This hit where it hurts. When my daughter was very small, so many books people gave us featured male main characters. With my training in literature, I took some license to change the gender while reading to her at times. Why are all trucks and silly monsters and dragons male? No, that is illogical! I wanted her to expect to be the main character— tough and fierce and scary but also tender, as these are all picture books after all. I don’t have a son but I like to think I would have done the same thing.
Thank you for making this important point and doing it so well. We need to expose boys to books about girls from a very young age, from the time they are little and being read to before bed. It can't start only with the required reading in middle school or high school which all too often is taught in a rigid way that has little to do with joy or immersion in a good story.
I love this and have so many thoughts about all of it. I mostly just really love your talking about the practice of reading outside of ones self and how it trains you to see outside of yourself in the world. That is the power of storytelling broadly, and for us book people, books more specifically.
And all of this goes for film, TV, and event sports. We're seeing it now in the WNBA especially.
Thank you for this thoughtful and hopefully action-provoking piece. To place myself, I'm a straight, white, cishet man, a Canadian, and a dad of two boys (one of whom is almost 13). Your piece has left me with questions for their teachers. And for myself about how to encourage reading books with female protagonists.
This is one of my top priorities in parenting (12 and 9 year old boys). While I cannot lie and say that regardless of all the varied stories I read to him before he wrested control of his own reading, my 12 year old boy goes deep down what are unsurprising directions— mythology, nonfiction (especially history and politics and war), and sports… which I’m stretching myself sometimes to value on my end (😆).
However, he still loves to read with me and I always use that novel we have going as a way to wedge my foot in on good books (meaning not trite, hectoring, messaging, but complex, exciting, interesting— THIS is the bone I have to pick with so much of the current middle grade and YA fiction!)) that feature female protagonists and/or relational plots, etc. Happy to report that this isn’t a chore yet— I love it and he clearly enjoys these books. I know I’m rolling a boulder up a hill even in my own house (thankfully my husband also reads widely while, yes, also sometimes predictably). Thanks for writing this!
This is so true and so poignant. I will share with some HS teacher friends of mine . That episode of The Daily was so disheartening. We need more ideas like yours on how to reach them. But I will say both my Gen Z boys voted for Kamala- so there is hope.
This is outstanding. Thank you for highlighting how male centric our society is through books/publishing. I have endometriosis and have been dealing with it from a healthcare perspective - I have a “reproductive disease” with no cure. It is ever present and permeates so much so that it’s become “accepted.” I will not forget this piece.
What an excellent piece you've written here. I've been so proud of my son (HS senior) for picking as his "choice" books in lit class the last two years: The Handmaid's Tale (which he read with an all male group and was completely horrified) and Emma (not loving it- but still, he's reading it).
This is an amazing piece. Thank you!! I value your incite, experience and ability to articulate this issue so clearly. I have forwarded this to my husband and plan to come back to this piece a lot.
Sara: This is probably my favorite piece you’ve ever written!!! Sadly so true and so elegantly expressed. Just wonderful.
This hit where it hurts. When my daughter was very small, so many books people gave us featured male main characters. With my training in literature, I took some license to change the gender while reading to her at times. Why are all trucks and silly monsters and dragons male? No, that is illogical! I wanted her to expect to be the main character— tough and fierce and scary but also tender, as these are all picture books after all. I don’t have a son but I like to think I would have done the same thing.
Thank you for making this important point and doing it so well. We need to expose boys to books about girls from a very young age, from the time they are little and being read to before bed. It can't start only with the required reading in middle school or high school which all too often is taught in a rigid way that has little to do with joy or immersion in a good story.
I love this and have so many thoughts about all of it. I mostly just really love your talking about the practice of reading outside of ones self and how it trains you to see outside of yourself in the world. That is the power of storytelling broadly, and for us book people, books more specifically.
And all of this goes for film, TV, and event sports. We're seeing it now in the WNBA especially.
Should be required reading!
Thank you for this thoughtful and hopefully action-provoking piece. To place myself, I'm a straight, white, cishet man, a Canadian, and a dad of two boys (one of whom is almost 13). Your piece has left me with questions for their teachers. And for myself about how to encourage reading books with female protagonists.
This essay pairs brilliantly with The Empusium! Thank you, Sara, for putting such contructive words around the (my?) rage!
Next up on my list.
I appreciate your words. I'm a new mom to a baby boy and this reminded me of what I need to teach him as he grows older.
This is one of my top priorities in parenting (12 and 9 year old boys). While I cannot lie and say that regardless of all the varied stories I read to him before he wrested control of his own reading, my 12 year old boy goes deep down what are unsurprising directions— mythology, nonfiction (especially history and politics and war), and sports… which I’m stretching myself sometimes to value on my end (😆).
However, he still loves to read with me and I always use that novel we have going as a way to wedge my foot in on good books (meaning not trite, hectoring, messaging, but complex, exciting, interesting— THIS is the bone I have to pick with so much of the current middle grade and YA fiction!)) that feature female protagonists and/or relational plots, etc. Happy to report that this isn’t a chore yet— I love it and he clearly enjoys these books. I know I’m rolling a boulder up a hill even in my own house (thankfully my husband also reads widely while, yes, also sometimes predictably). Thanks for writing this!
This is so true and so poignant. I will share with some HS teacher friends of mine . That episode of The Daily was so disheartening. We need more ideas like yours on how to reach them. But I will say both my Gen Z boys voted for Kamala- so there is hope.
My soul felt on fire reading this (perhaps it’s just rage?)! This also might be my favorite Reading in Public so far, I am in awe of your elegance.
Amen (agnostic) sister!!
This is outstanding. Thank you for highlighting how male centric our society is through books/publishing. I have endometriosis and have been dealing with it from a healthcare perspective - I have a “reproductive disease” with no cure. It is ever present and permeates so much so that it’s become “accepted.” I will not forget this piece.
This is SO important and I so appreciate your perspective on this. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I feel smarter for having read this.
What an excellent piece you've written here. I've been so proud of my son (HS senior) for picking as his "choice" books in lit class the last two years: The Handmaid's Tale (which he read with an all male group and was completely horrified) and Emma (not loving it- but still, he's reading it).
This is an amazing piece. Thank you!! I value your incite, experience and ability to articulate this issue so clearly. I have forwarded this to my husband and plan to come back to this piece a lot.