Could e-books help close the gender gap between girls and boys in reading abilities? Blackmask’s David Moynihan and I have long had this weird notion that schools aren’t doing enough to interest boys in books. Well-done public domain editions of, say, Jules Verne‘s work could help, as could the right modern books–to augment those pushed in the natural scheme of things by female teachers.
Take a look at the Guys Read site and Kim Odoe’s column in the Minneapolis Star Tribute, the latter of which says:
There was the boy who walked up to the information desk and asked the librarian what there was to do in the library besides the Internet.
There are the statistics showing that Minnesota boys have an average reading score that’s 13 points lower than the girls’ marks.
Then there are the well-meaning parents who nonetheless make reading a book sound, to their sons, like a chore, even a punishment.
These are just some of the reasons behind “Guys Read,” a program sponsored by the suburban Hennepin County libraries. The idea is to build book groups where guys feel they have more of a say in what they read, and where they also see that reading isn’t as boring as they think — or as wimpy as they fear.
“I find that once kids get into the environment of an all-boys group, they’re much more open, much more willing to consider reading,” said Ben Trapskin, a librarian at the Southdale Resource Library who leads several guys’ groups. He keeps it light. “I think if they see they can have a good time, that we take the subject lightly and can joke around, then kids will start opening up to books.”
While the column does not mention e-books, the possibilities are easy enough to appreciate. If nothing else, more boys than girls suffer reading-related problems and fear the written word. E-books could help. They allow readers to control the size and style of the type and may seem less intimidating than heavy paper novels. Beyond that, many boys may like the gadget factor–the same stuff that alienates some female teachers and librarians.
The “You never know” factor: No stereotyping. You know what got Mark Twain to take a serious interest in reading? Running across an old biography of Joan of Arc. Sounds illogical and maybe a put-on, but that fact is from The Boy’s Life of Mark Twain, written by a friend of Sam Clemens. Actually there could be some logic here. Clemens’ father was a idealistic, justice-minded type, and the book just may have reflected the family values with which Sam grew up.
Detail: Give ’em the guy books, and the rest may follow. The idea isn’t to replace Pride and Prejudice with 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, but rather to get boys to read, period.
(Minneapolis article found via LISNews.)
