Despite the increasing relationship between literacy and economic opportunities, the time young adult males spend reading has fallen during the last 20 years, with a corresponding decline in their reading levels. One important factor influencing the appeal of reading material to males is whether it is "real"--whether males see themselves and their concerns in the text. Language, an important constituent of gender, must be part of making text "real" for adolescent males. The author examined nearly 200 fiction works written for young adult males and concluded that few are written in a male "genderlect," the language that males use. The article identifies several works that do use such language. An appendix contains an extensive list of works that meet other criteria that attract adolescent male readers.