# Pride and no prejudice: how Tough Guy Book Club taught 10,000 men to be unashamed of reading

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/pride-and-no-prejudice-how-tough-guy-book-club-taught-10000-men-to-be-unashamed-of-reading/
- Published: 2026-11-13T14:00:20+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T14:20:39+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/14/pride-and-no-prejudice-how-tough-guy-book-club-taught-10000-men-to-be-unashamed-of-reading
- Topics: Culture

## Key points

- Tough Guy Book Club has 10,000 members in 10 countries.
- Its pub meetings combine reading with conversation and friendship.
- Luke Bateman says he once felt ashamed to read around teammates.

## Summary

Shay Leighton founded Tough Guy Book Club in Australia in 2012 to help men read, talk and make friends. It has grown into an in-person community with 10,000 members across 10 countries, challenging the idea that reading and toughness are incompatible.

Leighton began the club when he was isolated and unhappy, and recruited members through fliers in tattoo parlours, barbers and boxing gyms. Chapters meet at local pubs on the first Wednesday of each month. Former rugby league player Luke Bateman says he hid his love of books during his professional career because he felt it was seen as feminine; later, sharing his reading on TikTok helped him connect with readers.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.