Renowned Author to Speak at Commencement

James Patterson

Best-selling author James Patterson will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Commencement on May 23, when he will also receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

An award-winning author of more than 100 books, Patterson is best known for his suspense and thriller novels including the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett and the Women’s Murder Club series. He has also written many stand-alone thrillers, romance and nonfiction works and is the current best-selling author in the young adult and middle grade categories --- with titles such as I Funny and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.

Patterson’s book sales total more than 270 million copies, and he was the first author to achieve 10 million e-book sales. He also holds the Guinness world record for the most titles to appear in the No. 1 spot on The New York Times best sellers list. TIME magazine recently hailed him as “The Man Who Can’t Miss.”

Patterson’s awards include the Edgar Award, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year Award, the International Thriller of the Year Award and the Children’s Choice Book Award for Author of the Year. An advocate of reading and education, Patterson and his wife, Susan, have donated books to schools and military personnel and have funded millions of dollars worth of scholarships at numerous colleges and universities, including the James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarship at Montclair State.

Patterson is a graduate of Manhattan College (BA) and Vanderbilt University (MA). Commencement will be held at the IZOD Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. For more information on Commencement and Convocations, visit montclair.edu/commencement.