Chocolat Author Joanne Harris Attacks the Gendering of Books

Chocolat Author Joanne Harris writes in her quarterly magazine, THE AUTHOR, that "subliminal indoctrination" of children through gendered packaging of books gives "the false message to a new generation that boys must be clever, brave and strong, while girls should aspire to be decorative".

She goes on to describe how this "harmless marketing strategy" might appear so for adults, but for impressionable young childrenm it is "really a form of brainwashing, repeating the false message to a new generation that boys must be clever, brave and strong, while girls should aspire to be decorative."

Campaigner Tricia Lowther agrees with Harris, saying, "Promoting books for boys is like promoting stereotypes about boys - if you say a book for boys is one about football, what about the boys who don't like football? These books don't just exclude girls, they could also exclude boys."

Read the full article here.

Joanne Harris is an English author, best known for her award-winning novel Chocolat which was later turned into a successful film.