Protest at a book signing

Yesterday, I walked home by way of Barnes and Noble, as I often do, mainly because walking into that place is enough to noticeably raise my mood. All the books! It makes me so happy. When I was there yesterday, however, a few people were vocally much less happy than I was.

They had an book signing, and I believe I came in somewhere around the beginning. The cafe was pretty packed, standing room only, and the author was reading a passage from the book. I wasn't really paying attention, just went straight to my little corner with the latest copy of People magazine (100 most beautiful people; personally I think Angelina looks a little worn, she's gotten so thin, but that's another topic).

A few minutes later, I heard yelling, chanting, etc. A group had come to protest the book signing! I didn't go over once all the commotion started, but from my vantage point in the back corner, I could hear a lot of the noise. One of the protesters went around the entire store trying to pass out flyers (I declined). They ended up pausing the program for 10 or 15 minutes while the police came to escort these people out. Of a book signing! I think the topic of the book was the Armenian Genocide (google Turkey, Armenian Genocide, and look for stuff around the same time as WWII - approx. 1915-1917, or check out this link), but I did not check to see what the book was or who the author was. I think she was on the side of recognizing it, which means the protesters were probably Turkish (the Turkish government maintains that no state-organized genocide occurred). The only thing I remember is that her voice sounded like Susan Sarandon. Seriously, she has a future in voiceovers if the whole author thing doesn't work out.

Afterwards, someone in the audience must have asked her whether she had this problem often. She said, no, that she had been on a national tour promoting her book in stores and on radio programs and had never faced this problem before. When I left, three or four protesters were still outside arguing with the police. Like so many other things . . . Only in New York.