By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Governor Mike Parson held a few book signings during his recent trip to St. Joseph.
“No Turnin’ Back” came out earlier this year.
Parson says it delves into his childhood in southern Missouri’s Hickory County, the son of sharecroppers.
“A very difficult time for us as a familywise. You didn’t have a lot of things. You didn’t have a lot of material things back then,” Parson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “But everybody learned how to work hard, be good neighbors, and respect one another. And I think that foundation has given me the course set to be the governor of the state of Missouri. It talks abut my Army career; talks about mistakes I’ve made in my life.”
Parson, a Republican, says he based his autobiography on the themes of faith, family, freedom, and friendship.
Parson says he hopes the book inspires others.
“I think the biggest message I’d like people to get when they get the book and see where I’ve come from is just to realize you don’t have to be born with a silver spoon, you don’t have to have a large pedigree on the wall to say who you are,” according to Parson. “You just have to work hard, you have to treat people right, and you just have to do what’s best for other people and I think that’s what my whole career’s been about.”
Parson says he tried to tell the good and the bad in the book, adding his book isn’t just about him or First Lady Teresa Parson.
“We’re old enough in our careers that we’ve actually lived the American dream. We really have. We’ve got to do so many things in our lifetime,” Parson says. “We just want to make sure the next generations have the same opportunity that we’ve had and that’s why we both go to work every day doing what we do.”
Parson, a Republican, says it has been an honor to be Missouri’s 57th governor. He cannot run for re-election, due to term limits.
While Parson grew up in Hickory County, he began his political career as sheriff of Polk County, then winning election to the Missouri Senate. He was elected Lt. Governor and became governor after Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in 2018 after 17 tumultuous months in office. Parson won election to the office in his own right in 2020. He cannot run for re-election.
Parson signed copies of his book at the downtown St. Joseph Library as well as during a stop at Missouri Western State University.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.