{"id":2514,"date":"2007-05-16T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-16T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writingya.com\/?p=2514"},"modified":"2018-11-20T05:26:32","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T05:26:32","slug":"books-boys-boy-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingya.com\/?p=2514","title":{"rendered":"Books, Boys, Boy-Books…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kelly over at Big A<\/a> reports that British Secretary of Education Alan Johnson has come up with the Official Boys Bookshelf List<\/a> for UK secondary schools… I blogged about his views on education and boys before, and had a hard time articulating exactly what was so… wrong about him saying that boys needed ‘special books’ that were more active and rowdy than Jane Austen, whom he quoted as the antithesis of an author for boys. His actual quote was “We need an educational strategy that builds a positive identity for working class boys, instilling in them pride and a love of learning.”<\/p>\n

Okay, point taken: Jane Austen’s audience was middle-class 19th century girls. BUT, Secretary Johnson’s specially singling out books for working class boys as opposed to for children assumes that working class girls must be all alike, that is, 19th century-focused and demure. Ridiculous. Two, he seems also to assume that all working class boys are alike, that is, with a hatred of learning, no identity and no pride. Allegedly they are also all James Bond wannabes. (Apparently the upper class boys need no assistance, and their literature is preselected from the shelf of How To Stay Rich and Rule the World.) When I look at the bookshelf list<\/a> and see so many that I have read and would have enjoyed even in school…<\/p>\n

It’s so great to have somebody, anybody pushing reading to kids, whatever their class, – and to boys. But why is he trying so hard to divide and define boys, girls, their genders and needs here? It seems to me that any time you make a statement of something specific for boys or for girls (outside of, say, bathrooms in elementary school), you should probably think twice…<\/p>\n

Yesterday, S.A.M.<\/a> sent me a piece from PW on a cookbook publicist. Who knew there were any such?! He believes I might find some interesting marketing angles with a culinary publicist. Intrigued! Meanwhile, the editorial department is excited about my novel, and yesterday I finished the task of writing bio information for the jacket flap and acknowledgments.<\/p>\n

I hate writing acknowledgments. There are simply far too many people who are the proverbial wind ‘neath my wings. And I have to admit that I rarely read other people’s acknowledgments. So, I went for the Academy Award forty-five second rule, and kept it as short as possible.<\/p>\n

Those of you to whom I am grateful: please say you already know, okay?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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