About three years ago, as well as COVID-19 biting, I was working on the marketing of a debut book by Phil Knox. Story Bearer was one of my favourite ‘work books’ that year – and despite launching just in time for lockdown, it’s sold well and I was delighted to be able to work with Phil on his second book. The subtitle of Story Bearer was ‘how to share your faith with your friends’ – and ‘The Best of Friends’ thus acts as both something of a prequel (for those of us who struggle to make or retain friends), and as a totally different kind of book, engaging with the epidemic of loneliness.
Phil isn’t writing about friendship as a means to evangelise, though – this is a book that will be helpful, practically, whether or not you have a faith – but the whole book is also about ‘the best of Friends’, Jesus. He reiterates the old sunday school solution that ‘Jesus is the answer’ – but does it in a way that carefully examines how Jesus ‘did’ friendships and relationships. It’s also done in conversation with social sciences and a plethora of reading that Phil’s done on the issue of friendship. But that learning is worn lightly, and it doesn’t get in the way of what is, I think, a practical and readable little book.
One particular mode of encouragement is the breadth of people who liked this book and chose to endorse it – and regular readers of this blog will know that I have thoughts on book endorsements – and that breadth is reflective of the author’s intentional approach to friendship.
Working on this book was good fun – learning lots about friendship, offering some theological nudges, and helping Phil focus on the reader. Launching it was great fun too – with two events (one in London and one in Birmingham), and an online launch all giving a sense of celebration, as well as a taster of the book. You can order your copy now (unless you’ve got a good local bookshop, in which case go there!) and you can watch the online launch video too.
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