Seen on the Subway

A girl in her late teens was reading Islamic Fundamentalism and the Doctrine of Jihad by A.J. Abraham.  

A thirty-something woman with a taxicab-yellow handbag was reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  

A tired man in his 50s -- a manual laborer, to judge by his clothing -- was reading The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis.  

Comments

[Liz F]

I am beyond impressed at the standard of reading matter you spot on the subway!
Thomas a Kempis! I know members of the clergy who haven't read him!

[Karen]

Hi Liz: Well, remember I don't bother to report for the most part about all the Steig Larsson books, romance novels, vampire genre, etc., of which I see plenty! Nothing against them, but they don't make for terribly interesting "sightings" unless the reader is dressed outrageously or sporting a flamboyant tattoo or something. And I suppose I should have mentioned that the guy reading Imitation of Christ was just two seats away from the Islamic Fundamentalist/Jihad girl. Thanks for stopping by, as always...

[Odette]

I agree with Liz F - it's why I enjoy your Seen on the Subway posts so much.

BTW, are you a fan of The Elegance of the Hedgehog? I was just thinking I want to reread it & wondering if the movie of it will ever make it to the states. I enjoyed everything about that book (except for the ending, which really annoyed me for reasons which I won't post to avoid spoilers).

[Karen]

Hi Odette: I very much enjoyed Elegance of the Hedgehog, and didn't even know there WAS a movie. Thanks for the tip.