Nov
12
Posted on 11-12-2007 at 04:15pm
Hey! Guys Read, Too!
Filed Under (Books, Relationships) by Katherine Coble on 11-12-2007

jmsloop has passed sentence on the growing idea that book clubs are for chicks only.

I was reminded of one of those odd articulations between “gender” and “activity” that frustrates the dickens out of me. There, in the Living section, was a rather lengthy article about book clubs and what amazing communities they help women build. Could someone please explain why “book clubs” have become so closely articulated to women and why it’s so difficult to break this articulation? … Something is amiss when you ask a guy about reading books, and a moment of homosexual panic breaks out. And it’s not just this one guy. Regardless of how I approach the topic, men don’t simply act uninterested; they act as if there is something horribly amiss about the idea. Guys, we need book clubs; we need them now:

Check out his place for the many reasons that men need book clubs.

I personally think the idea of “book clubs” as a gals’ thing originated with Oprah’s popularisation of the concept. That, coupled with the fact that most books marketed as Book Club Material are decidedly geared toward a female audience has sort of killed the idea of a book club as a masculine endeavor.

Of course, women do have more time to read all those books anyway, what with all that extra sick time they’re takin’.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Furl
  • RawSugar
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • SphereIt
    Read More   

Comments

dolphin on 12 November, 2007 at 5:51 pm #

Not to get off topic but I have to wonder about the “homosexual panic” over ANY topic. Why are straight men so terrified that someone may think they are gay? I can’t imagine the life I’d live if I was horrified every time someone assumed I was straight. I’d never leave the house.


Jay on 12 November, 2007 at 6:55 pm #

Damn, I had no idea people thought I was gay because I read. I just thought they thought I was a nerd that liked to read.


Chris Wage on 12 November, 2007 at 7:31 pm #

rrr … rrrreeaaad?


Number9 on 12 November, 2007 at 8:48 pm #

Books Jerry, books…


Busy Mom on 13 November, 2007 at 10:50 am #

Busy Dad has had a book club for years. Damn, I had no idea he was gay.


jim voorhies on 13 November, 2007 at 12:48 pm #

real men just don’t read romance novels. they read about war and spies and cars and other manly stuff. (hmmm. could we turn this into a skit for SNL? No writer competition…)


Rick Maynard on 13 November, 2007 at 1:10 pm #

real men just don’t read romance novels. they read about war and spies and cars and other manly stuff. (hmmm. could we turn this into a skit for SNL? No writer competition…)

Moderator: “All right, group. This week, we’re discussing the book that we all read last month. So what did everyone think of the November issue of Big Jugs?”

Guy 1: “Well, as much as I liked some of the jugs in question, I just feel like there are certain concepts that have been done to death.”

Guy 2: “I just can’t get into the character motivation. Why was she naked in the hayloft to start with?”


jim voorhies on 13 November, 2007 at 1:19 pm #

Guy 3: “Really. Won’t a hayloft be scratchy?”


Rick Maynard on 13 November, 2007 at 1:22 pm #

Moderator: (Scratching balls) “So I take it that the group, as a whole, didn’t care much for that one. Okay, so did anyone read ahead on the reading list and get to the November issue of Barely Legal? I found that one refreshing, although there’s no way some of those women are “barely legal”. In particular, the double page spread of… Well, a spread on pages 23 and 24 reminded me of birth.”


jim voorhies on 15 November, 2007 at 7:59 am #

Guy 2: Never mind that one. Take a look at pages 43 and 44. Is that a gun rack, or what? Hell, they’d make No. 9 an 18!