Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Men Are Reading <em>Fifty Shades Of Grey</em>, Women Have Moved On To Bon Iver Erotica
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 26, 2012
Modified Apr 26, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 26, 2012
Modified Apr 26, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
NYC Mayor's Office
BREAKING!: Men are reading the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy, which was previously believed to have only been read by women! This news comes straight from the AP, where they report some of these men are doctors, some are churchgoers, some are gay and some are straight straight, and some just claim they thought it was more of an American Psycho type series (which is only slightly disturbing)... but they all kept reading. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg has picked the book up. The excerpts from the article are nothing short of awkward:
Jeremiah Wirth, a grad student and Iraqi war vet in Maine, said the opening book was nothing short of a life-changer. He read it on a business trip to "magical" Hawaii, returning home to Bangor a better man. "I was away from my girlfriend. I was lonely and I was reading this book in this beautiful place and I thought it would be something fun and easy," said the 26-year-old Kurt Vonnegut and "Star Wars" fan, just a year younger than the fictional Grey. "People hear about flogging and stuff like that in this book, and they don't get it."
Tell it to the men taking classes in flogging, Jeremiah.
Meanwhile, women have moved on to Bon Iver Erotica, which gets the job done, albeit, a lot slower.
Tagged
50 shades of grey
bon iver erotica
fifty shades of grey
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .