So far they’ve read 37 books, held 37 events around Columbia Heights, and currently have 83 members. May 2022 marks the anniversary of the Men-Who-Read book club. It’s organized by Columbia Heights resident Paul Cram who began the book club following a suggestion by his therapist as a way to build his friend-circle, and possibly find a boyfriend, by delving into intellectual discussions while socializing away from the bar scene.
Like most book clubs they read one book a month and discuss; but unlike most book clubs they are male-centric, solely read non-fiction, and meet in “third spaces” – those wonderful neutral and sober public places, such as at the library, coffee shops, or public parks.
Men can attend one of their free monthly meet ups by logging onto https://www.MeetUp.com/Men-Who-Read and requesting membership.
Watch the Book Club introduction video
Wide-Ranging Topics
“I haven’t landed a boyfriend yet from the club, but I have been slowly making some friends around the Metro area and delving into some fascinating discussions. We are your typical book club in many ways. We enjoy matching topics to the calendar year. Like The Natural History of Love in February for Valentine’s Day, or Atomic Habits in January for the New Year’s Resolutions. Occasionally we read a book because it’s topic is LGB-related, but we never choose a book just because the author is LGB. Being LGB means you are same-sex attracted, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically good at writing.” said Paul.
Brian Hornbecker of Eagan MN is a regular attendee of the group and he said “I’ve always been a book-lover, and joined the book club six months after it started. I really enjoy being part of the group because I get exposed to books that I probably wouldn’t be drawn to on my own, and that lets me learn about all sorts of things that are new to me. Even better, though, is the chance to connect with other guys who enjoy talking about the books we’ve read and what we’ve learned from them. I admittedly don’t always love every book we read, but I always learn something, and I always enjoy the monthly get-together.” The group doesn’t mind reading a “dud,” they say it’s just as fun to really despise a book and rant about it, as it is to love a read.
Here’s the 37 Books Read So Far
- The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson
- 30 Lessons for Loving by Karl Pillemar
- American Nations: A History of Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard
- The Angry Chef’s Guide to Spotting Bullsh*t in the World of Food by Anthony Warner
- An Odyssey: a Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst by Rick Kirschner
- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D.Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- How to Get a Man Without Getting Played by Bruce Bryans
- The Immortal Life of Hennrietta Lacks by Rebcca Skloot
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken by Greg Behrendt
- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
- The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
- The Men with the Pink Triangle by Heinz Heger
- A Natural History of Love by Diane Ackermann
- No More Mister Nice Guy: a Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life by Robert Glover
- Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler
- The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
- Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples by Roger Stretmatter
- Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson
- The Psychology of Money, Timeless Lessons by Morgan House
- The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt
- Sapians: a Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
- Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
- Scam Me if You Can by Frank Abagnale
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- Spook, Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
- The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward
- Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
- Texts so Good He Can’t Ignore by Bruce Bryans
- Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs
- The Things You can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sumnim
- Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
- Wild by Cheryl Strayed
- The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs