Little Women and feminism (or why boys don't read "girl's books")

My 12 year old DS isn't into gender specific books. He will happily read books with a female protagonist and likes series like 'His Dark Materials'. I was a 'gender non-conforming' girl and I liked the same kind of books, well still do, I often read his books and he reads mine. I can understand any child not wanting to read 'Little Women'.

I think it would be possible to argue that over the course of my adult life, I've watched it get down-graded from great work of literature to "proto-chick-lit", so the arguments in the article apply mutatis mutandum to pretty much any work written by a woman

I think that is something of an exaggeration.

Hemingway obviously.

Also, the girls in girls fiction are gutsy and brave but the girls in boys fiction are often a side character, a sister etc. Both sexes will benefit socially and academically from being exposed to a variety of texts

I'm not sure, in the context of children where parents are still selecting what they read/ have read to them, what would constitute "girls' books" and "boys' books".

YA books tend towards horror and SciFi, which I don't think are gendered.

Having said that I'm happy to treat Ernest Hemingby as "boys' books"- I've never come across a woman who liked him.

I'm with ILoveDolly on this - I personally have never liked Little Women. However, if I substitute a book I love - Pride and Prejudice - I think it would be possible to argue that over the course of my adult life, I've watched it get down-graded from great work of literature to "proto-chick-lit", so the arguments in the article apply mutatis mutandum to pretty much any work written by a woman.

My DS has enjoyed quite a few books with female protagonists in it, so long as the female protaganists are kicking arse, and we both lost patience with the Maze Runner books (which I think aim to be the "boy" version of the Hunger Games) round about the same point in book two, when the author started to shoe-horn in a love triangle.

There is a serious point to the article but Little Women isn't a book I'd die on a hill to save.

The book my son most enjoyed having read to him was Charlotte's Web which never seems to be thought of as a girls' or a boys' book. He also loved a beautiful version of The Snow Queen (illustrated by P J Lynch) which of course has a rather silly boy who has to be rescued, a very feisty heroine, a girl leader of a robber band, a rather assertive princess, several wise women and the Snow Queen herself, who doesn't suffer any ill consequences of her bad behaviour.

I read and enjoyed all four books as a youngster. Despite the fact that 3 is mostly about boys and 4 is, IIRC, more about young men than young women.

I agree teenage boys probably don't want to read teen romance books traditionally aimed at girls. However I think for younger children it doesn't matter so much.
For example my son has enjoyed The Worst Witch, the 'Sophie' books and The Secret Garden amount others that I would say are more traditional 'girls books'
Personally I think any book you have to study seems boring as you pull it apart so much. I'm now grateful I didn't have to study To Kill a Mockingbird as I finally read it a few years ago and adored it. Pretty sure I wouldn't have done as a text to study.

I'm not a huge Little Women fan but I think the article raises interesting issues with the ways we think about girls and boys cognition. If there are many girls who enjoy the 'sharks and gross stuff' traditionally given to boys, then why not accept there are boys who will enjoy more introspective or emotionally intelligent texts we usually give girls. Also, the girls in girls fiction are gutsy and brave but the girls in boys fiction are often a side character, a sister etc. Both sexes will benefit socially and academically from being exposed to a variety of texts.

I’d rather spoon my eyes out than read little women.

I loathed it. And the various television adaptations.

Interesting. I have read my son Heidi, Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Worst Witch, but now he is 9/10 I do wonder whether or not to introduce Anne of Green Gables and Little Women.

I loved
Little women and read it over and over. I wanted to be Jo. Also watched the film loads of times. I can understand boys not wanting to read it but it is a wonderful book