It's a Guy Thing?

by Jennifer Graf Groneberg (Subscribe to Jennifer Graf Groneberg's posts)
Aug 31st 2007 5:02PM

Filed under: Just For Dads, That's Entertainment

A while back on ParentDish, there were several discussions about Conn and Hal Iggulden's The Dangerous Book for Boys. Some readers felt the title excluded the girls, and there will be a second title released in November called, The Daring Book for Girls. But the second book's publication doesn't address the central fact of the discussion: are boys and girls really so different that they need separate books?

I recently read something that made me think yes. The book's title is, It's A Guy Thing: Awesome Real Innovations From the Underdeveloped Male Mind, by Scott Seegert. I can say this: I honestly don't "get" this book. In searching about for reasons why (maybe I'm too tired? maybe I'm cranky? maybe I have no sense of humor?) the thought crossed my mind that maybe I don't get this book because I'm a girl.

Chapter 8 is titled, "Things for Guys With Kids." A sampling of inventions from this chapter? Bill's Groin Protector. Tom's Baby-Patting Machine. Dick's Daddy Saddle.

So now I'm thinking, who's going to write its counterpoint? With a title such as, It's A Girl Thing: Awesome Real Innovations From the Intuitive Mama Mind? Any thoughts on what it might contain?