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Tough Guys Read: Book Club Breaks Stereotypes
13 Nov
Summary
- Men's book club encourages reading, talking, and friendship among members.
- Club started in Australia, now has 10,000 members in 10 countries.
- It challenges the stereotype that reading is not masculine.
Shay Leighton established the Tough Guy Book Club in Australia to challenge the notion that men shouldn't be readers. What started as a small gathering of friends has expanded significantly, now boasting 10,000 members across 10 countries. The organization aims to foster reading, discussion, and social connection among men.
The club's unique approach, placing flyers in places like tattoo parlors and boxing gyms, attracted immediate interest. Leighton intentionally chose the name 'Tough Guy Book Club' to highlight the incongruity and combat cultural stereotypes linking masculinity with a lack of literacy.
Former NRL player Luke Bateman echoes these sentiments, sharing how he hid his love for reading during his professional sports career due to shame. He now advocates for men to be visible readers to influence younger generations. Bateman also notes that boys' reading choices are influenced by peer perception, with gender considerations emerging when choosing books for others.
The Tough Guy Book Club prioritizes in-person meetings, believing reading requires a deliberate, analogue effort. Leighton also runs a club within a prison, offering an alternative social outlet for inmates transitioning back into the community. Both Leighton and Bateman emphasize that men must actively dismantle their own assumptions about masculinity and reading for genuine change.
