants. Though his staff and supporters pleaded with him that this would be political suicide, Huckabee stood his ground and charged forward. The bill, however, was ultimately defeated. Huckabee received national praise during his final term in office: 1) Named one of the Top 5 Governors of 2005 in “Time Magazine”; 2) Given the AARP Impact Award, which was awarded to those who have done something extraordinary to make the world a better place; and 3) Named Official of the Year by “Governing Magazine”. Of course he was not without criticism either. Some conservative groups attacked Huckabee for his state spending, calling him a liberal in disguise. To this day, these groups are active in funding campaigns against him. Also in 2005, Huckabee gained national attention with three different events: 1) He led a public ceremony of covenant marriage, putting a spotlight on the high divorce rate in Arkansas; 2) He ran a marathon and published a weight loss book highlighting a two year journey of improving his health; and 3) He earned praise in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as 75,000 refugees flooded into Arkansas.
In January of 2007, Huckabee officially declared his intentions to run for President of the United States. Ironically, one major downfall of this campaign was the lack of early evangelical support he garnered. Most evangelicals seemed to think along the lines that Huckabee was not a serious candidate and was unelectable. Despite his exceptional debate skills, and a few victories in key states, Huckabee eventually lost the GOP nomination. To be sure, Huckabee fought to the bitter end of his campaign. Everywhere he turned he came up against advisors, opponents, and even President Bush advising him to throw in the towel. I admire his drive to fight until he was defeated instead of simply quitting and handing the nomination to John McCain. Huckabee did not run again in 2012, citing “All the factors say go, but my heart says no.” Instead he focused on his popular FOX News TV show, his radio shows, and nationwide speaking engagements. He and Janet built a beachside home in Florida where they enjoy spending time together and with their three children and five grandchildren. Huckabee split his time between his new home and the TV studio in New York until January 2015, when he announced that he was leaving his FOX News show to explore the possibility of running for president again. In May of 2015, Huckabee returned to his hometown of Hope, AR, to formally announce his intentions to enter the presidential race. He hit the ground running and launched an aggressive social media campaign to rally the troops. Time will tell what will come of this campaign.
January 16, 2016
This books covered the facts adequately but wasn't written especially well. Many, many sentences had the same structure: "He did this. He did that. She said this about what he did." And while the mistakes of Huckabee weren't hidden, each one was explained favorably to Huckabee. Having said that, he's the real deal and I'm a fan of him.
May 28, 2016
Interesting book to read what politicians ought to be like. Wish we had Huckabee running this election year! Scott Lamb did a fine job bringing us a little closer to what makes Huckabee the man he is.
February 2, 2016
Great book. I enjoy reading about great men like Mike Huckabee
July 17, 2019
This book was pretty solid in the sense that it wasn’t a true autobiography in a sense and I guess it was both an autobiography and a memoir at a same time but not written by Mike Huckabee? Okay so I’m not really sure what to call this kind of book as it does delve a bit into the history of the Huckabee clan and a bit into Mike’s childhood and adolescent stage (again not very deep and only selected memories) and also talks about his time as the Governor of Arkansas.
The book is well written by Scott Lamb I didn’t find it dragging at all and how he connects music and Mike Huckabee (yes you read that correctly) was pretty cool and I have respect for Scott Lamb for doing that.
Now let’s talk a bit about the man himself Mike Huckabee, I remember when I was following the 2008 race I saw him on debates and all but he became well known to me because of Chuck Norris (all the supposed Chuck Norris facts were very popular during that time) but aside from that I didn’t get to know him much and this books explains a lot why, he is very conservative in terms of his morals (with today’s society people will dislike him very much) but the way he works in government it’s bi partisan and it’s all about making sure the people get the help they need the laws that they need, etc. So i can understand why a lot of people felt that he was unelectable he was like a very conservative version of John McCain. But the one thing I can say is this book shows the fighting spirit that Huckabee has and how he doesn’t just give up and I admire him for that, it’s rare to find someone with that much fighting spirit and I feel that as a man who is more right than left I can side with a guy like Huckabee generally speaking. I don’t agree with everything he believes in but I do believe that he had a lot of potential in terms of becoming a President.
Overall a good book if you just want to generally get to know Mike Huckabee but if you’re looking for anything that is super deep this isn’t the book for you.
The book is well written by Scott Lamb I didn’t find it dragging at all and how he connects music and Mike Huckabee (yes you read that correctly) was pretty cool and I have respect for Scott Lamb for doing that.
Now let’s talk a bit about the man himself Mike Huckabee, I remember when I was following the 2008 race I saw him on debates and all but he became well known to me because of Chuck Norris (all the supposed Chuck Norris facts were very popular during that time) but aside from that I didn’t get to know him much and this books explains a lot why, he is very conservative in terms of his morals (with today’s society people will dislike him very much) but the way he works in government it’s bi partisan and it’s all about making sure the people get the help they need the laws that they need, etc. So i can understand why a lot of people felt that he was unelectable he was like a very conservative version of John McCain. But the one thing I can say is this book shows the fighting spirit that Huckabee has and how he doesn’t just give up and I admire him for that, it’s rare to find someone with that much fighting spirit and I feel that as a man who is more right than left I can side with a guy like Huckabee generally speaking. I don’t agree with everything he believes in but I do believe that he had a lot of potential in terms of becoming a President.
Overall a good book if you just want to generally get to know Mike Huckabee but if you’re looking for anything that is super deep this isn’t the book for you.
December 31, 2018
Mike Huckabee bio is excellent. Many of the topics and issues are the same church issues I grew up with. He started out as Church of Christ but attended ? college, a Southern Baptist school, and has been SBC ever since. He is the real deal, although I take great issue with his use of rock music in church. The book is well written and almost seems as if Huckabee had written it himself. It is a fine portrait of the character-filled man who is Mike Huckabee. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Note that all the chapter titles are song titles (from the ‘60s?).
I LOVED reading this book. A linked Index at end. After that, a wonderful picture section of every phase of Huckabee's life, from childhood, teen years, marriage, politics, children with his ever changing weight. Great to see these family and political pictures. I've seen them nowhere else. He still carries his dimples. Author Scott Lamb gives a clear testimony of salvation in Christ in the Acknowledgments section at the end. What a great book, authorized by Huckabee and based on many interviews with him, to tell the personal and oh-so-interesting story of this oh-so-interesting and character-filled man.
I LOVED reading this book. A linked Index at end. After that, a wonderful picture section of every phase of Huckabee's life, from childhood, teen years, marriage, politics, children with his ever changing weight. Great to see these family and political pictures. I've seen them nowhere else. He still carries his dimples. Author Scott Lamb gives a clear testimony of salvation in Christ in the Acknowledgments section at the end. What a great book, authorized by Huckabee and based on many interviews with him, to tell the personal and oh-so-interesting story of this oh-so-interesting and character-filled man.
February 11, 2019
Not a fan of biography kinda book so this was an average reading selection for me. But overall, I would say that this kinda book gave me the wide range ideas on how a governor life was which I never knew before. I accidentally read this book because there was an eBook version that available on the link below :- https://www.e-sentral.com/book/info/2...
October 29, 2020
No real good reason to read about a former candidate but the book was cheap and I like biographies. I wish that I had had a chance to vote for Mr. Huckabee. We need more politicians like him. We need more Christians like him. We need more citizens like him.
June 28, 2022
An excellent biography of Mike Huckabee, written as he was entering the race for the 2016 presidential election. It documents his life from his humble beginnings in Hope, Arkansas and how he has never changed from his easygoing, hometown, pragmatic personality.
August 11, 2017
More than just a biography of a now former candidate for President of the United States, this book is a very good portrait of the former Governor of Arkansas and very inspiring.
November 16, 2017
Mr Huckabee deserves 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️for his life story. Unfortunately Mr Lamb didn’t exemplify the accomplishments of the statesman with eloquent writing.
September 16, 2021
Should have been president
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