How do you think Jason Reynolds's novels might increase empathy in readers?

Great literature can transport us to times and places outside our own existence. As we turn each page, the characters and plots become more and more real to us. This experience of being immersed in a good book is more than entertaining; it also may enhance our real lives as social beings.

A number of scientific investigations support this contention. A review published in 2018 in the Journal Experimental Psychology: General analyzed 14 studies investigating how reading fiction impacted social skills compared to reading nonfiction or not reading at all. Most of the studies compared post-reading performance on standardized tests for parameters such as the ability to sense others’ emotions, judge their beliefs, take others’ perspectives and guess how people would react in different situations.

Great literature can transport us to times and places outside our own existence. As we turn each page, the characters and plots become more and more real to us. This experience of being immersed in a good book is more than entertaining; it also may enhance our real lives as social beings.

A number of scientific investigations support this contention. A review published in 2018 in the Journal Experimental Psychology: General analyzed 14 studies investigating how reading fiction impacted social skills compared to reading nonfiction or not reading at all. Most of the studies compared post-reading performance on standardized tests for parameters such as the ability to sense others’ emotions, judge their beliefs, take others’ perspectives and guess how people would react in different situations.

#1  sara was always tasked with selecting birthday presents for her friends and family because everyone admired her  impeccable taste. 

impeccable (adj): perfect, flawless

#2  they moved to the united states many years ago, but their  insular  attitudes made it difficult for them to socialize. 

insular (adj): isolated; separate

#3  the professor explained the  semantic  relationship between the two nouns used in the sentence. 

semantic (adj): related to words or the meanings of words 

happy to : )