Arizona Republic: Engaging boys and books

Article here. Excerpt:

'The argument that boys learn to read and write at a slower pace and are motivated by a more active style is backed by studies that date back 60 to 70 years, Brozo found.

The "boy crisis" point of view tends to ebb and flow, never gaining enough momentum to bring systemic change. It gained traction in the 1990s and held its ground through the early 2000s, culminating in Peg Tyre's best-selling "The Trouble with Boys" in 2008.

Feminists who had promoted better education for girls were skeptical, worried that girls would lose hard-won ground if attention shifted back to boys.
...
"I have a lot of feminist friends in the academic community," Brozo said. "But I can't agree all the time with their assumptions that this is just an overreaction because girls are making great strides."'