Every evening for eight years, at his request, President Barack Obama received ten handpicked letters written by ordinary American citizens from his Office of Presidential Correspondence. In To Obama: With Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope, Jeanne Marie Laskas features more than 100 original letters that deeply affected not only the president but also the policies he pursued. She also interviews President Obama, several of the letter writers themselves, and the White House staff who sifted through the powerful, moving, and incredibly intimate narratives of America during the Obama administration. We are extremely proud that, when she appears at the store tonight to talk about her book, she'll be joined by two local letter-writers who are featured in the book:

Dr. Tracy LaRock, an Evanston home healthcare nurse who wrote a touching note to President Obama about seeing his portrait in many of the homes she visits; and Noor Abdelfattah, a Loyola graduate whose letter reflects on growing up as a Muslim American. Noor later was later invited to a White House dinner celebrating Eid al Fitr (marking the end of Ramadan) and met President Obama.