Former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal will be in Statesboro Friday at two different locations, reading from his recently published book – “Veto, The Governor's Cat.”

At the request of his late wife and to honor her commitment to children’s literacy, Deal wrote the book that tells the story of the Deals’ two rescue cats, Veto and Bill.

He will be at Georgia Southern University at 10 a.m. Friday in the Eugene Bishop Alumni Center, adjacent to Paulson Stadium. Then, Gov. Deal will go to Two Story Books and Coffeehouse, 142 North Main St., at 12:30 p.m. to read from the book and meet the public.

At Georgia Southern, the first 50 guests coming to the event will receive a free book. Books also will be available for purchase. 

At the Two Story Books event, coffee and brunch items will be available for purchase and the Statesboro Humane Society will be on site with some kittens.

Both events are free and open to the public.

As first lady between 2011 and 2019, Sandra Deal came to Statesboro on several occasions to read to young children. During that time, Deal read to children in more than 1,000 schools and pre-K programs across each of the state’s 159 counties.

“Veto, The Governor’s Cat” is based on the lives of Veto and Bill, who were brought to the Governor’s Mansion to protect the garden from chipmunks and later moved with the Deals to Habersham County after they left office. 

In sharing the story of Veto and Bill, Deal said it is a continuation of his wife’s advocacy work. 

A portion of the proceeds from the book will support literacy projects and other educational initiatives through The Deal Foundation.