It’s TRUE. There IS a club titled Men Don’t Read created by Andy Wolverton

along with a publication, – and yet, having a chance to meet Mr. Wolverton at the MLA/DLA Conference seemed a great opportunity.

It was.

Thursday, May 11th at 3:00 PM – alot was presented that can lead to some great possibilities. Coming from the Anne Arundel Public Library, yet another example of how public librarians and seeping into high school libraries, impacting literacy begins to be revealed.

A great podcast developed – Mr. Wolverton follows the trend of finding creative ways to reach the topic of literacy and grow literacy.

Attending the workshop many facts and poignant aspects were brought to the surface:

-Boys in all countries lag behind girls – is this intentional?

-Recognizing that boys want to know how what they are experiencing and reading impacts them NOW, versus a slow progression.

-It is very evident that boys sees titles all around that appeal to girls, but again, when do boys, and all readers begin to see more titles that appeal and represent THEM?

The question was posed, what happens when you take a solitary activity like reading and make it a group activity? It is obvious, but not obvious to others unless tried, that book can build a community, reader serves as a construct between reader and author, and therein lies possiblity.

It is vital that kids have a CHOICE, not a prechosen path that removes the possibility of choice, and a book was referenced, Reading Don’t Fix No Chevy’s. One of the strategies in tackling a reading experience is to have boys do a back and forth style analysis of what they are seeing in the pages of a book, as well as creating a real life scenario, placing what a character in a book is reacting, and compare to what happens in real life- discussing the realistic nature of those events.

It was interesting to receive a website about approaching reading as a different experience, and trying to fit this process better to individuals. A book and a Hug is a website that truly could be utilized to peak interest in a topic (reading) that many have misconceptions about. This site enables how to write reviews, explore topics ALL OVER THE WORLD, and just check out a range from elementary to high school.

Some recommendations were How to Hide an Empire and Booth by Karen Joy Fowler. I liked a few surprising points also that I walked way with – how positive Mr. Wolverton remains positive and happy amid oppression of titles and reading being swept under the rug and yet having possibilities to address these barriers to improving literacy.

I know this, opposed to popular thought, reading is a key to every single door of other disciplines, be it technical paths, mathematical, artistic, or business endeavors, it is still awesome to have a connection to any of these and other fields when you recognize a name, theme, or scenario tied to something you as an individual are interested in. This is why it is vital to create, encourage, and promote titles and themes tat appeal to ALL audiences. Recognition is key and recognition opening possibility is life changing.

Additionally, when asked whether other individual than boys/men were allowed to join, I appreciated Mr. Wolverton’s answer. He mentioned that he had been asked and of course women would not be turned away but told, you need to respect the fact that this is a men’s book club and discussion, so to please respect that.

Classy and respectful. Creative. Versatile. Technical. Associative. Creative. Vocational. These words and more all can have the power to change how reading is perceived and how reading can make a positive change.