Book Nook: 101 Ways to Rock Running for Office

I've written before about radio hall of famer Dayna Steele’s books, and I have a chance now to highlight her latest book project, 101 Ways to Rock Running for Office, which she released early in response to the recent bungled events in the US Senate, COVID response and vaccines, and last week’s epic Texas winter storms.Running for office is one of the most patriotic things you can do for your community and for your country. However, most citizens don’t because they don’t know where to start. Her new book, written with “body man” and college student and political science major Scott Schroder, is a guide to get you started from student council to the US Congress, and a must-read for every wanna-be candidate, organizer and anyone who wants to get involved and see change.

Dayna and Scott encourage readers to:
Run for office. Please.
Get involved.
Change the world for the better.

I had a chance to interview her to learn more.

Why did you write this book? I've been trying to write a book about my novice experience running for Congress in 2018 that might help and encourage others to get involved. Nothing clicked until one day in November, I was walking through the park with my dogs annd a young Black woman stopped me to comment on a political hat I was wearing. I told her we needed more young people like her to get involved, that she should run. Her reply, "Oh I'll volunteer but I wouldn't know where to start to run for office," just clicked with me. I had written half the book in my head by the time I finished my walk!

Why is it important to get kids interested in politics at any age? I was fortunate to have great teachers growing up, expcially my history teacher in high school. They brought it all to light and made it interesting. Democracy requires paricipation to survive. If you get kids involved early on - from block walking to helping others in the community - it will make the world a better place for all of us moving forward.

How can parents and caregivers make learning about government fun? There are any number of books and videos out there. I remember growing up watching the "How a bill becomes a law" video. Also check out the I Am series of books for kids from best-selling author Brad Meltzer. They are inspiring!

Dayna Steele is a rock Radio Hall of Famer, successful entrepreneur, creator of the Rock Star Principles podcast, author of numerous books, motivational keynote speaker, and was the 2018 Democratic candidate for the Texas 36th congressional district. With no political experience, she took on 7,500 square miles that included the 4th largest city in the US and also some of the most rural areas in the country. Even though she lost, she helped change the political and voting landscape in Harris County, one of the largest counties in the country. 

Scott Schroder served as Dayna’s “body man” during her 2018 run for Congress in Texas, and prior to that, was politically active in college while attending the University of Mississippi as a political science major. Before joining Dayna, Scott was a sportswriter in addition to his political work, covering German soccer and Ole Miss football.