Noah Berlatsky thinks through the interest many men have for books by and about women:
Part of the answer is simple enough—men and women aren’t, or don’t have to be, all that different. Lots of women enjoy shooting the bad guys with James Bond; I can identify quite easily with Bella’s feelings of isolation, depression, and romantic angst. Men aren’t from Mars and women aren’t from Venus; we’re both from Earth, and as such it’s not all that hard to talk to each other.
But if similarity can be engaging, so can difference. For me, and I’d guess for a lot of men, part of the appeal of reading women writers is precisely the chance to know, or to be, someone else. Just as women are often fascinated by men, men—of whatever sexual orientation—are often quite interested in women. I know women read and enjoy Pride and Prejudice, too. But as far as I’m concerned, Jane Austen wrote [it] so guys like me can fall in love not just with Elizabeth’s eyes or even with her wit, but with her whole self there on the page. Same with Dorothea in Middlemarch, or Dana in Kindred. If you’re interested in how women think and feel—and what guy isn’t interested in that?—then the best place to go is to books by women.
Books by female writers aren’t just the best place to go to learn about women, though. They’re also often the best place to go to learn about men.
The Dish 