Tales of the Underground

Book excerpt: Several thousand people travel on the London underground daily where life is fully representative of the cosmopolitan nature and the diversity of everyday London. In Tales of the Underground, author Olayemi Karim offers a guide to help people understand the nuances and the cultural peculiarities of traveling in the city. Olayemi, who commutes daily to the city for her job, began documenting the interesting experiences of her travels on the rails on both her Facebook page and blog. She records the unspoken rules and the expected behaviors in the London transportation network, for instance, the strange look returned by commuters, when caught staring. She also explains a number of common sights and things observed on the Underground as well as unusual and often humorous situations. Tales of the Underground gives a fly-on-the-wall narrative of seemingly innocuous and unconnected events which, when pieced together, offers an understanding of both the travelers and the flavors of London.