"The 46 chapters are roughly in chronological order but mainly focus on key policy issues and developments. The book is long but not wordy."

"John's autobiography has lots of statistics that show how things were when he started and how good they were at the end. They show that he left Australia wealthier, more respected, with debts paid and with more people employed than ever."

"Don't be surprised: I reckon it is a good read."

Peter Reith was a senior cabinet minister in the Howard government from 1996 to 2001.

"There are however things about the tone of the memoir that did slightly surprise."

"Howard often describes his underlying philosophy as the combination of economic liberalism and social conservatism. On scores of occasions critics of his government have pointed to an obvious contradiction. The bedrock of social conservatism is stable family, neighbourhood and community; the implication of economic liberalism is an unrestrained capitalism destructive of all three. "

"Regarding some of the more contentious episodes in the life of the Howard government, Lazarus Rising is entirely unreliable."

"It is a fascinating story of achievement by someone who became one of Australia’s dominant political figures."

"The book provides numerous salient examples of the pitfalls that lie in the path of all politicians and highlights how issues can come out of left field."

"Howard classifies himself as a conviction politician whose basic political philosophy is a blend of economic liberalism and social conservatism. He rationalises his attitudes on the grounds that in times of rapid economic liberalisation people want the security of socially conservative policies. This attitude seems to be at odds with the way advances in technology, communication and medicine have changed the way people think about and react to social issues. His political pragmatism manifests itself in a highly dismissive attitude, bordering on contempt, towards so-called urban elites and academics."

"The book provides a valuable insight into the way people’s roles and personalities interact and frequently clash and how this impacts on the formulation of government policy. It illustrates that the management of a robust democracy such as Australia’s is messy and full of conflict and compromises between competing interests. The reader will come away with a better appreciation of the political forces which have shaped Australia during the last thirty years and the part played by Howard in that time."