Reading is for Men, Actually

When I worked in customer service, I had one memorable conversation with my then boss. She told me about how she had followed her daughter's reading progress heavily, but her son she hadn't. Because, to quote her, 'reading wasn't for men.'

Growing up, her son hadn't shown as much interest in reading.

But it got me thinking and thinking hard.

Had he just never shown any interest because she didn't care to show any interest in him?

Reading can be very gendered. There are certain expectations for what young boys 'should' read and what young girls 'should' read. Often, if the author is male, he'll find his audience primarily consists of the same, at least in the younger stage.

But something happens in adulthood. Reading in general drops off, but women as a whole read more than men. [You can read more about that here.] The thing is, reading is for men too. There are plenty of books of interest, beyond just how-to and gardening and repair books. Reading can be very rewarding, a way to process emotions, and a simple way to take a break after a hard day.

A notable difference was found in a study by the American Library Association, which surveyed 29 men and 29 women on their reading habits. Women showed a broad interest in both men and women authors, but men often specified that they either enjoyed both or only male authors. Gender plays a large role in the contents of books as well, with men preferring male protagonists in their fiction works. [Here's the article.] The article also noted something very interesting. Women outnumbered men in membership to a book related event, like a bookclub or a friends of the library.

So, to round this off, I wanted to make a list of cool ways that men can engage with books, even if it is still 'manly' themed.

Fun reading activities for men

• BBQ Bookclub: have a meet-up with some friends to discuss what you've read in the last month, over some food and fun.
• Books into Movie Night: Have some popcorn and your critiquing hats on after reading a book. It's time to tear into its film.
• Book Exchange: Get that desire to save money and get a good deal. Find a friend and break out the garage books that were collecting dust and see if you can trade them around with your friend for something more useful.
• Challenge Mode: Create a list of titles you would *never* read and get some friends together to do the same. Exchange the lists as a dare and whoever reads more from their new, horrifying challenge list gets a prize.
• Beer & Trivia Night: Book Edition: Create a trivia night for your friends, all with facts from a short book list. Give yourself and the friends the list of the books and see who can actually remember any of the facts trivia night.
• Celebrity Reads: Many major sports figures or other Knowns have a biography. See whether they have anything interesting to say before you curl up with the latest Saturday night game.
• Video game novelizations: Many famous video games or tabletop games have novelizations. Warhammer 40k and D&D or any number of others. And the books can be highly interesting. Maybe check them out.
• Liked the Show? What about the book?: In a similar vein, TV shows like Star Trek or Star Wars have many books related to them. Give them a peak. Maybe they have actually done that thing you always wished they'd do in the show.

Have a great day, my friends. Hope this insight into men and reading was interesting.