The Cambridge Friends of the Library 2016 Cambridge Community Read Author Event

International bestselling author Fredrik Backman is coming to Cambridge to sign books and read from A Man Called Ove, this year’s choice for the Cambridge Community Read.

The book has been a No. 1 bestseller in the author’s native Sweden, a local bestseller and quite popular with area book groups. A Man Called Ove is published in more than 25 languages around the world and is currently on the New York Times bestseller list for Trade Fiction Paperback.

Backman will arrive in Cambridge on Monday, May 16 for a 4 p.m. book signing at Scout & Morgan Books. This will be followed by a reading, presentation and book signing at the Cambridge Campus of the Anoka Ramsey Community College at 7 p.m.

In the novel, Ove is a grump and curmudgeon, yet lovable man, living in a small Swedish community. His world is turned upside down when a boisterous young family moves in next door. The novel reveals the story and sadness behind Ove’s crankiness and ultimately is a heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship and the profound impact one life can have on countless others.

A 2015 film adaptation of A Man Called Ove was a smash box office hit in Sweden. The movie with the same name will open in select theaters in the United States later this fall.

Backman is a Swedish blogger and columnist. In addition to A Man Called Ove, he is the author of a work of nonfiction, Things My Son Needs to Know About Life, as well as a second novel, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. His third novel, Britt-Marie Was Here, will be released in May of this year. He lives in Stockholm with his wife and two children.

Cambridge Community Read

Now in its ninth year, the Cambridge Community Read is an annual literacy event hosted by the Cambridge Friends of the Library. The goal of the program is to encourage community members to come together through the reading and discussion of a common book and strengthen the community while supporting literacy.

The Community Read committee is grateful to the author’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, for agreeing to send the author to Cambridge for the program’s grand finale event. It is a testament to the many readers in the community who have supported the program over the past nine years that it is now recognized by a national publisher.

Books and additional information are available at the Cambridge Public Library, Scout & Morgan Books and www.facebook.com/cambridgecommunitywideread. All Cambridge Community Read events are free and open to everyone.

(Updated 5/12/16.  We previously mistakenly reported that Backman would have a 5 p.m. book signing at Scout & Morgan Books. In fact, he will have a 4 p.m. book signing at Scout & Morgan Books, followed by a reading, presentation and book signing at 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Campus of Anoka Ramsey Community College.)