“A Man Called Ove” by international bestselling author Fredrick Backman has been selected as the Cambridge Community Read for 2016.
The book has been a No. 1 bestseller in the author’s native Sweden and is published in more than 25 languages around the world.
Backman will arrive in Cambridge on Monday, May 16 for a book signing at Scout & Morgan Books at 5 p.m. followed by a reading, presentation, and book signing at the Cambridge Campus of the Anoka Ramsey Community College at 7 p.m. Book group discussions and other arts and cultural activities are also being planned to celebrate the author’s visit.
The book has been a local bestseller and very popular with area book groups. In the novel, Ove is a grump and a curmudgeon, yet loveable 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.
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.
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 to 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 is now recognized by a national publisher.
Books and additional information are available at the Cambridge Public Library and Scout & Morgan Books. All Cambridge Community Read events are free and open to everyone.