You’re a nerd! Has anyone ever said that to you? If not, how would you feel if someone called you that? Or maybe you’ve called someone that before? What did you actually mean by that?

More specifically, what about being called a book nerd? Would being called that make you feel uncomfortable, or would it make you puff your chest out with pride?

Being called a ‘nerd’, when I was younger, was quite a judgemental comment. It meant that you were a square peg in a round hole. It wasn’t a good thing for anyone trying to fit into the world around them, making them stand out. Standing out was not good. When someone called you a book nerd, it was also hurtful. The person may not have felt they were being mean by saying this. They might have thought you would take it as a compliment because it was something you really enjoyed doing. But many of us took it as a negative. It was a judgement, we were different, it was a negative.

Over the decades the meaning of being a nerd has softened. Standing out is not such a bad thing anymore. Being different is okay. Thank goodness for that.

Being called a nerd of any sort is still stereotyping. We all do it and are likely to continue doing so.

So, when someone calls a book lover a book nerd, there may be some people who still think it means, on top of their love of reading, that they are someone who is a bit introverted, probably feeling awkward in social situations. They might be intelligent or smart, yet not someone who could be the life of the party, have a few tattoos, take big risks or even just be wildly silly at some point. At the extreme, in the past, they might be viewed as someone who would even wear tweed on a regular basis.

They might think the book nerd would much prefer rainy days and revel in the fact that they can stay inside to read. That they spend a lot of their time alone with the solitary activity of reading. They might like to be at the library a lot and only really connect with other book nerds who look for the same thing. They’re highly likely to be a ‘nice’ person, someone who wouldn’t get anyone else in any trouble.

That’s how, occasionally, I still think people view some readers, oops, I mean book nerds. Certainly, an old-fashioned view. One that should be buried under a large rock, never to see the light of day again.

Let’s look at book nerds for who they really are. They (we, as, let’s face it, that’s who we are) are readers! We are anybody and everybody. We are all ages, from the very young to the very old. We are in primary school, high school and at uni. We are mums and dads or singles. We work or are retired. We are all genders. We are in aged care homes. We work in libraries and have a nose ring and sleeve tattoos, or maybe we don’t.

As book nerds we are generally more informed and have a good understanding of the world around us because of our love of reading. Through books we have learned about all sorts of history, we have seen the mistakes of the past. Through books we learned how we are repeating those mistakes in the present.

Reading has supported our own personal growth and enabled us to have empathy with other people. It provides us with a better grasp of different cultures, the barriers people face in life, other people’s perspectives, and helps us to be creative, curious, and ponder ideas. Through all these things, I think, we are better informed about people and the world around us. We learn and grow as humans from reading.

So, book nerds are just readers, aren’t we? We love reading! That doesn’t mean we all prefer being holed up at home avoiding interactions with people and society. Some readers may feel this way. So what? They might be that type of person. That doesn’t mean we should be put into a generalised pot. We are a hugely diverse group of people. We are all different, each an individual part of a global book-loving tribe.

Some of us might be academics and read voraciously to help us learn and teach others. Others among us might love to read on the train on the way to work, and at lunch, on the train on the way back from work, and then in bed at night. Some of us have to fit reading in around very busy daily schedules. We’d love to read more but reality is having to prioritise. None of this make us dysfunctional in any way.

So, if someone calls you a book nerd, I say embrace it. Hug it out and wear it as a badge of honour. If you are a bit older and the words still hold a bit of a sting, then it’s time to apply a blue bag. If you’re older, you’ll know what that is!

Think of how much bigger your world is for reading, no matter if you read three times a day or just when you can.

For those people who don’t understand readers and how having your nose in a book makes us feel, well, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. •

nerdy nerd

Read June 2024’s From the Editor’s Desk