Spontaneous Book-Signing at The Strand

I was thrilled to discover a stack of 10 copies of Beatitude in The Strand, New York’s landmark independent bookstore (“18 miles of books”) and, had I been alone, I would have left the store happy just knowing that. But I wasn’t alone. I was with my best friend John, who suggested I offer to sign the books.

Being a deferential author, I resisted, but, being a best friend with my best interests at heart, he persisted. Finally, I relented and somewhat self-consciously explained the situation to...