"IT'S A MACHO THING"

Dear readers: Please read the following article from the Guardian, kindly shared with me by one Richard Russell of London, by way of Jersey.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,,1748085,00.html

The results of the survey discussed in the article reveal that, when it comes to novels, men prefer “all angst and Orwell. Sort of puberty reading,” while women read novels of more emotional depth. These results certainly perpetuate societal stereotypes about gender. Throw in there the fact that, during the survey, men were unwilling to discuss the influence of literature in their lives and one must ask the question, “Are men emotionally unavailable to literature??!”

Shudder.

This is why I encourage all of the straight men in my life to read Pride and Prejudice and shatter through the oppressive shackles of gender typecasting.