Margaret Atwood’s best-selling The Handmaid’s Tale won the top spot in the “Top 10 Men’s Reading List” book written by women following a general vote.
Polls were part of a Women’s Prize for Fiscal Award campaign aimed at encouraging more men to read the novels of female writers.
The campaign was inspired by the release of Mary Ann Ziegert’s best-selling book, The Authority Gap, which revealed that men rarely read fiction novels written by women.
10 important readings for men by women 📚
We asked, and you answered! Only 19% of the readers of best-selling female fiction writers are men, and we asked you to vote for the ultimate female-written reading list for men.
Check the list and pass it: https://t.co/RT7TIsfonw pic.twitter.com/gElQVFJTIO
— Women’s Novel Award (@WomensPrize) June 10, 2022
Sir Salman Rushdie, Andrew Marr, and Richard Curtis were one of the people who recommended women’s novels to the “Top 10 Men’s Reading Lists” before the general vote.
Following 20,000 votes, the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tail topped the list, followed by Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Girl, Woman, and Other by Bernardine Evaristo.
Atwood said: Excluded from them.
“It was normal for a man to tell me,’My wife loves your book.’ A double-edged compliment.
“But the handmaid story isn’t about men vs. women.
“It’s about totalitarianism. It’s not a paradise for everyone. It’s more so than any totalitarianism.
It’s only five days before the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction winners are announced.
Meanwhile, we’re counting down to celebrate our wonderful list of candidates.
first, @ozekilandShape and empty book. Download the free reading guide from our website: https: //t.co/P2vbW9P0Pq pic.twitter.com/sAnH1VKzRp
— Women’s Novel Award (@WomensPrize) June 10, 2022
“All totalitarianism dominates women in certain ways related to reproduction.
“Be careful in the light of current events in the United States. State claims of ownership of women’s bodies also affect men.”
The campaign runs five days before the winners of the Women’s Prize for Fiction are announced at the evening awards ceremony in central London.
This year marks the 27th year of the award, which is open to original fiction written in English by women around the world.
The six finalists explore a wide range of themes, from Antarctica to Trinidad, including identity, personal freedom, sisterhood, mental illness, ghosts, and gender violence.
