Me and a sheet of paper: an episode in the non-white experience at Oxford

I once had a class at university on Biomaterials. This class was lead by the Professor, middle-aged man with wiry white hair and a mumbling tone. He held up an A4 sheet of paper and asked the class whether a sheet of paper be a good candidate material for a skin graft. No one in the class volunteered to answer his question so he prompted us, "What about the mechanical properties, how about the thickness?  How about the colour? Is it a good colour match for a skin graft? I see we are all white-ish in this class. [PAUSE] Well, except for you, Rebecca..."* Awkwardness ensues and I shrink into my chair.

When you are a minority, there is always a resounding sense of "otherness". Normally it's an undertone that is simmering in the background, but other times it slaps you around the face. It's a jarring reminder that you are in a system that is not designed for you. This white-sheet-of-paper moment was one of these reminders. I was the only non-white person in the room. I was an afterthought.

Privilege is a cornerstone of the Oxford experience. To attend Oxford University is a privilege in itself, but once you are there, it is evident that some people are significantly more privileged than others. For centuries, it has been been an experience only available to a select few. The student body may become more diverse every year, but the institution has centuries of inertia to unwind. Despite years of campaigning, it ultimately took the death of another black man at the hands of the police to catalyse the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College. But Rhodes is only the tip of the iceberg. I hope that this renewed focused on anti-racism will spur on real change. It gave me the confidence to share this story, which unfortunately is one story of many. I encourage you to do the same.

*Paraphrased as I cannot remember exactly what was said due to the overwhelming second-hand cringe.

How to Read More

Here are my practical tips getting into that bookworm life and for building a sustainable reading habit!

Reading provides a great deal of enjoyment in my life. However, I have only recently made it part of my regular routine. Before this year, I hadn't read a book for "fun" for over a decade.

----

Choose books that you *know* you will enjoy, rather than what you *think* you will enjoy

I am sure that I am not the only one with a large collection of books I have bought over the years but they are gathering dust as they are yet to be read. A bestselling book has won numerous awards is not always going to be a book that you will enjoy. 

Think back about the books you have previous enjoyed and thing about what themes, genres and styles you find the most enjoyable to read. Do you prefer a fast-pasted, plot driven novel or something more poetic and descriptive? Everyone has a different taste so if you aren't a regular reader, ease yourself in with something you know you will enjoy, rather than a book that you think will make you seem cool or intellectual by reading. 

Get recommendations from trusted friends

Most people will surround themselves with others with similar tastes to them, so it is likely that you will have similar reading taste as your friends. Surrounding yourself with fellow bibliophiles is the best way to be encouraged to read more.

The last tip encourages you to read what you know you will enjoy reading from previous experiences, but a side-effect of this is that it can cause you always read similar books. Of course there is nothing wrong with this, but there is tremendous value in diversifying and expanding the perspectives and world-views that you read about. It can difficult to know when to start with a new genre, so why not ask your friends for their recommendations? If they have a similar taste, it is likely that you will also enjoy what they enjoy, even it is outside of your regular genres.

I highly recommends the Goodreads app, where you can see what your friends are reading and what they think about it.

Make reading a social activity

The stereotype for those who enjoy reading is someone anti-social and would rather spend time with their fictional friends than real-life people. Reading is an experience which doesn't have to end as you finish the last page. Sharing the perspectives, stories and wisdom gained from reading with a loved one or dear friend is a way 

You can facilitate this shared reading experience by passing on your physical books. There are numerous benefits to this. It's a great way to stay in contact and bond with long distance friends as it will give you an shared experience you can discuss together, despite not having to be geographically together.  This will give you a reason to meet again, so that your friend can return your book. 

Ease yourself in

Don't expect yourself to go from reading zero to tackling 500+ page novels overnight. Reading is like any skill; it needs consistency to maintain proficiency. If you haven't read for a long time, don't start with book that could used as a fire door-stop. I found it easier to start with books that are shorter in length, and simpler in language and vocabulary.

Structure is important for readability. I like to read books where the writing is clearly divided by chapters or sections that offer natural end points for reading sessions. For those books without these natural end-points or excessively long chapters, I often find myself having to re-read pages to remember what I had previously read. In general, little and often is more conducive to forming a regular reading habit forming.

Mix it up

Reading fatigue is real. Too much of the same thing will always become a drain. The range of books you can read is huge, so why not make most of this? For example, I enjoy a cycle of fiction, (auto)biographical, and non-fiction books. I think that when I started reading again there were so many topics I wanted to learn about so I lined up many non-fiction books to read. However, there is only so much factual information that your brain can absorb at once. Mix it to keep things interesting.

You don't have to read cover-to-cover

Sometimes a book is not as interesting as you anticipated and that's okay. Many people - myself included - only ever read one book at a time, and will only start a new book once the previous book has been read cover-to-cover. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach, this can become an issue when you read a book that is not as interesting as you originally anticipated and it becomes a chore to continue reading.

Due to sunk cost fallacy, aborting a book halfway through may feel like a waste of the time you've "sunk" already. This is probably why there are so many people who have read the first few chapters of "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari and not picked up another book since. Don't be one of those people! There's no shame in half read books!

----

I hope these tips help you to get (back) into regular reading. It is a hugely worthwhile habit to have. Let me know if you have any other tips in the comments below!