Man taught himself to read
Oliver
James kept it a secret that most of his life he couldn’t read. Now he
shares his literacy progress on TikTok to inspire others.
December 28, 2023 at 8:05 a.m. EST
Oliver James, 35, was functionally illiterate. He started teaching
himself how to read in 2020, and has been sharing his progress on TikTok
since 2022. (Courtesy of Oliver James)
Oliver James graduated from high school without knowing how to read.
“No
one ever told me there was a reason to take school seriously,” said
James, 35, who grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Bethlehem, Pa.
“It was just a place I had to be.”
When
James was in first grade, he was suspended from school. He was punished
for being disobedient, and after only a week away from the classroom,
“I couldn’t read like the other kids. They were so far ahead.”
That
set the stage for the rest of his education, he said, and also his
career prospects. Until recently, James was functionally illiterate. He
could read some simple words, but not when they were strung together
into lengthy sentences.
“I
didn’t know how to maneuver around the world normally; I always had to
do things like a person who doesn’t know how to read,” he said.
James
kept jobs for only a week or two at a time, even when they required
little to no reading, such as busing tables or bartending. He couldn’t
read restaurant menus, street signs or text messages. He relied on voice
dictation tools to get by. He felt ashamed of his inability to read, so
he kept it a secret.
“I
would just lie, lie, lie, lie,” said James, who had short-term jobs in
hospitality, roofing and construction. He would get caught in his lies,
which led him to lose jobs.
In
2020, James decided to make a change in his life. He wanted to feel
more fulfilled and connected to the world. He decided he had to learn
how to read. Plus, he said, he was hoping to become a father one day.
“I
can’t have a kid until I read,” James remembered telling himself. “I
realized, this is my time to figure out what I can do to grow.”
So he picked up a book and started sounding out words.
“I would read the same quote for a week.” James said. “It was really hard.”
Gradually,
though, he got the hang of it. Words turned into sentences, and
sentences turned into chapters. After a few months, James was reading
books — starting with shorter stories, then graduating to novels — cover
to cover. The more he read, the more he wanted to read. He found it
therapeutic.
“There’s
nothing that compares to reading,” he said, adding that he has been
diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and that reading immediately improved his mental health. “When
I couldn’t read, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Why
don’t you go on the camera, and be yourself?” James recalled Halkias
saying to him one day. “You should just be honest and tell the truth.”
That was powerful coming from Halkias, who did not know for a time that James could not read, because he had hidden it from her.
James took Halkias’s advice, and in 2022, he started posting on TikTok about his long-held secret.
“It’s very uncomfortable to talk about things that the world doesn’t view as good,” he said.
Still,
he opened up and shared his story publicly. He explained why he never
properly learned how to read, sparing no details. The video went viral.
“When
I was young, I was abused,” he said in the same TikTok. “… It was
really hard for me to think about school, reading, anything that had to
do with school.”
James
was honest about the awful treatment he faced at an elementary school
for children with special needs. He struggled with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral issues, but
never got the attention he needed to succeed as a student. He bounced
from school to school, as he was repeatedly kicked out for rebelling.
“I
had no guidance to show me what was right and what was wrong,” said
James, who was raised by a single mother. “I was a kid, but I wasn’t
being treated like one.”
Shortly
after he graduated from high school in 2006, a fire at his mother’s
apartment left James homeless for a year. He got caught up with the
wrong crowd, made some bad decisions and ended up serving a 4½-year
prison sentence for weapons charges.
“I was very ignorant,” he said. “I was a kid, so I didn’t understand the consequences of doing that type of stuff.”
After
he was released from prison at age 26, he tried to get his life
together. He became a personal trainer but soon realized “my passion was
not in fitness,” James said, adding that his lack of literacy skills
limited his ability to pursue other professions.
But
as he began learning how to read — and sharing his progress with people
online — James finally started to feel fulfilled. He routinely reads
books live on TikTok and documents his progress,
including the challenges.
“It feels like I found my purpose,” he said. “I’m finally contributing to the world.”
James
is now a leading voice on “BookTok” — TikTok’s community of
bibliophiles — and has amassed nearly 300,000 followers on the platform.
People frequently reach out to tell him that his videos have encouraged
them to learn how to read, too.
James
is now a motivational speaker, speaking at schools and literacy
organizations. He considers himself to be reading at a fifth-grade
level.
At
the start of the year, James vowed to read 100 books in 2023, and he is
on track to meet his goal. Of the 99 books he has read so far, his
favorites have been Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” Anne Frank’s
“The Diary of a Young Girl,” E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and Don
Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements.”
He
has read a combination of children’s books and novels, and for more
challenging books, he listens to audio recordings while he reads. He has
also been practicing his writing.
James
lives in Orange County, Calif., with his partner and her son, 10, as
well as their 1-year-old son. He is hoping to grow his motivational
speaking career, and perhaps write a book one day.
“These are things that I never thought I could do,” he said.
James
is especially grateful for the small but significant joys that have
come with being able to read. He delights in reading his son bedtime
stories — something he always dreamed of doing.
“The world is totally different now,” James said. “It’s everything I ever wanted.”
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