The questionable statistic at the heart of the “men don’t read fiction” discourse.

Summary

Concerns about American men reading less fiction have sparked cultural debates linking the trend to toxic masculinity and political shifts, such as increased support for Donald Trump.

Men read fewer books and less fiction than women, but the gap is modest. 73% of men and 78% of women read books annually, with fiction readership differing by 10-17%.

The exaggerated 80/20 gender fiction market split lacks verified sources.

Critics argue the “crisis” reflects fears about male disengagement, yet male authors still dominate bestseller lists and literary awards, complicating the narrative.

  • @jordanlund
    5•4 days ago

    I can only speak for myself, but since December I read 4 fiction books and I’m working on my 3rd non-fiction book.

    • Flying Squid
      4•4 days ago

      Somehow I only had the patience for 3 or 4 books all year last year, but I got myself an eReader for Christmas and I’m already on my third book, so I guess that was the problem. Weirdly, I thought I wouldn’t like an eReader but I got it for the purposes of future commuting. Turns out I like it a lot more than physical books. 🤷‍♂️

      • partial_accumen
        3•3 days ago

        Weirdly, I thought I wouldn’t like an eReader but I got it for the purposes of future commuting. Turns out I like it a lot more than physical books.

        I’ve found Reading ebooks on a portable screen a better experience for myself than paper since late 90s Palm Pilot (Handspring Visor, for me) days.

        Being able to carry dozens (or now hundreds) of books with you is so convenient and if you don’t like the book you’re reading, you don’t need to go somewhere to get a different one. Its replacement is already in your hand. Reading paperbacks for hours isn’t comfortable for me as it either takes two hands, or one hand with a difficult “guitar chord” like hand shape. Hardbacks are heavy to carry. Ereaders also can produce their own light (and at VERY low levels if you want). Paper books means finding and staying next to a reflective light source.

        Paper books are great for collectables, but if I’m going to read, I much prefer an ebook.

        • Flying Squid
          1•2 days ago

          I have read on my phone before but I really didn’t like it. This is different somehow.

          • partial_accumen
            2•2 days ago

            Oh, don’t get me wrong. E-ink (like Kindle and Kobo) are far superior to backlit LCD screens of old school PDA and modern phones.

    • @Psychodelic
      3•4 days ago

      I can only do the same. I pretty much exclusively read non-fiction but I’m about as far from toxic masculinity as you can be at this point