Shall I share with you all a skeleton key to genius? Read, read, read. Immerse yourselves in coming-of-age novels like The Catcher in the Rye, and pray that its' main character, Holden Caulfield, can in fact save innocence; delve into the war-torn Afghanistan in the Kite Runner, and root for Amir, the protagonist, on his quest for redemption, his search "to be good again"; dab at your tears of joy, Austen fans, as the women heroine in her novels triumph over their respective obstacles and realize great profundities, seep in their strengths and you too will feel empowered; fall madly in love with Edward Cullen, fictional but lovely, in Twilight; cast a spell, exercise the highest standards of courage and wit and love in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter; contemplate the relationship between religion and science, and follow the trail of an ancient cult in Angels and Demons; applaud Greg Mortenson and his philanthropic endeavors, all of which are cataloged in his autobiographical Three Cups of Tea. Books explore every avenue of interest, of passion and adventure and mystery and magic and yes, reality. They offer us page after page of insight and experience, or they can serve as pure entertainment--but no matter which volume you pick up, no matter who's story you chose to follow or in what terrific way you yourself manage to relate to the book--you're reading, you're neurons are high on words and passage meanings, your brain is seeping in the characters as they are revealed and in this manner, you learn a lot about yourself. Let me explain! As the numerous characters in any given book are developed, you too grow to either like or despise them--you see in them exemplary qualities or detestable ones, and you..wanting to be the best of yourself, seek to emulate and be inspired by the people in your books who astound you with their vivacity and depth. And to take this thought even further, every author has a purpose in writing, and whether it's to expose social ills or champion the common man, their works help to make you aware of the world around you, and can hopefully give you a little insight as to where you fit into the fray. So is reading beneficial? You bet your library card it is.