Cover Your Book

Why does your book need a cover?

A synopsis -a brief summary or general survey of the plot, core ideas, or main points of a book, film, play, or document.

Cover your books. A sentiment that if you grew up in the African school system, you’ve heard before. Either being directed at you or one of your colleagues. At that time it was simply an instruction, however when I come to think of it. It was about more than just that basic obligation.

It was training. 

In order for us to understand that judgement and presentation would soon to play a big role in the rest of our lives, we simply had to oblige to rules that were never explained. Only required. If your book was uncovered it was vulnerable, unidentifiable and before your teacher even knew you, you were stubborn.

Now aside from childhood kerfuffle with overly stressed and overstimulated adults, this simple request would mean a long life of unfolding that none of us would ever sign up for. Marketability 

Politics. Education has always been and will always be the backbone of all societies, it makes or breaks them. But some where along the lines it got pushed aside intentionally and the reason being, its just too boring.

Pleasure trumped utility by a long shot in every facet. You’re attractive? Well you don’t need to be smart, just sit and look pretty. Long form content? Well incoherent slop is way more fun and digestible. Somewhere along the way we traded textbooks for well covered empty notebooks simply because of first impressions. That first impression became the only one needed. 

But is the sacrifice worth it? Is it worth getting bored over dinner and staring at your phone watching Tik-Toks instead of picking each other’s brains. Is it worth getting catfish products because you ordered from a well marketed store over a verified source. Is all the fluff worth it so long as the book is well covered? 

I am a person who is very fatigued by what I see. I can understand how fun all of this shit was when it started. We are the generation that watched it as it was being built. But along the way I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one that sees that we are being bent over here. 

All we, well I…I don’t know but y’all. I want to experience a real world not a reel one. Don’t get me wrong I also want to get this sh’money, but not at the cost of my sanity and integrity. I ain’t gonna do sum strange for some change now come on. We now need money to survive however do we need to be monetized?

I know my book is gonna be judged by its cover regardless of what I say or do to convince people otherwise, but the caveat here is that I didn’t apply for that. I was registered by society because I didn’t choose to be a hermit. I choose to be visible and those are the consequences of that. How I respond on the other hand is purely my discretion. 

Now back to the book. I’m pretty sure that at this point you understand that the book is a metaphor for how you represent yourself. Although my points here stem from the fact that the cover doesn’t have to be  generic. It irks me that personalities have almost been completely dissolved. Copy and paste is not a mark of community. Imagine if an author wrote the same book four or more times, how willing would you be to buy that same book and place it on your shelf next to the exact same book?

The fear of being rejected, chastised and lonely has ultimately made the real world more and more desolate. All because we were scared to let people read our authentic book covers. Its all really glamorized communism. I don’t like politics but a spade definitely is just that. 

You must be full at this point. The thoughts have turned into a full course meal..ma bad. Give yourself a second before being pimped out to think about your book, the cover and then cover your book.