The Meathead Getting Other Meatheads to Read

Think of Finkel as a gym rat’s Reese Witherspoon. “At the end of the day, I’m just one dude out here getting other dudes to read again one book at a time,” he tweeted recently. Occasionally, this can feel like swimming with an anchored harness (he’s done it). “The publishing world in general is not very meatheady,” he said. “The overlap of dudes who lift and also read a ton is, like, the most underserved market.” Contra-stereotype, Finkel estimates that only ten per cent of meatheads are numbskulls. “It takes a pretty good amount of education to get your body how you want it,” he said. He mentioned the kind of savvy feedback that he finds most gratifying, like when a reader praises him for recommending “the lesser-known Churchill bio.” Beware the biography-laden diet, though, which is the bibliophile’s equivalent of skipping leg day. “I openly talk about balancing out,” Finkel said. For each Chernow, try an Updike. Offset the military history with narratives of personal survival. “Candice Millard—every book is incredible.”