Stop discouraging boys from reading books about girls

Last fall, children’s author Shannon Hale published an op-ed in The Washington Post that triggered an uproar. After detailing story after story about what she hears on book tour, she concluded two things: that our culture assumes boys aren’t going to read a book that stars a girl. And that men’s stories are somehow universal, while women’s stories are only for girls.

But, she contends, it’s mostly the adults who feel that way.

I’ve now asked thousands of kids the same question: “What kind of books do you like?” They answer: fantasy, funny, comics, mystery, nonfiction, etc. No kid has ever said, “I like books about boys.” Yet booksellers tell me that parents shop for their sons as if books have gender: “I need a boy book. He won’t read anything about a girl.”

What are we teaching boys when we discourage them from reading books about girls? And how can we do better?

Guests:

• Shannon Hale, author of many books, including “The Princess in Black” series for young readers

• Kelly Jensen, an editor at Book Riot and an author of several YA books, including "Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World"