Pages

December 4, 2008

Twaddle

Thanks, Tricia.  I forgot my caffeine this morning, so you're post did the job for me.  That article about boys not reading?  Ugh.  What terrible pap.  I clicked on your link to the entire article to see who had written such silliness and found that she might actually be able to write.  I haven't read any of these, but they look interesting.  I'm thinking, however, that she should just stick to fiction.

Here's how she opens her article: "If you think this is one of those scholarly articles packed with facts and percentiles and references to government studies, stop reading. This piece is full of anecdotes and opinions."

At least she gives you fair warning that this is not relevant in any way.  Then she piles on the stereotypes:

"Men don’t read—instead, they do. For instance, men don’t read books about hunting, they hunt. They don’t devour novels about race-car driving; they go to drag races—and often take along their sons. For many boys, reading becomes a chore that prevents them from pursuing manly things, like playing sports, fishing, rock climbing, and, later, chasing girls."

!!!!?????

You've just got to be kidding me.  Maybe the author, since she writes female-based YA thrillers can't see past her mostly female-based readership out into the wider world of readers in general.  Readers of all ages.  Readers of both sexes.  Scroll down any kids bestseller list right now.  Once you get past those girly vampire novels there's all that Jeff Kinney and Rick Riordan and Gordon Korman.  But I'll stop there.  I don't want this rant getting too packed with those pesky "facts."