“Bye, honey. I’m going to book group.”
Posted by: Kaite Stover
Seriously. He is going to book group. He’s not going to the bar, poker night, or a baseball game. He’s switched out the brew for tempranillo and the Bukowski for Updike.
Just ask Don Aucoin of the Boston Globe who interviewed a number of guys about their book groups made up entirely of men. Don’t believe me? Read it here. And the best part? Men’s groups are not vastly different from women’s groups. They’re reading some of the same material, swapping stories about kids, work, life, finances, everything that women talk about when they talk about book group.
The most intriguing comment in the article came from Paul Hodin who believes that men may prefer a guys-only group because they need to “speak in their native idiom.” “Generally, guys are supportive in the way guys are supportive, which is usually by insulting each other,” he said.
Now if only we could combine the genders into one big book group. But maybe it’s better this way. We all get a night out to talk about what we’re reading, check in with our support groups, and value the life of the mind.
