How Reading in Public Became an Act of Rebellion

Getting the train to work once or twice a week, I notice the oddities of human behaviour as people flutter around me. Although I tend to see the same people every commute, sometimes my eyes will spy someone new. This happened a few weeks ago, as I was sitting on the platform reading, and couldn’t help but notice heavy eyes staring at me.

As someone who moves through life in generally, a very anxious state, it’s easy for me to worry that a stranger is staring at me when they’re not. I have a type of brain that is very good at convincing me of things that aren’t true. But this stranger’s gaze was unsettling, and it felt like every time I turned the page, his ears pricked up and he resumed his uncomfortable stare.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that reading a physical book in public is becoming less common. People on trains tend to scroll on their phones, work, engage in loud and obnoxious phone calls, or simply sit and enjoy their music or a podcast.

I very rarely come across someone who is sitting there reading a physical book. They could be reading on their phone, or a Kindle, of course, but because of this relatively rare phenomenon, it can welcome a tone of stares.

As I continued to read my book despite the prickly stare I felt forming at the back of my peripheral vision, as the train eventually rolled in, I snapped my book shut and stole a glance over my right shoulder to confirm my suspicions. Yes, that man was staring at me.

Realising that the only different or ‘odd’ (depending on your perspective) thing about me compared to everyone else on the platform was that I had a physical book planted in my lap, I presumed this was why he was staring at me so intently.

This got me thinking: when in waiting rooms, train platforms, airports, in between appointments, or at bus stops, when did reading a physical book become such an anomaly?

Or even an act of rebellion against what have become our best friends—phones, iPads, laptops, and other devices. Is it necessarily bad that fewer people are reading physical books in public, or have the activities we do to fill in time changed form?

Digitisation of public distractions and killing time with screens

It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly the phone or tablet became our best friend or something we turn to because it can so easily fit in one hand. That’s the thing about reading a physical book, it’s far more effort as usually two hands are required to be able to comfortably read.

However, turning to our phones for distractions or a way to whittle away the time isn’t due to comfort but simply tapping into the normalities of an overdigitised life we probably all find ourselves in. We live in an era of information overload. In real-time, we can check in and see what random people on the internet spent their weekend doing in minute detail.

We can become obsessed with the lives of strangers, or compare ourselves to our best friends as they share their lives online, which were foreign to previous generations.

But if we do this, we already start our day with an unhealthy, competitive comparison mindset. Although it’s tempting to use those fleeting moments waiting for a train or bus, scrolling through various feeds and honey-filtered photos, they’re rarely a complete picture of real life, nor setting us up well for the day. We all know this, usually, but it’s hard to break up with a habit we’ve known for so long.

I haven’t always read so prolifically in public, in fact, there were many years when I felt too self-conscious to. I thought that people would see me reading a physical book and immediately change their assumptions about me for the worse. But reading in public has become an essential way for me to start the working day on a positive note.

I’m a content writer. I spend seven hours a day staring at screens and spreadsheets. Even when I am reading a book on a Kindle, I’m always craving the escape of paper rather than a screen. However, I do generally get far fewer stares when I’m reading one in public, as opposed to an actual book.

My job, coupled with our heavily digitised social world, means my life is digitised to new extremes. I never used to have this when I worked as a bookseller, but the increase in my screen time has made me savour spending quality time with a physical book more than ever.

Not only does it give my eyes a break, but ensures I always have at least some time before the working day starts to myself, doing something I enjoy. It’s easy to let the working days, weeks and months eat away at the activities we love doing.

Over the years, strangers and friends alike have asked me how I find enough time to read and it’s because I prioritise it and make time for it.

There are plenty of small windows of opportunity that crop up in daily life, and it’s about making a sensible choice about the type of distraction you want to engage in. In a hyper-digitalised world, the comfort of paper has never felt so good.

Reading as a personal act of defiance

The first few stares I noticed from the man I mentioned before were uncomfortable. It made me want to hide away, put my book back in my bag and scroll through my phone like everyone else was doing on the platform. But truth be told, the book I was reading was far too good, and I didn’t want to let him win.

After the stares wore on, I started to push him to the back of my mind. But it did remind me of a time when I used to avoid or get nervous about reading in public, worried that a stranger would use it as an invitation to embark on unsolicited conversation or judgments. In the past, I’ve turned to my Kindle or read on my phone to not draw attention to myself and the stares I knew I would get.

But that morning, I tackled this head-on and wanted to be defiant against this stranger, who was probably just inquisitive and curious, rather than judgemental.

However, reading on the train platform has become more than that for me. It’s, of course, a way for me to unwind and reflect before the work day begins, but it is an ideal way to escape the noise of a busy public space but still remain switched on.

It’s easy to shove earbuds in our ears or shove a bulky pair of headphones on our heads to block out the incessant noise of public spaces, but in doing so, we remove our connection to reality.

But with reading, you can escape the reality you’re in but still be aware of your surroundings. It’s a way to cope with the hecticness around you and escape from the ‘always on’ and frantic culture that can often take place in public surroundings such as a train station.

Even before arriving at their office, I often see people hurrying to complete work at the station before their day has even started. They are busying themselves with work despite going on to spend the best part of each day there, five times a week.

Reading for me in public, before work, is not only a way to distract myself from the business going on around but also a way to reclaim a slice of my time back from thinking about the workday to come.

It can be easy to log on to the work chat already by 8 am and get ready for the tasks ahead, but what’s the point? We spend most of our lives at work anyway, so carving out a little bit of time before the day begins to spend doing something we love is always going to be more valuable.

Who knew my experience of reading in public could provoke such a stream of thoughts? I didn’t know it could, in all honesty, before I started writing. But if you’ve reached the end of this, congrats.

What I meant to say in this story is that I think it’s important for us to move away from passive consumption and the hyper-digitised daily life we already experience in those small moments where we find ourselves waiting or trying to fill in the gaps. As these fleeting moments can add up to something bigger, we want to spend that time in the best way possible.

Many of us will have time in the day when we are just waiting for the next thing and it can be tempting to spend the time scrolling, when in reality, lots can be achieved if we make that time our own and spend it engaging in a hobby we enjoy.

Enjoyed this article? Why not subscribe to my newsletter, The Quarter Life Chronciles, for a weekly dose of all things books, writing, and navigating the highs and lows of life.

Please note: this blog was originally publlished in Publishous on Medium.