REACHING BOYS WITH BOOKS

1. REACHING BOYS WITH BOOKS Gender Trends in Literature Suzy Howard Woodstock MS

2. In the dark ages… • STEREOTYPICAL MALE CHARACTERS • DESCRIPTION OF MALE FIGURES IN WRITING MORE COMPLEX AND ACTIVE THAN FOR FEMALES • MALE CHOICE OF LITERATURE THAT REAFFIRMS HETEROSEXUALITY

3. Research about boys • LESS FICTION COMPREHENSION THAN GIRLS • LESS LEISURE READING • ENJOY INFORMATIONAL TEXTS • LIKE NONFICTION AND GRAPHIC NOVELS/COMICS • LIKE THESE GENRES: • HOBBIES, SPORTS, SCIENCE FICTION, HUMOR • LOWER LITERACY THAN FEMALES

4. Research about boys** • CHOOSE BOOKS BASED ON MALE PROTAGONIST • BOOK COVER IS IMPORTANT • ½ BOYS CALL THEMSELVES NON-READERS BY HIGH SCHOOL • THINK THEY ARE BAD READERS • AVOID READING IF IT IS SEEN AS FEMININE **ADAPTED FROM READING DON’T FIX NO CHEVYS

5. It must be that y-chromosome! • 1 IN EVERY 32 AMERICANS HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. • THE MAJORITY OF THIS STATISTIC ARE MALE. • OUT OF THOSE MALES, THE MAJORITY ARE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS, THOSE WITH POOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.

6. WE DON’T NEED NO EDUCATION

7. Movin’ on up! • USE THE TEN COMMON ARCHETYPES TO FOSTER POSITIVE MALE IMAGES • USE SCAFFOLDING TO BRIDGE TO MORE DIFFICULT WORKS • MAKE READABILITY ACCESSIBLE • MAKE WORKS CULTURALLY RELEVANT • PUT MORE MONEY INTO MAGAZINES INSTEAD OF NOVELS • PUT ON “BOYINTEREST” PROGRAMS THAT INCORPORATE READING • HIRE TEEN MALES TO WORK IN LIBRARY

8. GUY-FRIENDLY NONFICTION

9. WHERE’S THE 411? READING DON’T FIX NO CHEVYS BY MICHAEL SMITH & JEFF WILHELM BOOKTALKING THAT WORKS BY JENNIFER BROMANN WWW.GUYSREAD.COM