I Rode The Subway In New York And Asked Riders About The Books They're Reading And The Jobs They Work, And I Was Surprised By The Connection
I don't judge books by their cover, but I do judge (or at least ponder) strangers by the covers of the books they're reading. The New York subway is the perfect place for this past-time. Inspired my recent journey of asking New Yorkers what their rent was, I wondered: Is there a true connection between a stranger's book and their everyday life? To get some answers, I swiped my MetroCard, got on the train, and asked real-life New York subway riders about the books they were holding.
Out of the 18 New Yorkers I approached on the subway, 13 of them were down to put their books down for a moment and briefly talk to me about their books, their jobs, and a little about their lives.
Note: Some names have been changed to honor anonymity.
So, here are the 13 subway riders who were down to share what book they were reading, what they like about it, their day job, where they were headed, and the doodles I drew of them (or their books) in exchange for their time:
"When I'm not bartending, I'm mostly an assistant director in film. I read this book back in high school, and it didn't really stick. I've been rereading it now, and as an adult, it's so detailed. It flows so well, and with how descriptive the narration is, it reads like a documentary. It feels like a mini-series."
What it's about: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote follows the investigation of the 1959 murder of a family in small town Holcolmb, Kansas.
"bell hooks was a writer and an activist that I have always admired. Her take on feminism and race is something that I always look forward to learned from. What I love the most about this book is how she theorizes about love and how in academia it's always a subject that feels unimportant, when the truth is that it shapes our lives so much that people are just afraid of it."
What it's about: All About Love by bell hooks disputes the consumerist commodification and socialization of love in favor a more philosophy-based understanding of the iconic emotion and feeling, while also including practical ways to unlearn the consumerist ways we think of love.
"Besides my regular job, I'm also going to school for my degree. I'm reading this book for my philosophy class. I'm still deciding if I like it."
What it's about: L'idée de phénoménologie by Jocelyn Benoist discusses the development of phenomenology, the study of things as they appear in our experience, or the ways we experience things, in France as a welcome break from the idealism developed by Kant and Berkeley.
"Reading this book has been a blessing. It's helping me understand trauma at a deeper level, and how our bodies process it. I can already feel it helping me help the children I work with. I'm understanding better now how what they're going through now is going to stay with them."
What it's about: The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explores through a scientific context how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, and inhibits our own lives and connections with others. He explores treatments that offer recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity, as well as how relationships can help reclaim our lives.
"Darnielle is a great writer, and I like his work. This book is about a true crime author, and well, I like true crime. I like how it builds. I like how it draws me in. I don't want to stop reading.
I'd actually like to get back to it."
What it's about: Devil House by John Darnielle follows a successful true crime author who moves into the house where a pair of briefly notorious murders occurred during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and the resulting chaos.
"Audre Lorde is one of my favorite authors. She's a Black woman. I am, too. There's so much about her I identify with. It's nice too read her earlier work, and right now I'm in the part of her journal entries. It makes me feel closer to her."
What it's about: A Burst of Light: And Other Essays by Audre Lorde muses on the iconic poet's experiences as a Black woman and lesbian in a straight white man's world, and calls for the need for a radical politics of intersectionality as she muses on her own body's fight against liver cancer.
"Part of my heritage is Filipino, like the author. It's an autobiography that crosses the full spectrum of her life. Line by line, she casually jumps back and forth through decades of the 80+ years of her life.
However, I'm frustrated by her bourgeoisie blindspots and false equivalencies — she says her family did not have money when they had, to put it lightly, plenty!"
What it's about: Myself, Elsewhere by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil is a memoir that covers the author's life in the era of pre-war Manila in 1922 to the 'end' and capital city in 1945, highlighting the brutal effect of wartime in the Philippines.
"I owned this book in elementary school. I remember I liked it. Then I got older. I felt like owning it made me obviously gay, which I was still so insecure about. So, I threw it away in middle school.
I'd been thinking about this book for years now. A few days ago, I found it in a little free library in Brooklyn. It's been healing reading it again as an out, proud man. It's also objectively terrible."
What it's about: Rat Boys: A Dating Experiment by Thom Eberhardt follows the journey of two unpopular besties who, with the help of a magic ring, turn two pet rats into the perfect dates for the Spring Fling dance. Trouble brews when the rat boys attract the attention of their classmates, particularly their nemesis Jennifer.
"In the beginning, it already dives into an interesting family dynamic. The son's relationship with the father is very specific and detailed. It's really beautiful and vivid, and I'm really connecting to it. I think you will, too."
What it's about: A Death In The Family by James Agee is the 1958 Pulitzer-Prize winning novel which follows the aftermath of a man who dies in a car accident on his way home, and explores the fallout of a tragedy that destroys not only a life, but also the domestic happiness and contentment of a young family.
"I'm reading this as part of a book club, so I'm very excited to talk about this book with other people. It encourages me to read, and makes the entire experience even more enjoyable."
What it's about: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction that follows the enticing journey of an influential art and literature curator in high society in New York who passes as a white woman, carefully guarding the secret that her father was the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality.
"It's about Roman emperors and history. It's been a fun read. And I guess it's kind of my heritage. I mean the guys look like me, right?"
What it's about: Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History is a controversial work out of ancient Rome, written by an anonymous author who blends fact, fiction, and humor to present the most complete (and unreliable) account of every emperor of the later Roman Caesars.
"I'm going to Istanbul, and to the Eastern Roman empire, in two weeks. It'll be my first time traveling in a long time."
What it's about: Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes is a historical biography of one of the most famous cities, spanning from the Neolithic to the present era, and exploring the ways Istanbul's influence has spun out to shape the wider world.
"This book is opening me up to my world. Our world. It's helping me learn what I can do for other people, and just accept situations I wouldn't have handled well before. Like right now, there is someone just smoking drugs out their pipe right next to us. So, I'm opening up the doors to make it more bearable and enjoyable for everyone, and letting this guy do his thing.
This book put me on this journey."
What it's about: The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele explores yogic thought, and the guidelines to the yoga way of living, which frees people to take ownership of their lives, direct them toward the fulfillment they seek, and gain the skills to choose attitude, thought, and action.
My takeaway: It's intimidating to talk to strangers on public transportation, but approaching them with interest in what they were reading broke down any barriers. It turns out what people were reading had more to do with their passions and identity outside of their day jobs. I guess it's the equivalent of listening to a fun podcast on the way to work — why would I listen to work-adjacent material on unpaid time? Meeting people using their commute as a way to build towards their future, learn about themselves, or challenge their mindsets was inspiring. I suppose the books we read say less about who we are, and reveal more about who we want to be.
What's the best book recommendation you've gotten from a stranger? Or what's the most interesting material you saw someone reading in public transportation, and still think about? Come to the comments.
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