I've been paying a lot of attention lately to statements made by librarians and teachers of early readers about what boys like to read, and a common thread I've been hearing is something like, when a boy comes into the library, or when it's reading time in my classroom, I guide the boy over to the nonfiction stacks so he can find a book about venomous animals and stuff like that. (Definitely not all librarians and teachers express this... but an awful lot of them do)
I think there's a prevailing misconception out there that boy reader equals reader of nonfiction. Actually, literacy studies have shown that boys have no higher a degree of preference for nonfiction than girls do. Why is there this common buy-in, then, this assumption, that boys want to only read nonfiction?
I have some ideas on this, and they aren't very encouraging as to the creative future of our society. I'd be interested in hearing what readers think about this, though: Why do so many of us "grownups" assume that boy reader equals nonfiction reader?
I'm currently working on a bit for another blog about creative writing and boys. Working with the young writers I've started coaching this year (and I am very happy to say that two of my boys who write have been honored for their short fiction in Mrs. Nelson's 2010 Young Writers Contest), I've found that throughout their entire schooling, the emphasis in writing has steered them only toward linear, highly structured, expository writing.
The evil, consciousness-destroying "chunk paragraph."
But, deep down, kids really want to write. They want to be creative. But there is no room for coaching those abilities along in the school day, and the formulaic, structured, anti-inventive kind of writing they're boxed into churning out at school not only weakens their creative impulse, it actually makes them hate writing.
You don't have to believe me. Go talk to a hundred kids. You'll hear it from them.
So the writing, the reading, the lack of boy-friendly books, the assumptions we make about boys and reading and boys and creative writing -- they're all tied together, and I think it's not too late to undo some knots we've wrapped around kids' futures.
But if you have any ideas on the nonfiction question I posed, then post away.
5 comments:
The whole question of why boys don't read, or are perceived as reading only non-fiction, really gets my goat.
I am so alarmed by what I see in the bookshops and libraries - evidence of a culture that seems to believe that boys have no place in a bookstore or library, or in the world of books at large. These places make it so overwhelmingly uncomfortable to be seen in sections given over to children's and particularly to Young Adult fiction.
Why DO women have the monopoly on self-expression, reading, writing, buying and selling books, publishing books, representing books, in a modern society? How have we made it such a hostile environment for half the population—the male half?
How has it become almost a slight on your masculinity to be seen reading a book?
And how can we change this?
Maybe its location. Maybe its higher thinking. Maybe its having a librarian and teacher that think outside of the box. But I also think its about involvement.
I'm a mother to 3 boys 8,9, and 13. The two younger boys like reading action and adventure along with fantasy. My oldest prefers fiction based on non-fiction mainly military themes. I think their love of reading and story choice is just an example of the various themes we enjoy as a family whether we are reading or watching movies together. One of my boys asked me one time why do I read what I read? And I told him when I pick up a book I want to go somewhere that is different than my life. So, what I'm saying is a child's reading habits are shaped by their parents and of course teachers. Luckily our school librarian is above the rest and encourages all the children to try something new.
But just like everything else in life as parents we need to encourage our own children - boys - to read and guide them ourselves. Give them more options and show them there are other choices out there.
I think Lia and Connie both made some excellent points. Most important, I think, is Connie's idea that parents -- especially dads -- need to serve as examples to their kids that reading is something worth doing.
The reality is that most of the "grownups" who deal with reading and writing around ten-year-old boys are women. So there's already an inescapable association between literacy and femininity in the minds of many boys. And, the librarians and teachers who -- as Connie says -- don't think out of the box often choose lists that are heavily oriented toward girls, simply because they like reading those books. So, when it comes time to introduce kids to books, they can't talk much outside of the box they build for themselves.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. I do it too. Even though I don't write MG fiction, I enjoy reading it -- as long as it's "boy" MG. Yes... such a thing does exist.
Sorry to admit this, but I just can't get into a book with a female protagonist. Well... at least not like I can get into a book with male main characters. I'm not a sexist, either... but I wouldn't actively or purposely choose a book for personal reading that had a female MC, either.
Go ahead and make nasty comments if you want. I already know women will say that the gender of the main character is not a consideration in choosing a book. That's already been proven by many studies, anyway.
I mention this because I'd read a post by a librarian a few weeks back. She was complaining because she had tried to talk a boy into reading a very good, recent, highly acclaimed (I won't name names) YA novel that happens to have a girl protagonist. The boy said that he didn't like reading stories about girls, and he asked the librarian to order another book for him (he also asked for this particular book by name -- he knew what it was about).
The librarian refused to get the book the boy requested until he read the book she suggested to him -- the one with the girl protagonist.
The boy refused.
The librarian was outraged. She said the boy was sexist and that it was her duty to make him read the book.
I am not making this up.
This is why some boys quit reading entirely.
Interesting post and comments. I've rarely had any problems getting into a book with a female main character, it depends on the topic and style (how the book was written). I've read books about guys written by male authors where I couldn't relate to the main character or even understand him, and I've felt the same way about some female authors, but it had little to do with their gender. They were either poorly written books or the topic didn't interest me. I don't pick books based on gender and I refuse to buy into stereotypes, but that's just me. I will say one thing, though. When it comes to GLBT literature I tend to pick/prefer books written for guys by guys, although I've read lots of great books about girls coming out. I love Julie Anne Peters and Jacqueline Woodson :)
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