14/07/2025
In the country Victorian town of Hamilton, nearly 300 kilometres west of Melbourne, a group of men meet in their local pub once a month to talk about the latest novel they are reading.
Farmer Jack Kennedy, who formed the Hamilton branch of the Tough Guy Book Club nearly five years ago, grew up feeling like it was not normal for men to read books.
"[Fiction] is a great way to build empathy in men, when they're reading through someone else's eyes," Mr Kennedy said.
"It's a really important thing for men's mental health."
But according to data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that was published last year, Australians are reading less.
That was especially true for men.
Full story here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-14/australians-especially-men-are-reading-less-than-ever-before/105422070?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
