Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has a new book,
“Dear Chandler, Dear Scarlett: A Grandfather’s Thoughts on Faith, Family, and the Things That Matter Most.”
The book, published on Nov. 12, is a compilation of heartfelt letters Huckabee has written to his grandchildren.
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax TV, the talk radio host explains the message he wants to share with his grandchildren, Chandler and Scarlett.
“One of the things I want to do is to help convey to them that they are connected to the generations before them and they are going to be connecting to the generations after them,” he says.
“My grandkids are little infants, so I don’t have any illusion that they are going to be sitting around in a few years when eight and nine years old: ‘Oh, let me read that book again grandpa!’
“This is a book I wrote when I can write it, not when they can read it, because the day may come when I am not capable of writing it or I am not here to write it. I don’t want to have them not know who they are, something about where they really come from, something about their ancestors, something about the values that shaped their ancestors and therefore shaped them.
“They are going to find out some things about ‘Why am I so impatient?’ ‘Why is it that I don’t like certain chores?’ Some of it is genetic. I want to explain that there are some things that they have inherited, some good, some maybe not so good.
“Ultimately, with this book, [I’m] not just telling my stories – there are a lot of stories that are funny. You know what I want to do? I want to tell every parent and grandparent: Be thinking about what you are really leaving to your kids — it’s not stuff, it’s who you are — and helping them to understand that.
Huckabee was asked what lessons Americans can take away from the book as a very divided America moves forward over the next four years.
“I think this is book that even a left-wing Democrat can read because this is not a political book,” Huckabee tells Newsmax.
“Frankly, I think a lot of people need a break from politics right now – especially conservatives need a break. But bigger than that, I think it’s about saying that there are some issues that transcend everybody’s politics and then transcend every time frame.
“For example, how do we deal with pain? Why do we have pain? Why do we have suffering? Why do some things hurt? I try to talk about that as a grandfather might talk to his grandkids. Why did my pet die? Those are real questions that we ask and have to answer sometimes.
“What I want to do in this book is to convey some of what I call grandfatherly thoughts, but do it in way it that it does not matter what age are the parents or grandparent or kids. There is something in there that is a real takeaway.”
Editor's Note: See the full Newsmax interview with Huckabee:
Huckabee to Newsmax: 'Absolute Certainty' of a White House Cover-up on Benghazi
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.