In Lisa DePasquale’s memoir Finding Mr. Righteous, she documents a journey to acceptance using her own dating experiences while working in conservative politics.
First off, the book itself is a fun engaging read that takes some dark revealing turns bravely documented by the author. In a world where everyone’s social media is geared to present the best possible picture of their children, vacations, and life in general, it’s refreshing to read an honest portrayal of the difficulty in seeking partnership and even finding time to realize that honoring yourself may be the most important piece of the puzzle you are missing. In an increasingly disconnected secular society, men and women are struggling more than ever to seek out true partnership.
Lisa builds her journey ostensibly through the guise of breaking her journey down in chapters based on particular men she sought relationships with. Her wit and sensibly comes through to the reader and makes her all the more charming. Her willingness to admit her failings, while brave in itself, are critical to defining the real journey that Lisa is on within those pages and pay off for the reader in the final chapter.
The funny thing that occurred to me while reading a book that could be branded as a conservative Bridget Jones, is how unusual it was to see conservative features of life sprinkled throughout the pages of what felt more like a mainstream chick lit book.
Watching Fox News,mentioning Rush Limbaugh, or attending a Republican political event isn’t typical for this genre but reflect the behavior of a large sector of the population. Subtly, Lisa is offering her life up as a way to engage the broader culture and presenting a woman that happens to be conservative yet many women can identify with. There are plenty racy details and challenging and sometimes humorous dating situations discussed that this book should rightly cut across political lines and find a home among women who are on their own journey to self acceptance.
I’d highly recommend as an act of outreach passing this book to some of your Democrat or independent leaning friends as a fun beach read that while it happens to be told by a conservative character, reveals an universal journey.
For those of us in the conservative movement, there are details worth reading that should be a warning regarding some of the internal culture generated within the party and whether we need to be more thoughtful about who we embrace as thought leaders when often they turn out to be frauds or just as concerned with power or prestige as any other politico. At a time where the conservative game needs to be better than ever, sadly there are people that prefer to preach one thing and practice another. As a side note, its also fun to speculate who some of these people are within the pages of Mr. Righteous.
Finding Mr. Righteous is a great read especially at a time where women are finding the “hook up culture” to be less rewarding than their feminist elders told them but are perplexed with where that leaves them if they choose to sit on the sidelines and wait for Mr. Right.
Ms Pasquale’s memoir contains lessons you wish you could grant your younger self. In a world that seeks to dissuade women of their own value, these lessons often are earned though experience.
Find Lisa DePasquale’s book Finding Mr. Righteous on Amazon Hardcover or Kindle