Customer Reviews

Guys write for Guys read

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
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I purchased this on a whim for my son's 13th birthday after receiving an Amazon recommendation. My son does not read voluntarily unless you count video game cheat sheets and Garfield cartoon books. The book arrived yesterday. I grabbed it along with the day's mail and headed out to pick up my son at school. I started reading the book in the middle, with Gary Paulsen's electric fence adventure, to amuse myself in a very slow carline. I was hooked and began racing through the selections picking out the authors of the stories our family has enjoyed over the years sometimes laughing out loud, othertimes recognizing all too well the growing pains of adolescence. My son finally arrived. I relenquished the book to him and asked him to indulge me and read the Paulsen story outloud. He did and was hooked as well. He read several selections to me outloud then took the book to bed with him, had it with him through breaksfast, and carried it to school as it is the last days of the school year so he will have extra time to read it. This from a boy who has never read anything over 100 pages in his life.

I will wait patiently for my chance to finish the book and will encourage Dan to write his own review but wanted to share the fun this book had brought us. I can see that we will be sharing this with Dad, Grandfather, and my young adult son and that this will be a college graduation gift for my daughter's boyfriend. What a great summer reading book for the whole family.

Dear Fellow Student/Guy/Avid Reader,

I saw this book in a Scholastic Book Order my social studies teacher handed out one day, and it looked pretty interesting. I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of books over the past thirteen years, and this is one of them that really meant something special. There are lots of great short stories and funny comics and illustrations that talk about everything: Dates, dads, siblings, dares, weight (yes weight), theft, cartoons, wrestling, sports, Boy Scouts and countless others. Boredom while reading this book is sure to be a rarity. What I also like about this great read is that at the end of each story or drawing is a brief synopsis of the author/illustrator's biography and a selected bibliography which highlights some of the inspiration for the author's works. I've read all the stories about three times and I'm eager to read them a fourth. Get this book, and you won't be disappointed. If you're like me, and you enjoy reading, pick up this book and laugh and cry at the countless tales of joy and woe. But hey, even if you hate reading and solemnly swear that you'll never touch a book for as long as you live, maybe Guys Write for Guys Read might just might change your mind.


Sincerely,
A 13 year old

As a woman, I've heard and confirmed a lot of rumors about guys. Most of them really do think with everything but their brains. They can have entire conversations revolving around three questions: "What's in the fridge?" "What's on TV?" and "She's hot, isn't she?" After years of dating guys and being friends with guys and eventually marrying a guy, I was ready to throw my hands in the air and shout from the rooftops, "It's true! Guys really are from Mars!"

Except that it's not true. Guys aren't from another planet any more than girls are. Guys are complex, funny, thoughtful, and sometimes downright hysterical. And no matter what kind of guy you are, there's a story in GUYS WRITE FOR GUYS READ that you will like and a guy writer who probably, in one way or another, felt a lot of the things you feel right now.

Jon Scieszka's anthology brings together the best male writers and artists around to write (or draw, or paint) about everything from dangerous books (Neil Gaiman) to the inability to resist danger in the form of the neighbor's homemade electric chair (Jack Gantos), to a very secret Lettermens' club initiation that involved raw oysters, olives, and shoes (Chris Crutcher). Every piece in this book, whether humorous or heartbreaking, conveys the spirit of what it means to be a son, a father, a friend, a hiker on the trail of self-discovery, and most importantly, a guy.

Even if you're a guy who normally hates to read, check out this book (you can read it one essay at a time if you're busy with sports, girls, or raiding the fridge), and take a look at Jon Scieszka's website, GuysRead.com.

I'd comment more on the book, but the guy in my life has stolen it and won't return it.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

I really enjoyed the book. I thought that it was a funny, wonderful collection of vingettes from different authoprs perspective. The thing that I liked the most was the fact that they where all written about the authors lives, things that actually happened to them. I also enjoyed the humor and truth to the stories. Most of the things they had wrote about had either happened to me, or seemed like they could really take place. All in all I really liked the book, and I can't wait until I stumble upon something simmiler.

I purchased this book for my class of reluctant readers. (Grades 9 and 10) I thought it would make good read-aloud material. Well, some of the stories really were great, but some were dry and a few just plain naughty! Yes, kids identify with the crudeness, but it was too much for even me.
The reading level is perfect for poor readers of high school age, but the content and style are too young for High School.

I almost got to hear Jon Scieszka talk about this book in person in 2005 but the fire marshal closed the large auditorium at the San Antonio convention center and a huge number of librarians were left staring at the closed doors. The overflow attendance at his talk highlighted the level of concern there is about boys and reading (or their lack thereof) today.

Guys read is a jump-in-anywhere you-can't-go-wrong-read for guys. An A-list of authors and illustrators contributed to this book. As Scieszka explains in the forward, the book is NOT required reading.

"It is reading to find what you like. And I know you are gong to find something in here, because these things are funny, action-packed, sad, goofy, gross, touching, stupid, true and all very short."


The short length of each offering fits any attention span, read one, read five. I am still reading my copy. Jack Gantos and Gordon Kormon have made me laugh out loud. Matt Groening's "Any Questions, Class?" will strike a chord with every student on Earth.

Many of the articles center on what reading meant to the writers when they were kids, others celebrate "guyness."

The briefest bit of biography is offered at the end of each piece including where the writer grew up, where they live now and a random fact. A short bibliography of their other works also follows. (Hey, if you like this short bit, try one of their books.)

My sister told me my fifth grade nephew loves this book. I think most guys would too.

A Guys Read is about number of boy's favorite writers, writing about being boys. Such as Kids in Sacramento want to wear shorts during winter but their principal wont let them. Another one is Joe is watching over someone's house while his or her away, he thinks he left the iron on. Now he thinks he will burn the house down.

The last one is Two boys that didn't get along for their whole life until savor year of high school. They became best friends, went to the same collage and lived in the same city. On the same street, right next to each other. Until one day, the one boy was very sick. He had leukemia. The other boy spent all his time to help treat the disease. Until on Christmas day the boy died.

I would definitely recommend this book to any teenage boys. I am almost positive if you are a teenage boy you will relate to at least one of the stories in this book, it just has so many stories. You don't have to like all of them; you don't even need to read all of them it's just a very good book for any boy to read.

As a teacher, I enjoy using selections from this book to read to my class. This is an excellent collection of stories and illustrations that can be great for older readers and writers.

The book Guys Write For Guys Read is a book that has a lot of short stories in it. It is a very funny book about authors and their funniest experiences in life. This is a great book for guys even if they don't like to read it includes topics about girls, sports, farts, spit bombs, and puking. My favorite part of the book is written by Esquire called The Rules. Rule number 470: If you are in an elaborate dream that involves getting to a bathroom then its time to get up and go to the bathroom. Rule number 324: You know you are successful when there is a bobble head of you. Another one of my favorite parts is a comic strip called Life In Hell by Matt Groening who also created the Simpsons. The comic is about a kid in a classroom that thinks of all these weird questions after the teacher says "Any questions class?" And at the end all the kid asks is to go sharpen his pencil and the teacher wont let him. If you're a guy who just needs a good laugh then check this out of the local library. Even if you don't like to read it has good illustrations and comics. It can even help you think better in a comedic sense. This is a great book for a rainy day or if you are just bored out of your mind. These are only a few of the reasons why I would recommend reading this book. Check it out and see for your self what a funny book it is, and happy reading.

After hearing a report on NPR I had to get this book. I read a story or two with my son each night before he goes to sleep. We die laughing at some of the stories. We look/laugh at the fabulous pictures. We've talked and talked about some of the serious stories. We even read where each author is from, where they live now and every unusual fact recorded. We look up the locations on the globe. And we critique the cartoons on occasion. My only concern about this book is that, eventually, we will finish it. Even though I'm a woman, I have discovered that I like to read what these Guys Write.