The point about developing empathy is a very important one. I also find that good reading, whether it be considered "real" literature or just lighter fiction, has deep characters and gives me an insight into how it is to be that person. Insights that can help me better understand and respect real people who have similarities to some aspect of that. Of course we always need to question, when reading about a person extremely far from our personal experience, how realistically that character is portrayed. Are they a mere stereotype or are their experiences, quirks, whatever accurate for their time period, culture, or whatever else it reflects. I've read some books I found very clearly relied purely on stereotypes, but would I have recognized that without knowledge of the real culture being portrayed stereotypically?