For the night, Arlington Central Library belonged to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

On hand May 7 to discuss her novel “Americanah,” the featured fiction title of Arlington Reads 2015, the Nigerian author drew hundreds of passionate readers to the library auditorium plus two remote viewing locations in the building.

Complete video of the program will be available on Arlington Television and through YouTube the week of May 11. Check the Library website, Facebook and Twitter for updates.

Working from the timely Arlington Reads theme of “#BlackLivesMatter,” Ms. Adichie reflected on her life coming to America, her writing process and issues of race, gender and mental health. But perhaps her most personal statement came at the beginning of the program when she told the audience of the fresh trauma of her father’s kidnapping just days earlier in Nigeria. He was freed unharmed on May 5.

The energy coming from the large Arlington Reads audience clearly provided comfort to Ms. Adichie, who graciously concluded the evening with autographs for every person who sought one. Library Director Diane Kresh summed up the appearance as “inspiring, generous, thoughtful. Just the kind of program that touches our hearts and our heads.”

Arlington Reads is made possible by the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.