Is Reading Fiction a Waste of Time?

I love reading fiction. When my mom told me that it did not ‘teach me anything’ I was appalled. Fiction taught me many new words and introduced me to new ideas. Even though non-fiction can teach people so many things, it still can be boring from time to time. Fiction is fun, intriguing, and can teach people many new things, even if the person who is reading the story doesn’t know it.
I have learned many things when I read all sorts of fiction stories. When I read a fantasy book such as fairy tales, I learned about the culture of a certain region. When I read action and adventure stories, I can learn about the climate, weather, and characteristics of a certain type of climate region. When I read a story that’s about crime or mystery, I can learn about different things that detectives do and different types of law enforcement.
On the website Everyday Theology, the fact that fiction does not waste your time is emphasized a lot. It talks about how fiction strengthens our imagination, expands our horizons and makes us better writers. Having a great imagination is important because it helps let us create new things and make new ideas possible. Expanding our horizons can help us understand other people and ideas. Being a better writer could help us tell future generations about their past and help others understand what they don’t understand. Mark Twain once said “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures. Both of these quotes tell us about how fiction can teach you more than non-fiction. Fiction taught me many vocabulary words too. In the book Harry Potter, I learned the words indifferent, obscure, revere, and deride. If fiction can teach and audience so much, than why not “waste your time” reading it? It will teach the reader so many new