Culture

Story Time With Subway Strangers

One New York transplant documents reading riders on social media—and finds community in the process.
Jens Schott Knudsen/flickr

When German-born Uli Beutter Cohen moved to Brooklyn from Portland in 2013, she was instantly fascinated by the social mechanics of her commute. So many bodies are packed into each train car, but everyone is sequestered, steeling themselves for the dense crowds. Whenever she rode the subway, Cohen took stock of the books people perused while leaning against the pole or slouching in a seat. The subway, she realized, is a microcosm. And it’s a library, too.

“Within one car, you can find it all: self-published novelties, the next bestseller, and beloved classics,” she says.