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Educating BJ: Distractions of an Oxbridge Misfit
Do you ever think of yourself as being special? I used to believe that I was … or at least, I thought that someday I could be.
Oxford University … alma mater to the elite, and breeding ground for aristocrats, politicians, and academics. Built on centuries of culture and tradition, and pompously proud of it. Its motto, Dominus illuminatio mea - The Lord is my light. Well, if The Lord was guiding me, perhaps He had shone his torch in the wrong direction.
I was no scholar, nor anything remotely special … even the label they had, articulated as much. In Oxford, I was merely a ‘commoner’ … lacking the intellect, and with neither the wealth nor breeding to walk among ‘the great and the good.’ I was Studens vulgaris, a common-or-garden student … and, occasionally, a rather vulgar one.
Even as a commoner, Oxford promised to open doors; a gateway to opportunity and prosperity, to lifelong friendships and love, and to endless horizontal shenanigans. Frustratingly however, things seldom go according to plan.
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story ... and I hope you enjoy it.
Oxford University … alma mater to the elite, and breeding ground for aristocrats, politicians, and academics. Built on centuries of culture and tradition, and pompously proud of it. Its motto, Dominus illuminatio mea - The Lord is my light. Well, if The Lord was guiding me, perhaps He had shone his torch in the wrong direction.
I was no scholar, nor anything remotely special … even the label they had, articulated as much. In Oxford, I was merely a ‘commoner’ … lacking the intellect, and with neither the wealth nor breeding to walk among ‘the great and the good.’ I was Studens vulgaris, a common-or-garden student … and, occasionally, a rather vulgar one.
Even as a commoner, Oxford promised to open doors; a gateway to opportunity and prosperity, to lifelong friendships and love, and to endless horizontal shenanigans. Frustratingly however, things seldom go according to plan.
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story ... and I hope you enjoy it.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2025
About the author
Bruce Spydar
11 books39 followersBruce Spydar used to wear a suit, work in an office, and get paid to lead teams of staff working for international nature conservation. Today he possesses no suit that fits, has no office nor staff, and he doesn’t get paid … although he still volunteers in support of nature.
For the last few years, Bruce has thrown himself into writing. Perhaps it’s a last-ditch attempt to harness his creativity, before his brain turns to mush. On many an afternoon he can be spotted gazing out of an upstairs window of his house near Cambridge, searching for inspiration.
Bruce describes himself as writing with a kind heart and a naughty mind. Personal experience has taught him that everyday life is rather full of struggles, and that happiness and laughter are too often in short supply. It’s why he now chooses to focus his creativity towards sharing his humour and positivity.
Humorous fiction:
Educating BJ
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story … and I hope you enjoy it.
The Shy Backpacker series
Diary of a Shy Backpacker is a naughty travel romcom; a series of the adventures of a young man trying to make some sense of his life during his gap year travels. It is life-based fiction expanding from some of the author’s own adventures decades ago. Part 1: Awakening Down Under is set in Australia, Part 2: Eye on the Prize moves to New Zealand, and in Part 3: No Looking Back, BJ, the main character is crossing Canada.
Refining My Dining is a deliciously s3xy romcom, in which the world is seen through the eyes of Megan Turner. It’s a standalone tale, but if you’ve read Diary of a Shy Backpacker, you’ll have met her before.
Caution: Adults only - contains tasty language and scenes of a sexual nature.
Non-Fiction: Self-help
Unboxing: The ART of Happiness ... is for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. Simple, practical, and positive, the book combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
Spydar’s Web: How to Capture Happiness ... is aimed towards encouragement of positive thinking and improvement of our happiness and well-being. The SPIDER model is a simple visual tool that can be an effective prompt for promoting many of the things we know enhance our own happiness, and discouraging us from falling into bad habits.
Bruce continues to write … and you can follow him on Instagram (@brucespydar).
For the last few years, Bruce has thrown himself into writing. Perhaps it’s a last-ditch attempt to harness his creativity, before his brain turns to mush. On many an afternoon he can be spotted gazing out of an upstairs window of his house near Cambridge, searching for inspiration.
Bruce describes himself as writing with a kind heart and a naughty mind. Personal experience has taught him that everyday life is rather full of struggles, and that happiness and laughter are too often in short supply. It’s why he now chooses to focus his creativity towards sharing his humour and positivity.
Humorous fiction:
Educating BJ
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story … and I hope you enjoy it.
The Shy Backpacker series
Diary of a Shy Backpacker is a naughty travel romcom; a series of the adventures of a young man trying to make some sense of his life during his gap year travels. It is life-based fiction expanding from some of the author’s own adventures decades ago. Part 1: Awakening Down Under is set in Australia, Part 2: Eye on the Prize moves to New Zealand, and in Part 3: No Looking Back, BJ, the main character is crossing Canada.
Refining My Dining is a deliciously s3xy romcom, in which the world is seen through the eyes of Megan Turner. It’s a standalone tale, but if you’ve read Diary of a Shy Backpacker, you’ll have met her before.
Caution: Adults only - contains tasty language and scenes of a sexual nature.
Non-Fiction: Self-help
Unboxing: The ART of Happiness ... is for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. Simple, practical, and positive, the book combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
Spydar’s Web: How to Capture Happiness ... is aimed towards encouragement of positive thinking and improvement of our happiness and well-being. The SPIDER model is a simple visual tool that can be an effective prompt for promoting many of the things we know enhance our own happiness, and discouraging us from falling into bad habits.
Bruce continues to write … and you can follow him on Instagram (@brucespydar).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 21, 2025
While I did not attend Oxford, I did go to college during the same era as BJ and look back on those years fondly. This read brought back a flood of memories - both the madness and the mundane - of being on the cliff of adolescence and the cusp of adulthood with The Future looming. BJ’s story is chronicled in a series of humorous journal entries not unlike Bridget Jones, making it easy to pick up and put down, with each short tale a relatable snippet of college life. Having met BJ in Mr. Spydar’s Shy Backpacker series, I really enjoyed this prequel and the glimpse into younger BJ’s origin story.
July 18, 2025
A fun and light-hearted account of a young man’s years spent at Oxford, being educated. BJ is no stranger to me, as I have read the Diary of a Shy Backpacker trilogy, of which this book is a prequel. Socially inept — especially around women — BJ makes friends, struggles to take his classes seriously, learns how to play croquet, drinks a lot of beer, and generally does everything that a student is expected to do, bar playing the field.
His complete lack of success with the fairer sex is a constant source of angst for young BJ, but he manfully soldiers on and narrates the story of his education briskly and endearingly. BJ is no wordsmith, but that makes his story even more relatable. I could smell the beer wafting from the pub and feel the warm British sun on my face as BJ enjoys student life in the city of dreaming spires.
A quirky read for those who don’t want their escapism too dark and serious.
His complete lack of success with the fairer sex is a constant source of angst for young BJ, but he manfully soldiers on and narrates the story of his education briskly and endearingly. BJ is no wordsmith, but that makes his story even more relatable. I could smell the beer wafting from the pub and feel the warm British sun on my face as BJ enjoys student life in the city of dreaming spires.
A quirky read for those who don’t want their escapism too dark and serious.
July 10, 2025
A laugh out loud coming-of-age page-turner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2025
Having read the other books in this series, 1 thoroughly enjoyed meeting the younger BJ, and being part of his university experience.
A character that you immediately click with, I felt protective of young BJ and rooted for him throughout.
With an array of friends and love interests sprinkled into university life and navigating young adulthood, Educating BJ has plenty of laugh out loud moments, but also some heartfelt moments — where I felt for BJ and his feelings of inferiority and desire to fit.
Such a relatable character and the scene setting and descriptions of the time and culture, were brilliant.
A laugh out loud, engaging coming-of-age page-turner. Highly recommend.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2025
Having read the other books in this series, 1 thoroughly enjoyed meeting the younger BJ, and being part of his university experience.
A character that you immediately click with, I felt protective of young BJ and rooted for him throughout.
With an array of friends and love interests sprinkled into university life and navigating young adulthood, Educating BJ has plenty of laugh out loud moments, but also some heartfelt moments — where I felt for BJ and his feelings of inferiority and desire to fit.
Such a relatable character and the scene setting and descriptions of the time and culture, were brilliant.
A laugh out loud, engaging coming-of-age page-turner. Highly recommend.
August 1, 2025
Good to see BJ return, this time looking back on his time at Oxford University. As in the other books in the series, he is frustrated at the lack of success in his love life, but he is at Oxford, which sounds a fine place to spend his formative years. His thoughts and feelings are cleverly told through a mixture of prose and conversations he has with friends, and we get an insight into Oxbridge life through various antics. Throw in some reflections on world events at the time and you have a nostalgic and entertaining look back to student life in the 80s. Good fun!
August 17, 2025
I've read all of Bruce Spydar's BJ related books and I've enjoyed them all, I like the the raw honesty of them. Educating BJ was no different. In fact I think it's now my favourite book by Bruce Spydar, probably because it brought to mind memories of my own time at university.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews