#Fiction Friday - Interview with Yeovil College Principal John Evans

Welcome to  #FictionFriday, where we ask Yeovil College staff to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences of reading and stories.
Each staff member selects questions to answer from a finely honed and crafted selection, designed to entertain and educate us about their reading lives.



Today is our final Fiction Friday, and our YC Reading work experience student, Hattie Harwood, had the pleasure of interviewing our principal, John Evans, about the merits of books and reading. 

  

Hi John! Firstly, we need to know which Hogwarts House you'd be sorted into!: 

Gryffindor . Never read them, but I’ve watched them – my sons have read them. I know people really connect with them.

What’s the first book you remember reading, or being read?

I know exactly which one. I came to reading late in life, and it was John Grisham's “A Time to Kill”. I was already teaching, having gone through school, then an apprenticeship, teacher training and lecturing without really getting into reading.  

I’d never realised the enjoyment you can get from reading – I was always active, a kinaesthetic learner. People would say that the book is better than the film, and I would question how can it be?

Then I was on holiday, and I boasted that I had never read a book. I had recently been to the Mississippi, taking students for a visit, and a friend recommended “A Time to Kill”.

It was transformative. I remember turning the final pages slowly, as I didn’t want it to end.

Generally I will read a book on holiday, on the beach – there are no distractions. I’m reading a Grisham at the moment - generally at bedtime, a couple of nights a week. There is sadly no time generally.

But audio books – or talking books – I have them on in the car. I was commuting a lot when I discovered them, and I thought, why not an audio book? I went to the local library and took some out – it’s read to you, it’s like a bedtime story. You can drive and listen. And then when I’ve stopped the car and got out, I cannot remember what I’ve heard or where I am – until I get in the next day, switch it on, and pick up exactly where I left off. Like when you return to a chapter in a book.

Is that reading?

(We discuss this and decide that it is – even if it isn’t visually scanning the words on the page, you’re engaging with the story)

 My awareness of the world and knowledge has expanded. Absolutely.

This is why I say now that the book is better than the film. Absolutely. It paints a picture in the imagination – so much more detail. You hear the back story, the extra knowledge and detail. Can’t beat it.

 I’ve recommended those (audio books) to Steve Battersby – especially “A Time to Kill”. It’s my favourite book because it was the starting point. At Bridgewater, I took the chance and made connections with the principal of Heinz Community College, began taking my students for exchange trips across the Mississippi – and that connection to the Deep South – that lived experience and knowledge of the struggles, the context, the segregation and what happened in the Sixties – that’s what made this book come alive.

YC Reading: So you didn’t really read at school?

JE: No. I didn’t read. It was a means to an end, it wasn’t enjoyable… I would do what I had to to get by – I would skim through, and I regret it. I really regret not getting into reading then – I feel I missed out.

I was an apprentice car mechanic, and as I’ve progressed in my career, with (my literacy skills) I’ve had to work at it – if I read more it may have helped. 

What is your favourite book or genre?

Definitely thrillers. Grisham is a huge favourite. Of late, I stumbled on Stephen Leather, who writes thrillers involving the occult – they’re about a detective who deals with summoning devils. Occasionally I will take out something different – such as the Steve Jobs book, or business books which I’ll then baffle SMT with by quoting in meetings.

Which character in a book do you think is most like you?

No idea. When you’re reading, you’d like to think they (the characters) are like you – but that’s a different conversation. I’d say Jack Nightingale the PI in Stephen Leather’s series, because it’s a fun job role!

Also I’d like to think I have clear vision, like Steve Jobs.

You empathise with the character. When I’m listening to the book in the car, and it describes the character grimacing or reacting, I will very often find I’m also grimacing – I don’t know what other people passing make of me, grimacing or laughing to myself!

Who would play you in a film of your life?

The sensible answer is Matthew McConnaughay probably because he’s a brilliant actor and was in “A Time to Kill”.

The funny answer is Alan Titchmarsh, because my wife loves him, and often jokes that she married me because I look like him!

What’s your favourite children’s book?

Enid Blyton as a kid. Reading aloud to my own kids – The Gruffalo.

Do you have a favourite audio book narrator?

Paul Thornley is my favourite audio book narrator– he reads the Stephen Leather books. I can recognise his voice if he is narrating a documentary on TV! How good a narrator is affects your enjoyment – it makes a big impact.

When listening to a book, I dislike books with too much detail – such as Patricia Cornwell’s Temperence Brennell. It takes away from the action.

Which book would you love to be in, or live inside its world?

There’s a novel my wife recommended that was set in Roman times – and I listened to the audio book twice as it was mesmerizing. I would love to go back and experience it.

And the classic question – if you were to describe yourself as a type of cake, what would it be?

I would be a three layered cake – I can’t remember the name! ( Our LRC cake expert believes JE is referring to an angel cake) – very simple  at first, but with layers.

YC Reading would like to thank John Evans for his participation, and our Work Experience student Harriett Harwood for her enthusiasm and dedication this year. 

We also wish to thank everyone who has taken part, and all the staff and students who have read, commented and enjoyed this blog series. 

If you would like to use the Fiction Friday questions as a literacy activity or Icebreaker in your classroom, please contact the Learning Centre.