Some Recent Observations
During my stay in Geneva a couple of weeks ago, I noticed something. There were more people reading in public than I ever see in Singapore. While waiting for buses and trams, more than a handful of people were reading at the stops. As I strolled through the weekend bric-à-brac at Plainpalais, I saw a few people basking in the sun with their books. This one man stood out to me as he sat beside the loud and active skatepark. He in contrast was the picture of serenity as he read and drank his coffee.
The other place where I saw people read in public, excluding the libraries, were the trains in both Germany and Switzerland. Even for short commutes, there’d be people reading. However, the proportion of commuters reading was small compared to what I remember from fifteen years ago. The rest of the commuters were mostly engaged with their phones, playing games, blasting music through their headphones, etc. That’s pretty much what the majority does in the subway in Singapore too — fiddle with their phones.
Jumping to Conclusions?
“Wait a minute!” You might protest. After all, couldn’t it be that people are reading ebooks on their devices? A few people might do that. Though regular music leaking on my left and moving people on the screen to my right suggest otherwise. Yes, of course, that person slinking in the corner with a Kindle is reading an ebook. Others with tablets and smartphones, most likely not.
What gives?
I’m sure a lot of us suspect that mobile devices are to blame for the decline of reading books. The Atlantic‘s at least reported statistics proving that reading books has been on the decline. While correlation doesn’t necessitate causation, it’s good reason to take a closer look. Apparently in Hong Kong, smartphones do have a significant negative impact on publishing.
At the same time, there have been studies showing that at least youths nowadays are still reading books. But where are they? When I was younger, it wasn’t uncommon to see them reading in public. I remember when I was still in ninth grade, I’d see students at the bus terminal reading books for pleasure while waiting for their next bus. They would continue reading as they boarded their buses.
Perhaps that’s where I should start looking again: bus stops filled with students at 6.30 a.m. Alas, I can’t recall when I last stepped out of the house before sunrise.
The Culture of Reading in Public
Besides smartphones, I’m starting to think that priding oneself in constantly being busy also means reading less. The idea of filling commuting time with reading seems to stress people out when they have emails to send, reports to finish, calls to make and more. In the pursuit of who knows what, I’ve overheard so many boast and compete with each other about who’s the busiest.
“I only slept four hours last night.” “Don’t complain. I slept half of that time.” “How about my client called me at 2 a.m.! I was already in bed!” “Jokers. I didn’t sleep at all. I was busy doing work.” “I wanted to read on Sunday but then my boss emailed me to prepare for our Monday morning meeting.”
I’ve heard these diatribes over and over again. I believe that many do tell the truth. Others though, they embellish. To make their sorry plights believable, they must appear busy at all times. To read in public means to not be such a busy person. Where’s the pride in that?
Reading in Public: Going Against the Norm
Every now and then when I arrive early to meet friends, I end up reading. Doesn’t matter if I’m reading at the subway station or at a café. I’ve had people walk past me at the station, eyeing me weirdly. One friend called me a nerd before when he arrived at a café we had agreed to meet at. Another asked me what I was carrying a book around for.
Passing on the Public Reading Culture
As less and less people tote their books around, less and less people are inspired to read. We learn by copying. I learnt that it was normal to read all the time from my father and my grandmother. While carrying a book all the time is a habit I developed by myself, I did see them read.
My dad would read a book in the park while my sister and I played as children. He always bought me a book before an extended trip. My grandmother’s de facto gifts to me used to be books. She devoured books more so than TV shows. I read because they did so first.
Reading in public is one way to pass on the love. Children whose parents don’t read will see others read in trains, at the parks, on flights, at cafés and wonder what it is about books that you can’t put yours down. You took your book out in public and couldn’t part from it. That should invite intrigue for some.
Why I Think It’s Important
At the end of the day, I guess my concern isn’t so much about the apparent displacement of reading. To me what matters is celebrating the love for books. People reading in public is the greatest way to do just that because it is an outward expression that others witness as well. Geneva was proof that reading in public isn’t such a far-fetched call to action.
I’ve noticed the older I get, the harder it becomes for me to read in public. I sort of stopped doing it shortly after graduating college. Back then, I would always carry a book around with me, and I would read it in between classes instead of trekking back to my college dorm. I suppose it also helped that I didn’t have a smartphone back then because I’m sure I would have turned to Buzzfeed instead to waste time. But now, while I still carry a book around with me in some form, I rarely turn to it when waiting in public. I’m easier to distract now. And sometimes I would much rather just wait and do absolutely nothing. I don’t often bury my nose in my phone when I’m in public. Instead, I’m usually watching or listening to what is going on around me. I love reading, but sometimes it’s nice to give my brain a breather sometimes. Plus…I find reading in public to be a bit invasive. I don’t really want people scoping me out or rather scoping out the book I’m reading while I’m…reading. Is that weird?
You’ve raised some really interesting points with this post, especially the appearance of being ‘busy’.
I used to read in public all the time, especially on my commute to work, because when you do work a long day its hard to fit reading in elsewhere than your commute! Nowadays though I have to admit that I don’t read in public, but that’s not because I don’t want to, it’s simply because I am now mother (stay at home mum) and so whenever I am out and about it is always with my mischievous toddler who, understandably, needs constant attention!
I think what you say about reading being something that is copied is so true, and I think seeing people in public reading is the most obvious way to learn / pick up this habit if it isn’t being shown at home – which it totally should be in my opinion!
I personally don’t prefer reading in public, because I don’t like being interrupted in my reading, and that’s bound to happen on public transportation. But hey, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try it! :D
I do wish I could read on a car, though. The motion gives me headaches, so I take all my chances to sleep on buses and cars.
That’s an interesting thought, that maybe people are afraid of looking less busy than everyone else and therefore don’t read in public. Considering how many people act as if reading is an indulgent luxury most can’t afford, you might be right about that.
To me, having a book along is almost like a security blanket. Even if I’m not going to have time to read some place, I like knowing that my book is nearby if I need it. Like you, I learned this by example, because in my family we always read instead of watching TV.
In some cases, I think e-readers actually encourage people to read in public, because then they don’t feel as self-conscious about what they’re reading. Take Harry Potter, for example – the UK covers were redesigned for adults, so they wouldn’t appear to be reading books for kids. (In some cases, this is reasonable. I definitely judge anyone I see reading 50 Shades of Grey, haha.) When I commuted in Philly, I was never the only one reading on the trolley or subway. I also still see people reading while waiting for the dentist or doctor, and I even occasionally see people reading by themselves in restaurants, etc. In all cases, though, it’s way more common to see people on their smart phones. It takes less brainpower, and as a society, we’re all about efficiency (whether real or imagined). I know I’m more likely to look at Twitter on my phone if I have 5 minutes to wait for something, rather than diving into a book, only to be interrupted. It’s definitely easier to half-pay attention to your surroundings if you’re on a phone than reading a book, so maybe it seems more socially acceptable to do so in public.
I love seeing people reading it public. It makes me happy to know there are still bookworms out there, and I also enjoy trying to figure out what people are reading and if I recognize it.
I always bring out my book when I’m on my way to work, even when it’s just an hour away. I love to sneak in those few extra moments of reading time and here in The Netherlands, you can often spot people with books :) I love that, because it makes me feel like there are still people out there who appreciate books!
Ich hatte in London oft das Gefühl, dass vergleichsweise viele Leute dort in der Ubahn lesen. Vielleicht weil man keinen Empfang hat? Mittlerweile gibt es WLAN auf einigen Ubahnhöfen, aber telefonieren usw. kann man ja trotzdem nicht. Vor allem Kindle-User habe ich dort viel mehr gesehen als hier in Deutschland.
Ich finde auch, es kommt ein bisschen darauf an, wie lange man unterwegs ist. Wenn ich nur 5 Minuten irgendwo hin fahre, dann zücke ich nur ein Buch, wenn es mich einfach nicht loslässt und ich schon beim Lesen des ersten Satzes gleich wieder drin bin. Ansonsten brauche ich meistens, um in die Geschichte zu finden und das lohnt sich bei 5 Minuten meist nicht so richtig. Ansonsten finde ich es aber auch sehr wichtig, dass man sich auch mal die Auszeit gönnt und nicht nonstop busy ist. Lesen hat ja auch durchaus positive Auswirkungen und irgendwie kann man ja auch nicht nonstop produktiv sein, irgendwann braucht man ja mal ne Pause. Hab letztens auch eine Studie gelesen, in der Menschen meinten, lesen wäre zum Entspannen gut, weil sie dabei das Gefühl haben, bewusst zu entspannen.
I personally am horrible at reading in public. XD I can’t concentrate!! I just get distracted by every. single. sound. So my favourite is audio books when I’m in public…which probably looks like I’m just listening to music.
I think it’s sad that reading is a bit on the decline. D: Growing up NONE of my friends were readers except by school-is-forcing-me sort of thing. And I gobbled like a million books a week. So I think, when I was a smallish bean, I learned not to talk about reading or read in front of them?! WHICH IS BAD. I totally regret it now. But yessss.
And I think society also ingrains in us, a bit, that reading in front of people is “anti-social”. But then phones are too and that doesn’t stop people. SO IDEK. XD
This was a fabulous read, though, I totally enjoyed your post!!
revelrevel. faceinbookrevel. revelrevel.
Do people actively think “I love books therefore I will read” or the loose counterpart “this person is reading therefore I think I should give it a try”? Public visibility, at best, gets the reading dialogue going. Whether it grows into something more remains to be seen, and ultimately, you’re taking it on good faith that one person out of the masses that judge you walks away wanting to read.
Culture certainly plays a role in all of this; which reasons to the disparity in some countries versus others. From my perspective, you only ease the symptoms by reading in public. It definitely helps but there won’t be some sweeping change. There just has to be some increased consideration to create traction at a younger level as opposed to the hope that some adult-ish figure shoulders the weight of encouraging reading to their children. That’s something.
But what it really does come down, imo, is to root out the problems of academic literature to provide content that’s engaging. From what I experienced with Canadian public schooling, there are bright spots…but it was still mostly meh (which didn’t help the fact that there were so many more interesting things back to to occupy ourselves with–I couldn’t begin to imagine how it is with children now).
blergh.
I definitely spot people reading on subways here in New York (and even try to creep on what they happen to be reading in the most subtle way possible). Personally, I’m a fan of having a book with me all the time. It’s my chosen form of entertainment during my morning/evening commutes, or when I’m waiting for someone, or when I hang out in a public area by myself. Reading in public is as natural to me as breathing, and I certainly don’t see that changing anytime in the future :)