The Book Stall (811 Elm Street in Winnetka) invites you to an Evening with Mike Leonard on Wednesday, May 14 at 6:00 pm. It has been almost twenty years since the publication of The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family by Winnetka resident Mike Leonard. As a kid, Mike struggled in school, and few would have predicted he would succeed in the driven world of television, much less write a book. When The Ride of Our Lives hit the shelves it was an instant favorite with readers.
 
Like the Paul Simon song, Mike “walked off to look for America.” And he took his own family with him hoping to find answers within his own “tribe” as well as from the people he would meet along the way. The Ride of Our Lives is about family, to be sure. But it is also about defying the odds and overcoming low expectations. Of course, Mike has been doing that his entire professional career. Parents and teachers with struggling students will find both inspiration and hope in Mike’s story.
 
Much has changed since The Ride of Our Lives was published. We are all on the ride of our lives. Fortunately, we have an expert tour guide with Mike Leonard. He will be joined in conversation by The Book Stall's own Jon Grand.,
 
This program is free, but registration is requested.  Click here to reserve your place. 
 
More About the Book: The Ride of Our Lives is the humorous yet deeply moving account of NBC journalist Mike Leonard's cross-country odyssey with his eccentric parents, three grown children, and a daughter-in-law. Full of ups and downs, laughs and tears, the month-long journey becomes a much larger tale of hope, persistence, and valuable lessons learned along the way. A celebration of the ties between parents and children, as well as the unforgettable community of people one can meet across America, The Ride of Our Lives is an inspiring narrative of self-discovery and self-fulfillment-and how one unique family found blessings and simple pleasures on the road called life.
 
Tom Brokaw says, "Touching, hilarious . . . should be required reading in every family."