By Neil Reilly
Riding the raft through the underground tunnel, the volcano hurled us through its mouth and out onto a sunlit hillside. All of us, rattled but alive, stared at the raft now shattered beside us. I was saved, just like the rest, by luck and by friends who never let go. I was seven and reading Jules Verne from my sick bed. More than reading, I was living the experience. I found that putting down a book, it’s as if the story holds its breath and waits for me to return.
No matter how wild the action, everything simply pauses, frozen, until the book is opened again and the adventure resumes from that very spot.
The act of reading is transformative, especially for men, who often face silent struggles and cultural pressures to bottle up emotions or keep life’s complexities at bay. As the convenor of Kiama’s chapter of the Tough Guy Book Club, I’ve seen how literature opens new worlds for blokes, giving both solace and strength. My own journey began as a boy confined by illness. Books gave me not just escape, but a sense of hope and resilience. Lost in the stories, I found each character was a reminder that obstacles could be overcome.
Today, in our club, there are no old stereotypes. We meet in Tory’s Pub and talk about books that touch on survival, heroism, failure, and love. These are real men’s issues. Reading stretches the mind beyond the mundane routines of the workplace. Through books, conversation and friends, we foster empathy and understanding. Luckily, not everyone agrees; funnily, this actually strengthens our ability to connect with others. The Tough Guy Book Club isn’t a retreat from masculinity, but an expansion of it. We speak about the things that matter most in our lives.
Whether you’re facing stress, loneliness, or the weight of the world, literature is a lifeline.
Men who read confront hardship, not just with grit, but with newfound understanding, often discovering that problems shrink and joys multiply. In every chapter meeting, I see guys finding fellowship, laughter, and wisdom; books spark deep discussion and quiet, vital change. I have found that the way forward begins with a simple step: opening a book, I opened a chapter.
We meet on the first Wednesday of the month from 7pm until 10pm.
For more information, visit the club's Kiama chapter.
About the writer
Neil Reilly built his career in advertising and marketing, managing major retail and automotive campaigns before running his own Illawarra-based TV production business. A former Army Forward Observer; he retired in 2017. Elected to Kiama council in 2008 and mayor in 2022, Neil values public service, family life with his wife Wendy, their three children and two grandchildren.