MEN READING

I figure that I’m in the minority reading-wise, in a number of ways: (1) I’m a male who reads; (2) I’m a male who reads fiction, and (3) I’m a male who reads fiction written by women.

                The specific percentages for male readers vary but generally converge on the fact that most men don’t read for pleasure, that those who do read more biographies and non-fiction than fiction, and that relatively few read fiction written by women. Is this a product of the Internet age, with our shorter attention spans and the purported “death of the novel”? Perhaps. I’ve always liked to read, and am willing to sink hours (days) of time into it for the pleasure it gives me. I like movies, too, and sports, but my leisure viewing has changed since I was in my twenties. Back then, I would watch any sporting event on TV, regardless of whether I was a fan of any player or team (Buffalo versus Cleveland on a Sunday night—sure, why not?) To this day I cannot go to a sports bar without having my attention drawn to the screen, any screen. I decided years ago, though, that I’d rather relax by reading, particularly with books I can learn something from or that make me think.

                I suppose that the fact that I’m a fiction writer makes me prefer fiction, or maybe it’s the other way around. I read or listen to the audio versions of around forty books a year, most of which are fiction. There’s something more soulful, it seems, about a world that allows readers into the thoughts of the characters. I saw where the author Amor Towles has suggested that male readers ask a bookstore rep for fiction suggestions that parallel a non-fiction book they like, which to me seems good advice. If you’re into Civil War biographies, try The Killer Angels. If it’s World War II, how about The Narrow Road to the True North? There’s a big world out there. Reach for it.

                The big world includes “chick-lit.” There are some variations of the same that aren’t my cup of tea, but there are fabulous female writers that every male ought to read. Try Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies or Zadie Smith’s On Beauty or Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall or Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. Sure, they address feelings and male-female relationships, but aren’t those key parts of life?

Dig deeper. Trust me. I think that you’ll be rewarded.