There's nothing like opening a new book, marking it up, and making it your own. I take mine everywhere, even when I don't plan to read it, so I can fit in a sentence every hour. When I get the chance, I love to sit outside and read until my eyes are tired.
Then the mockery starts. Suddenly, I'm "performative," as if I were only reading to show off. Social media loves to make fun of anyone who is simply enjoying something. I know the "performative" label started as a joke, but it has become tiresome. Now I feel exposed when I read in public, and a quiet shame makes me want to hide.
The real shame is that we have almost lost our curiosity about each other beyond messages, reels, and stories. I love asking people about their favorite books and hearing why they love them. There is something intimate about trying to understand someone. Because screens are all we really know, we pull out our phones in conversation instead of talking to one another.
It makes sense that something uncommon, like reading in public, draws attention, but that attention should be interest, not shame. Some people read Dostoyevsky, some read Brontë, and some read Geronimo Stilton (me). A book doesn't need a deep theme to matter to someone.
The truth is, reading is not special. Someone reading in public isn't performing a ballet. It is simply something humans do. We read road signs, labels, and menus, and we read for school. Reading is all around us, and it helps us grow in mind and heart.
Reading can be an escape, and a public place adds to the atmosphere. Book clubs and discussions show that public reading can build community, and I think we need community now more than ever. When you read alone in public, someone will often ask what you are reading, and that question can start a conversation and help you find your people.
There are worse things to be ashamed of, but it is never shameful to understand yourself and others better through books. If you do that in public, great. If not, who cares? The noise of social media means nothing. What reading means to you is everything.