The Subway Reader

                            By Rachel Sokol

I’m a voracious reader. Is this really a bad thing? Well…maybe. I’ll pretty much read anything I can get my hands on, so long as it’s interesting. And my subway commutes and Long Island Railroad jaunts are always made better when I have something to read. If it’s a magazine, a Danielle Steele book, a menu (really) or even a free handout newspaper, I almost always have something—anything!—to peruse when riding the subway. Because I went to college in Boston and took the T (That’s the Boston subway system for those of you not in the know) to class, work, and around the city about 6 times a day, I learned early on that any annoying commute goes by much faster when you have something to read.

To be honest, I’d rather stick my nose into a trashy copy of Star magazine than just stare off into space on the subway reading the ads for quackhead Dr. Zizmore and that TV show "Pushing Daisies," that takes up about 7 subway advertising spots. That just makes the commute drag even more than it already does…

In rare instances where I have NOTHING on me to read on the Path train or the subway, I pull a bad habit—I read over the shoulder of someone standing or sitting next to me on the train. And this is a habit of mine that has, unfortunately, gotten worse over the years. I have become a nosey, subway peeping Tom. I can’t help it! Think about it: How many times a day can I stare at those subway ads? Much better to read over a stranger’s shoulder or just read some free handout newspaper. As my father used to tell me, my brain was full of useless facts and random tidbits I picked up from reading material I had with me on the subway.

By nature, I possess a sheer curiosity about people and the written word, and if someone next to me is totally engrossed in a book, I sure as hell want to know what is just so fascinating. What is SO INTERESTING in that book that you are reading so intently? I HAVE to know. In fact, I’ll move my seat or standing position to get a closer glimpse at a random stranger’s reading material. I’m conspicuous about it, too. I don’t make it obvious that I am reading over their shoulder. I don’t want to freak people out. I’ll check my watch, play with my cell phone, twirl my hair or adjust my bag to make it LOOK like I’m some bored, everyday commuter like they are—but in truth, I’m just playing it cool and not making it obvious I am staring at their book or newspaper.

The only time I’ll divert my eyes is when someone’s reading the sports section of a newspaper…not interested in sports. Next! (Move on to the next pedestrian with reading material) I like to see which sections of a newspaper or magazine New Yorkers will read first. Oftentimes, I have noticed, it’s the financial section. Surprise, surprise.

What makes this habit so bad is that I generally do have my own reading material on me, but I’m much more interested in what others are reading. I think it’s the thrill of learning what other commuters enjoy reading about. Sometimes, I think they may be reading something they wrote! How great is that? I could be standing next to the next ee cummings or Maya Angelou and I wouldn’t know it unless I was reading over their shoulder.

 
I can’t tell you how many times I have stood next to someone on the train who was reading a script. I LOVE plays! So, I’ll read over their shoulder and think…no, no, poor dialogue, this play stinks. I want to tell the person, please do not take a role in this play, I can tell by this one page the dialogue is crap. But I bite my tongue and don’t say anything because…what if they WROTE the play? What if they are famous and I just totally insulted them? Better to keep my mouth shut and keep reading over their shoulder and secretly hope for THEIR sake, the play gets better by the next page.

Maybe…maybe…I just need a reading buddy, even if that person’s a stranger. I like reading along with someone. But another great thing about being an over-the-shoulder reader is that sometimes these strangers LET me read along with them, or chat with me about what they are reading. I have asked, "Is that a good book?" and gotten many positive replies and book recommendations.

Once, a woman sitting next to me on a plane spotted me at baggage claim and gave me the book she was reading because I had asked about it mid-flight, and she was finished with it. Another time, when I was reading the news section of the paper on the Path train, a man standing next to me pointed to a picture of Presidential Elect Barak Obama on the page I was skimming and we ended up having a nice, friendly political conversation which made my a.m. commute much better—and really, how often do you have CIVIL political conversations with someone? Let alone, a stranger? Being a noseybody opens you up to friendly banter.

A few weeks ago, I noticed an adorable little girl flipping through a children’s book on the train. She kept handing the book to the man next to her ("daddy") and saying, ‘Daddy, read to me!" and he did. I was thrilled to see the book was Corduroy by Don Freeman. Oh. My. God. Corduroy was my absolute favorite, favorite, favorite book when I was a little girl. I still think every kid needs to read this book. So, I said to the father (Have you noticed I’m not shy?) and daughter, "That was one of my favorite books when I was a little girl." The father and I had a lively conversation about children’s books and the importance of reading to your children. It was such a nice talk, I was sad to leave the conversation when my midtown stop rolled around. Books have a great way of bringing people together into great conversation. Another reason why being a subway ‘reader’ isn’t so bad.

My favorite subway readers are students. I’ll catch them on the subway reading The Color Purple or A Tale of Two Cities and I know they are NOT reading the classics for pleasure, but for school. Still—as a professional writer, I am happy to see they are READING. And not JUST the Cliffs Notes at that. Reading a book on the subway tells me, "I am not shy about reading this book in front of all these strangers…." In a way, it gives you confidence to get on a subway with a certain magazine or book. It tells other NYers, "I don’t care if you judge me by my reading material."

And, by the way, I am very fair—if I am reading something and I can tell someone next to me is peering at my copy of PEOPLE or The Times, I will linger on the page a bit longer until they are finished reading as well. See how kind I am? And people say New Yorkers are mean…not true.
So, next time you are so bored on the subway you’ve memorized all the goofy subway ads, try peering over the shoulder of someone with reader material and see what all the fuss is about. It’s much more entertaining than reading the small print on your Starbucks cup in sheer boredom. And you just might pick up a new, educational tidbit or two.