Discourse on the socials has dredged up an old question again: Why aren’t boys reading books? It was spurred by an Atlantic article a fortnight ago, which suggested that “a lack of male protagonists is making it harder to get young readers into books.” This was denounced, of course. Boys should read about female characters to correct historical imbalances, for one thing. Also, boys reading about female protagonists helps them be empathetic. Also: Ew, boys.
As someone who grew up with a wide variety of boys’ books, let me explain. We didn’t care if there were girls in the books, as long as they didn’t get in the way. This sentiment would get you drummed out of the market today, because how can girls possibly be in the way? They can help! They can solve problems! Yes, absolutely, and they are welcome to do so over there in the Nancy Drew books, where they can solve the Mystery of the Lovesick Horse or whatever. We regarded Nancy Drew as capable and ingenious, pointing a flashlight at a clue, but we had no interest in reading her exploits. Girls just changed things. You had to make sure your shirt was tucked in, and you couldn’t blow your nose by closing a nostril and snorting. If you passed gas, they got prissy instead of laughing and hitting you in the arm, hard, knuckle out, and yes, that hurt but you wouldn’t say anything and you’d get him back later. If you were a Hardy Boy in the woods working on a mystery and you had to relieve yourself, you could walk over to a tree and do it and not worry if you made any noise. In fact, you might actually aim for some broad-leaf flora to amplify your relief.
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