[derektank]

Setting aside the unnecessary digs at American TV, you’re kind of missing the point. While the informational content of many books is bad, reading any book is almost inherently an exercise in literacy. A flimsy, conspiracy-laden pop history book will have new vocabulary. A badly written book will challenge the reader to understand a poorly articulated argument or explanation and figure out what they meant to say. Reading Shakespeare is probably inherently a better exercise in literacy (assuming you can actually get through it; a good analogy might be trying to lift heavy with improper form, or pushing yourself too hard and too fast at the gym that you get injured) but it’s not completely necessary.

Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1414/