Don't judge a 'look' by it's cover

Book launches are totally new to me- I had never been to one and had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t quite work out how this particular one was planning to combine the over-enthusiastic nature of Evangelical Christianity with a serious secular book release. It didn’t take long for me to go from reading the launch invite to thoughts of super-keen smiling people, denim skirts, amplified music that takes you back to memories of 80’s folk ballads, and quiche. In that regard, I was convinced it could be interesting, if nothing else.

Dress codes are not my thing, and yet, to save face I thought it would be worth getting out the ‘smart shoes’. It wasn’t, and with the rain pouring down, the five minutes walk made my smart shoes significantly less smart. Definitely not the look for a book launch.

Google maps lead me to the entrance of a Community Centre. There was something about the front doors that said 'I'm made of shatter proof glass...for a reason', so I promptly pushed in, avoiding eye contact, and trotted up the stairs. Everyone seemed to be casually mingling, but the majority suspiciously lacked the book launch ‘look’. Glass of a sparkling something in hand I turned to administer small talk. Immediately the conversation became quite lively and I found myself rather engaged in conversations about the chronicles of Narnia, poverty in Traveller communities, and mud hut building with offenders in Wales.

A short interruption, the part for the 'book talk', gave way to a stream of praise for both author and content, a part I suspected would eventually happen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t listening, and couldn’t for the life of me tell you what was said. You see, I was distracted by the paint pealing off the rafters above us, the marked hardwood floor of a well used space, and the people like trees in a wild forest; all different types, shapes and sizes, but peacefully standing, listening and smiling. And there’s where it hit me. I was standing in a community centre, with a real community of people. A venue that offered honest transparency and a book that drew together people searching for social harmony, this was idealist heaven. I looked down at my damp shoes, which had at this point started steaming, and most probably smelling literally horrific, and yet, it just didn’t matter- to me at least.

As the talk finished, I found myself smiling. Closing chit-chat wasn’t a big priority, so I walked to the table, picked up a copy of the book and headed toward the door. If I’m honest, I had originally never intended to read the book. I knew the main jist was the Muslim-Christian conversation, and that I had heard it too many times from too many bigoted positions to even consider thinking about it again. But this was different, and we all knew it. As I rapped my scarf around my neck and headed out into the cold wind, I had a few seconds to reflect. If this book’s only strength ends up being a tool to bring people together where before they had felt alien, ignorant or different, I want to read it.

If you want to know more about Nick Chatraths book you can find out here, plus you can read his latest thoughts on his frequently updated discussion page. As you got all the way down here you may as well check it out:

www.onestopguide.org