Author David Foster Wallace summarizes well how reading fiction can help us to better understand one another and the world around us when he says, "Fiction is about what it means to be human." This idea is supported by extensive research: that reading develops emotional intelligence and empathy, allowing us to better understand and connect with one another's experiences and points of view.

Books provide an enormous network through which we can experience the world and those living within it. These windows improve readers social abilities by helping them to perceive what others are thinking and feeling and teaching them to put themselves in someone else's shoes.

The "magic of reading" as lifelong, avid readers know, is fiction's ability to develop not only our own identities (as we relate to familiar characters and experiences) but its ability to highlight the value of our differences. It teaches us to appreciate diverse people and experiences, and overall, fosters our emotional growth as members of our shared world.