Rick O’Shea: Want the best books for men? Look beyond the stereotypes

This week’s book club recommendations include Joseph O’Connor, Maggie O’Farrell,

Clockwise from top left: Benjamín Labatut, Maggie O’Farrell and Joseph O’Connor

Rick O'Shea

I’ve been told before that I don’t read like a “normal” man. I’m happy with that, to be honest. I’ve spent a lifetime trying not to be a stereotype. There is a perception, rightly or wrongly, that a lot of men, when they can be bothered to read, are simple creatures. Give them spies, certain thrillers, biographies of “real”, “great” men (bonus points if the subject started a war or won one at some point), biographies of sportsmen, something with Jeremy Clarkson on the cover. As a man, the stereotype says you can read fiction, but it will probably be written by someone male, dead and white.

Looking through the Instagram feeds of certain publishers in the run-up to Father’s Day, this stereotype lives on, even in 2024. It says your dad wants all of the above, maybe with the odd outdoorsy book thrown in where men learn to survive in the wild, books on politics (nothing too progressive, obviously) and, certainly from our friends across the water, endless giant tomes on World War II. Doubt me? Go to Amazon and type in “books for men”. See what comes up.