Social standards and fear of not being accepted might be contributing to the scarce number of young men who pick up a Nicholas Sparks drama. But even if it were acceptable, romance is more commonly directed towards girls and won’t satisfy male audiences. Between the sexes, differences exist not only in preferred genres, but also in reading habits and expectations. To get boys to pick up a book, assure them that guys can read to, and try offering them non fiction, history, or a sports novel.
Studies have displayed that on average, women read more than men. Alter acknowledges, “Girls also tend to read more than boys, as 18% of boys say they read daily, while 30% of girls do” (1). There are a few reasons boys lack in the literature department; …show more content…
According to news editor Quentin Fottrell,, “Men are more likely to read nonfiction books than fiction, while the opposite holds true for women” (2). Male-dominated genres like sports and history are often nonfiction, which may contribute to the larger amount of boys choosing it over fiction. The nonfiction genre touches on every topic imaginable, so Melissa Albert published the article, “The Best Nonfiction Books for Teens” to narrow down a few successful novels. Albert mentions the incredible survival story Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand (1). World War II veteran Louis Zamperini was an olympic track runner who joined the air force—but ended up stranded at sea for a month—only to be captured by the Japanese and brutally imprisoned for 2 years.His life is especially inspiring to boys who are passionate about athletics and for those who defend our country. Hillenbrand’s novel incorporates everything that boys enjoy; history, nonfiction, sports, and an epic story to create the perfect book for a …show more content…
Fantasy novels allow teens to do this and serve as a healthier alternative than avoiding their problems through drugs and alcohol. J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series is a cult-classic among young adults. Readers can imagine themselves as students at Hogwarts having magic abilities and going on epic adventures. Rowling created the books so that all young adults can read along as they mature and gain a connection with the well-developed characters. The intelligent and independent character Hermione is like a girl’s dream best friend and definitely someone that female readers look up to. Boys can admire Harry’s talent in the wizard sport Quidditch and Rowling’s exciting description of the matches. Both Perks of Being a Wallflower and the Harry Potter series are must-reads for all teens. The elements in each novel will attract teens from both sexes and the valuable life lessons that are conveyed will stay with teens their entire lives. We need to encourage young people to read more novels instead of turning to screens for entertainment. Don’t tell kids to read because it will help their grades in english class. Tell them to do it because it will teach them new things and enhances their lives. As Prose once detailed, “High school--even more than in college--is where literary tastes and allegiances are formed: what we read in adolescence is imprinted on our brains as the