NORMAN McCOMBS: Author of "A Reason To Be"

In 2011, author Norman McCombs stood outside the East Wing of the White House before receiving the National Medal of Technology from President Obama, he asked himself a simple question: How did I come from the circumstances of my birth to the steps of the White House? After losing his wife to a battle with Alzheimer's, McCombs was left devastated until a chance encounter with a sharp, compassionate librarian named Suzy Hamilton on the steps of the New York Public Library shakes him from the throes of grief, and encourages him to research his ancestry. The result? A Reason To Be, his historical novel, a poignant tale of loss, hope and the transcendent power of the love that binds us to one another.