“Mean and Nasty Ants”: The Social, Affective, and Material Dimensions of Becoming a Reader

Abstract Educational research often frames reading as a matter of skill acquisition, with early decoding proficiency positioned as the primary predictor of lifelong engagement. However, this emphasis can obscure how reading identities are formed within broader cultural, social, and material systems. This article addresses the question: what does it mean to become a reader, particularly for someone who begins as a struggling decoder? It examines the case of Matthew, a man in his forties whose early reading experiences were marked by frustration and humiliation, yet who later became a committed reader, book collector, and aspiring author-illustrator. The study draws on a narrative, experience-centered case study informed by memories of reading approaches (Trower 2020; Waller 2017). It integrates insights from reading engagement research and book culture scholarship to analyze how Matthew’s reading journey is influenced by affective, material, and motivational dimensions (McGeown and Smith 2024). This interdisciplinary framework enables analysis of the interplay between individual capability and the cultural, institutional, and material contexts surrounding reading, including book illustrations, covers, library catalogues, tutoring, and peer dynamics. The analysis demonstrates that Matthew’s reading identity emerged through behavioral adaptation within intersecting social, affective, material, and institutional contexts. Although he experienced early frustration and humiliation, he remained engaged through illustrated books, tutoring, book club catalogues, and the act of earning and collecting his own books. These experiences fostered agency, motivation, and identity formation, demonstrating that early struggle can coexist with, and even contribute to, lifelong reading engagement. The findings suggest that becoming a reader, particularly for those who initially struggle, involves finding a viable place within reading culture. Reading identity emerges through negotiation of social, material, and affective systems as much as through skill development. By centering a richly detailed narrative, the study demonstrates the value of experience-based case studies for understanding the ecology of reading and offers implications for educators, libraries, and publishers seeking to support struggling and reluctant readers.