Scieszka, J. (Ed.). (2005). Guys write for guys read. New York, NY: Viking. ISBN: 0-670-06007-0. 272 pp.
Guys Write for Guys Read is a collection of nonfiction short stories, comics, poems, and drawings written by well-known male authors and illustrators. All the pieces center around one topic, being a guy. Each piece reflects each artist’s unique gift of telling a story. The subject matter explored covers a wide range including dating, school, sports, superheroes, imagination, music, mischief, writing, drawing, adventure, and much more. The editor’s aim is to help young men develop a love for reading by presenting a wide range of content from various authors.
Critical Analysis
The purpose of the book is to get guys interested in reading. Thus, the stories cover all possible topics and storytelling styles that all tell a unique story about the overall theme of being a guy. This variety ensures that at least one story will be of interest to any male reader. The tones vary throughout each story as well. Some stories are humorous, adventurous, loving, etc., depending on the author. They represent memoirs, moments of inspiration, and thoughts.
It is evident that each writer is passionate about encouraging others to read. It is shown in the way each author writes or shows something personal. My favorite pieces are the illustrated ones where the authors share artwork or writing samples from when they were children. I find it very inspirational. Although I may not have liked half of the stories, there are some stories that I find interesting and some that even make me chuckle. If Scieszka’s mission is truly to have at least one story in his collection that appeals to a reader, then his mission is accomplished.
A strength in this book is that the majority of the pieces can be read in five minutes or less, which makes the reader less reluctant to give something new a try. Also, the stories can be read out of order or not at all depending on interests. This also leads to a weakness in that a reader can put the book down easily if a couple of the first few stories chosen do not peak his interest. It may have been helpful to separate the stories according to topic or tone to make it easier for a reader to choose which stories may be interesting. However, there is so much variety, that there may be at least one story that can appeal to anyone, even a girl!
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