Secrets of Reading in Amman

This is a lovely article wrote by Mr Ammar Mango and published in today's Jordan Times, and I wanted to share it with all of you;

By Ammar W. Mango

While most Ammanies dread the long line of waiting for humus or falafel, for example, to very few the waiting is a bliss in disguise. One of these people has even confessed to me that he loves having to wait more than the food he is in line for. This person is neither crazy nor does he have a fetish for standing in line. He actually belongs to a rare specie of avid book readers. He is a bookworm; someone who cannot get his head out of a book.

One of these has told me about his falafel experience during a casual social chitchat. “Sometimes, if the book is very good, I even wish Abu Munther — apparently the humus maker — could be even slower in processing orders. I hear myself whispering: “Ouwaaa Abu Munther, not so fast! Hold them back a bit, just until I finish this chapter.” He has entrusted me with these words, in the same manner a man may entrust another with his most precious secret.

Reading is definitely not a normal sight in public places in Amman. Cafés, buses, queues, waiting rooms are almost empty of any book readers. A newspaper is OK but not a book.

The hubbly bubbly, for example, is more acceptable than a book in most cafes. Try it yourself, take a book along to a public place and sit and read and look like you are enjoying it. Everyone will stare at you as if saying, “Which planet did this guy fall from?”

My falafel-line reader friend has had the same experience. “I notice people around me staring; some in despise, but most in sheer astonishment and curiosity. Some even make it a point to cut the line in front of me to stop me from reading, or to look at what I am reading.”

While in western countries it is common to see people reading books everywhere, reading is not that common in this region; if you exclude newspapers and magazines. Most people know the latest songs and TV shows, but hardly anyone may even know, let alone discuss, the latest books that hit bookstores. While in most cultures, being a bookworm is an acceptable social behaviour and even something to be proud of, life can be a bit difficult for bookworms in our culture.

I remember a business colleague frustratingly commenting about the ever recurring sad scene he encounters while travelling by plane outbound from Amman: “During the trip, I like to sometimes pace the aisles to stretch my legs, especially on longer flights. I get amazed by the rather small number of people who are reading books. Sadly, the ones with books in their hands are usually from other cultures.”

When I ask friends about why they do not read, they say they do not have the time. But they all seem to have time to watch TV, play cards, sit in cafes, chitchat, and do a multitude of things, other than reading.

People who read enjoy it, and cannot imagine themselves at any point in time not indulging themselves in a book or two. Perhaps, most non-readers have never been introduced to the joys of reading.

I am not sure how to build this desire to read, but for some it is parents who play a key role in building this love for reading. Some parents, though few, regularly take their kids to public libraries. Others regularly read to their kids and encourage them to read on their own.

Educators and managers also have a responsibility to encourage reading. Some schools hold reading competitions to motivate kids to read. This is a great step in the right direction which needs more attention and support. Educators need to focus more on reading as a method of education that supports classroom learning. Schools need libraries and maybe a couple of library sessions a week for kids to read and then write essays about what they have read.

At work, managers must encourage team members to read to keep abreast of the latest advances in business and technology. One way to do that is to subscribe to a few business and technology magazines to encourage team members to read. Some managers even give assignments to team members to research the latest advancements in a certain field by reading off the Internet and ordering books on the subject. Another good idea for a business is to weekly make an hour learning session where a team member briefs teammates on something he has read. It can be on business, literature, or any other subject.

Those who read books in public run into many funny incidents while practising their hobby. Once, a guy next to me asked if he may take a look at the book I have been reading. After flipping through its pages real quick, he said in a disappointed tone: “What, no pictures?”