I like to read.
Whenever I give people a tour of my (admittedly
small) apartment, the first thing I always show them is my bookcase. Even
more than my running paraphernalia or degree, it’s the pride of my living
arrangement. I have it meticulously organized: education books on top,
classics and favorite authors (David Foster Wallace and Haruki Murakami feature
heavily) below those, fiction on the next, and non-fiction on the final two
shelves, with memoirs and military pieces all grouped in their respective
places.
So when I recently read an article that Art of Manliness put out entitled ‘Why Men
Should Read Fiction’ it probably shouldn’t
be surprising that I quickly started brainstorming about the connections I
could make between my reading habit and work with masculinities.
Now, each of the past two years I’ve facilitated
small leadership-based book clubs on The Heart and the Fist, a memoir by
Eric Greitens (I’ll spend some more time talking about it below). I love the
programmatic side of masculinities and its theories. After reading that
article, my mind went immediately to those book clubs and how I might tailor
that model to fit the needs of college men.
But would such an approach work? In a 2008
article Frank Harris III had the following to say:
“...interventions that provide opportunities for men to reflect
critically upon their conceptualizations of masculinity and their gender
performance are also necessary. Faculty members can provide these opportunities
in their courses through journaling assignments, assigned readings, films,
guest speakers, and classroom discussions.”
Several of those components look suspiciously
like a book club.
A year later, Edwards & Jones (2009) echoed
Dr. Harris:
“The results of this study also indicate that academic courses and
student affairs programs that raise students’ consciousness of social group
identities in general, expose men to historical and literary figures who
offer new ways of being a man, and offer alternative versions of
masculinity may be effective in helping men begin to transcend the traditional
definition of masculinity.”
Emphasis mine.
Clearly there is
(research-based) room in our curriculums for a men’s book club. The
trick, then, is getting men to show up. Luckily, we also have Dr. Harris (2008)
to thank for addressing that particular issue: “one way to earn credibility
among men at WRU is to conform to stereotypical expectations when performing
masculinity.”
Obviously, stereotypical
masculinity is something we want to avoid in our educational practices. But as
Dr. Harris said, it is a way that we can draw men into our programs. As such
three of the books below are about war, a fourth is about politics, and a fifth
is about baseball. So in this light, I want to suggest these five practical
books (and rationale for said books) as a possible curriculum/starting point
for a hypothetical men’s book club. Let’s begin.
BOOK SELECTIONS:
Ender’s
Game - Orson Scott Card
Key
Themes: Leading by example; Personal excellence
Despite its reputation as
solely a young adult science fiction novel, Ender’s Game is packed with
examples of what it looks like to be a young leader, leading from the front,
and making difficult choices. As the lone piece of fiction on this list,
it is also arguably the most accessible. And thanks to the book spending
quite of time with Ender’s inner monologue, there’s plenty of room to dissect
the reasoning behind moral quandaries.
The
Heart & the Fist - Eric Greitens
Key
Themes: Being a “renaissance man”; Masculine
development; Integrity
Let me give you a rundown of
what Eric Greitens does in his memoir: 1) he travels abroad three times to
three different continents, twice for humanitarian work, all while he’s in
college, 2) he becomes a Rhodes Scholar and spends two years at Oxford, and
3) he becomes an officer in the Navy SEALs after deciding he hadn’t done quite
enough with his life just yet. But most importantly, he tells all of this in an
earnest, unpompous manner that inspires you more than makes you feel guilty. It
also happens to line up very well with Chickering & Reisser’s 1st Vector.
Long
Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
Key
Themes: Selfless service; Taking action
Not only is Nelson Mandela’s
autobiography and incredible piece of non-fiction and testament to what a man
can do when he puts service above all else, it provides a foundation for a lot
of difficult conversation. From the racist apartheid policies that Mandela
fought against to family issues to taking action and deciding between right and
wrong, this book has it all. It’s not a light read by any means, but it is well
worth the investment.
Three
Nights in August - Buzz Bissinger
Key
themes: Authority; Courage
Back in April when I wrote my
first blog post on Macklemore and masculinity, I mentioned that I have a habit of idolizing these great figures
like Mandela. Three Nights in August is a more happy middle ground.
Outwardly this is just the story of three games between the St. Louis Cardinals
and the Chicago Cubs, but inside it’s a look into the mind of Tony LaRussa, a
phenomenal manager and leader of his players. This book would be a great way to
attract in men who might not otherwise be big readers.
Dreams
from My Father - Barack Obama
Key
themes: Identity development; Social Justice
Where Audacity of Hope
is more about political policy, Dreams from My Father is a much more
intimate look at the President’s upbringing and development. Much like
Mandela’s autobiography, this book uses the narrative structure of Obama’s life
to touch on deeper issues such as community involvement, social justice, and
race. Obviously this may be a more controversial choice depending on
where you work, but I promise it is a treat regardless of your political
leaning.
-----
There is certainly room for growth. These books
can be adapted to fit university missions and learning outcomes.
Book clubs take work. I’ve learned this
first-hand. It’s tough to get people interested and even harder to keep that
interest for the length of an entire book. However, a book club is the
perfect setting to provide men with things they might not otherwise have: a
place to be academic, a safe space to talk, and a chance at a heightened sense
of empathy. This is an important resource that we can provide our men to
help them become the leaders they are capable of becoming.
Check back later this summer on my personal blog
for part two of this post, where I’ll take a look at what a fleshed out
masculinities library might look like.
Kevin Valliere (@kevalliere) is a student affairs graduate student at Texas
A&M University. He maintains a blog at http://www.kevalliere.com, and can also be reached at vallierekevin@gmail.com.
References:
Edwards, K. E., & Jones, S. R. (2009). Putting my man face on:
A grounded theory of college men’s gender identity development. Journal of
College Student Development, Vol. 50 (2). 210-228.
Harris III, F. (2008). Deconstructing masculinity: A qualitative
study of college men’s masculine conceptualizations and gender performance. NASPA
Journal, Vol. 42 (4). 453-474.
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