Το «Subway Book Review» παρουσιάζει τους Νεοϋορκέζους μέσα από τα βιβλία που διαβάζουν

Μην ρωτάς τι μπορεί να κάνει η Νέα Υόρκη για σένα. Δες τι μπορείς να δώσεις εσύ στη Νέα Υόρκη». Αυτή ήταν η συμβουλή που έδωσε ένας φίλος στην Uli Beutter Cohen όταν μετακόμισε στην Νέα Υόρκη. Η Beutter Cohen έφυγε από την Γερμανία για να πάει στην Αμερική πριν από 14 χρόνια και έμεινε για αρκετό καιρό στη Δυτική Ακτή πριν αποφασίσει να μεταφερθεί ανατολικά. Δεν ήταν σίγουρη για την κίνησή της: «Δεν αστειεύομαι. Φοβόμουν το μετρό... Σκεφτόμουν πως μπορεί κάποιος να το χρησιμοποιεί. Έτσι, (πριν μετακομίσω) πίεσα τον εαυτό μου και έκανα μια βόλτα με τη γραμμή G».

Οι κάτοικοι της Νέας Υόρκης πιθανόν να εκπλήσσονταν με το γεγονός ότι κάποιος θα μπορούσε να εξιδανικεύσει μια συγκεκριμένη γραμμή, που διασχίζει το Queens και το Brooklyn και είναι γνωστή για τα μικρά τρένα της, με συχνά προβλήματα και κακή εξυπηρέτηση. Αλλά κάτι μαγικό συνέβη στην Uli εκεί. Ενθουσιασμένη, δημιούργησε έναν λογαριασμό στο Instagram τον οποίο ονόμασε «Subway Book Review» και στην συνέχεια τον μετέφερε στο Tumblr. Με περισσότερους από 45.000  οπαδούς που συνεχώς αυξάνονται, ο λογαριασμός της περιέχει προτάσεις για βιβλία από αγνώστους και φωτογραφίες στις οποίες διαβάζουν.

Τα βιβλία έγιναν η αφορμή για να ξεκινάει συζητήσεις. Την εξέπληξε ο τρόπος που συνδέονται οι ζωές των ανθρώπων με αυτά που διαβάζουν και το πρότζεκτ της έδωσε έναν νέο σκοπό.

Όλα ξεκίνησαν όταν σκέφτηκε «πόσο ήσυχο είναι το μετρό στην Νέα Υόρκη. Οι άνθρωποι έχουν αυτό τον σιωπηλό κώδικα συμπεριφοράς, ακόμα και στα γεμάτα τραίνα» εξηγεί. «Υπάρχει μια συγκεκριμένη εικόνα για τους Νεοϋορκέζους - ότι είναι ομιλητικοί, περίεργοι και σκέφτηκα: Δεν γίνεται να βρίσκομαι ανάμεσα σε τόσο κόσμο και να μην τους μιλάω». Τα βιβλία έγιναν η αφορμή για να ξεκινάει συζητήσεις. Την εξέπληξε ο τρόπος που συνδέονται οι ζωές των ανθρώπων με αυτά που διαβάζουν και το πρότζεκτ της έδωσε έναν νέο σκοπό.

Μετά από περίπου δύο χρόνια που τρέχει το πρότζεκτ, ανακάλυψε ότι μερικές γραμμές είναι καλύτερες από άλλες όσο αφορά τα βιβλία που διαβάζει ο κόσμος και ότι υπάρχουν τρένα που αποφεύγει όταν ψάχνει για βιβλιοφάγους: «Οι γραμμές G και F είναι τέλειες όσο αφορά τα βιβλία»

Σκοπός της τώρα, είναι να επεκτείνει το πρότζεκτ της και σε άλλες πόλεις το 2016. Για τον λόγο αυτό προσκαλεί τους ανθρώπους που θέλουν να συμμετέχουν από τις δικές τους πόλεις. Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι μπορούν να πάρουν μέρος εδώ

Ακολουθούν μερικές από τις αγαπημένες προτάσεις της Uli Beutter Cohen

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Elise: "The author is a profound feminist. She gives talks, she's a published author, a scholar and she was sampled on Beyoncé's last album on the track 'Flawless' talking about feminism. This particular book is based on a TEDx talk she gave about the realities of sexual politics. We're raising boys and girls differently when they should really be raised the same. We should be true to ourselves. Feminism becomes less of a daunting topic in her words. It's like you're listening to a wise woman in your family. When I first learned about feminism it seemed like an ideology that was made by and for white, intellectual women. I feel connected to her work because of the nuances she touches on that regard the Black American and the African experience in America. Ultimately it's not about negating or discrediting any woman - it's about celebrating all women. Reading her work finally made me feel like I was included in the conversation." @currentlyelise #Chimamanda #Adichie #feminist #beyonce #tedtalks #sexualpolitics #equality #celebratewomen #unity #weshouldallbefeminists #bookreview #brooklyn #newyork #subwaybookreview @chimamanda.adichie @beyonce @tedxevents I spy @greenlightbklyn

A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on Apr 8, 2015 at 1:57pm PDT

Chromatic Harmony by Justine Shir-Cliff, Stephen Jay and Donald J. Rauscher. George: "The term 'chromatic harmony' is related to color and how to make music more colorful. The book discusses 19th century harmonic practices - the things composers of that time did to enrich their music with harmony. Depending on what you're listening to, you might not hear colorful music very often. In jazz it's very important. I'm a composer and curious about what they were doing back then. The book is very informative and the chapters are on specific topics which makes it a great text book. There's a workbook that goes with it, which I also have on me. It's valuable to see what the composers were thinking. The book is not very well known. I'm not sure why. It's an excellent book." #chromaticharmony #music #composer #jazz #newyork #pennstation #bookreview #freepress #books #subwaybookreview

A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on Feb 8, 2015 at 3:24pm PST

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Roger: "I like Brené Brown because she tells her own stories about shame. It helps me to see where she's personally coming from and gives me the courage to face things in my own life that are hard to deal with. I don't know what we're afraid of, but we so often are. I haven't told many people about this, but I'll tell you because I think it's important. Since I was a kid, I had this sweating of my hands. I recently had the surgery that fixed it, but now the problem has shifted and is occurring in other parts of my body, like my chest and my back. I could take my shame feeling and move it from my hands to my chest, but that would be crazy. I recognize now, that the sweating of my hands wasn't just a physical thing. If I wouldn't have felt so ashamed about it, I might have asked more questions before the surgery and may have found a different solution. Shame is perpetuated by secrecy. If you can find someone you trust and talk to them, you can break shame down. This book makes me feel encouraged that I'm on the right path. Life is about being your true self." @rogee888 #BreneBrown #GiftsOfImperfection #shame #vulnerability #courage #truth #breakdownshame #beyou #bookreview #newyork #brooklyn #subwaybookreview @brenebrown

A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on May 24, 2015 at 9:37am PDT

Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins. Frances: "The story is about a woman, Sissy Hankshaw, who is born with extra large thumbs. She takes it as a sign that she should become a hitchhiker. This is easily the third time that I'm picking up this book. It reminds me to be adventurous and free. I also like the different imagery that's described in the story. It's an escape from my surroundings. I'm from California so I'm used to being in nature. Robbins' prose is beautiful. It hits you right in the heart. I guess I'm drawn to the book because it's about a person I'd like to be. Someone who lives on her own terms." @peachespit #EvenCowgirlsGetTheBlues #TomRobbins #novel #SissyHankshaw #freedom #adventure #prose #california #bookreview #newyork #brooklyn #subwaybookreview

A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on May 20, 2015 at 9:37am PDT

Repost because it's my birthday. ✌

Madge has been a long time reader and supporter of Subway Book Review. I was thrilled to hear she was coming to New York. We met underground and she told me her story which touched me deeply. So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell. Madge: "William Maxwell was the fiction editor of the New Yorker for a long time and mentored a lot of awesome American writers. I'm only into chapter 3. It starts with the murder of a tenant farmer. The narrator is telling the story fifty years later. He leads you through his childhood and the death of his mother and how he met the son of the man who killed the farmer. It's not a mystery. Maxwell gives you this information right at the beginning. His reminiscence of how his mother died is just heartbreaking. I don't know if I feel that way because I lost someone. Last Fall, my husband and my son-in-law passed within six weeks of each other because of cancer. The feeling is still very raw. The author's description of loss perfectly explains my feelings. Someone said: grief is the presence of absence. This is very true. My daughter Nora really got the double whammy having lost her father and shortly thereafter her own husband. I'm in New York to support her. She is here to run the half marathon for the American Cancer Society. She also writes a blog: www.myhusbandstumor.com; Thank you Madge, and so long

A photo posted by Subway Book Review (@subwaybookreview) on Mar 15, 2015 at 6:58am PDT

Via The Guardian