Let People Read In Public

There’s nothing like cracking the spine of a new book, marking it up, making it your own. It’s like an emotional companion for a few weeks. I personally take mine everywhere, even if I’m not planning on reading it. I’ll occasionally take a quick look here and there to get in a sentence every hour throughout the day. When I do get the chance, I love to sit down outside with a drink-in-hand and read till my eyes are about to fold into themselves. 

Then, a “no-fun” cloud rains over me and yucks all over my yum. Suddenly, I’m “performative.” If I’m reading an autobiography, I’m being “so parasocial.” Social media loves to tie anyone doing anything for human enjoyment up and burn them at the stake. I understand that calling people in public reading “performative” started as a joke, but now it’s just getting tired and worn out. I feel exposed in public after I become conscious that it’s virtually socially unacceptable to read in public now. I feel vulnerable to an unnamed shame so much to the point where all I want to do is curl up into a corner and disappear. 

The real shame is that we have nearly lost any curiosity in getting to know each other past messaging, reels, friend requests, and viewing stories. If you know me, you know I love asking people about their favorite books and hearing them explain why it’s their favorite. There is something so intimate about trying to understand every facet of someone. Since it’s all we really know, we have become accustomed to pulling out our phones in conversation instead of engaging with one another. It makes sense for something so uncommon now, like reading in public to draw attention. Moreover, it’s easy to spot someone sticking out like a sore thumb and cast shame instead of interest. I will never understand why we discourage people from flaunting what they like unless it’s “chic.” Some people will read Dostoyevsky, some Brontë, some Geronimo Stilton (me). Not everything must contain a certain philosophy or a deep theme to be meaningful to someone.  

And, the truth is, reading is not special. Someone reading in public isn’t doing the Swan Lake pas de deux to accompany it. In no way is reading performative; it is merely something humans do, and should be treated as such. After all, we used to read before we had smartphones and television for entertainment. We read road signs, labels, menus, for school, etc. Reading surrounds us, encompasses our lives, and gives us the opportunities to expand our minds and hearts. 

Reading can provide an escape for many of us, and a public backdrop adds to the ambience. Book clubs, retreats, and discussions are all proof that public reading can cultivate community. Especially now, I feel we crave community more than ever. I believe public reading is one of the best ways to find your people. You will rarely read alone and not have someone ask what you’re reading. It is not only a great conversation starter, but a great way to immerse yourself in and attract your community. 

There are worse things to be ashamed about, to hate yourself for, but it is never a shame to try to understand yourself and others more through literature. If that happens to be in a public space, great. If not, who cares? Reading is, for the most part, a solitary act. All the outside noise and clutter from social media means nothing. What reading means to and does for you is everything.

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