Re:A lack of male protagonists is making it harder to get yo...
by xg15 on Sunday November 08, 2026 @09:10AM
(#50413516)
> The idea that boys might prefer stories about boys sounds awkwardly retrograde, even to the boys themselves. Kids rarely state such preferences outright, Melissa LaSalle, the children’s-book buyer at Old Town Books, in Alexandria, Virginia, told me. Their parents sometimes will, albeit “in a slightly embarrassed way.” Of course, individuals might not connect to a book for any number of reasons: sense of humor, narrative stakes, cover art. “But the unifying theme that I hear resoundingly from parents of boy readers,” LaSalle said, “is, at the end of the day, there are not enough boy protagonists.”
Meanwhile, it used to be a standard talking point that girls need more female protagonists to identify with, same with other protected classes.
It would be nice if the arguments were applied consistently.
Meanwhile, it used to be a standard talking point that girls need more female protagonists to identify with, same with other protected classes.
It would be nice if the arguments were applied consistently.