'Harry Potter' Can Make Readers Less Racist

Most people who have read the "Harry Potter" series - minus those that called for the book to be banned, of course - know that there are a lot of good life lessons wrapped up in all those pages.

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology is now saying that J.K. Rowling might be imparting more wisdom and temperance than we realize within her words. In fact, reading "Harry Potter" may give one a more positive attitude toward minorities.

The study involved 34 Italian 5th graders, who evaluated their feelings toward immigrants. They then read and discussed the series at length. Once finished, they filled out the same questionaire once more.

Results showed that students who identified with the main character, Harry Potter, showed "improved attitudes" toward minority groups.

A second study involved 117 high school students. Researchers surveyed to find which character the students personally identified with more - Harry or Voldemort - and their personal views on homosexuals. The study showed that the more "Harry Potter" a student had read, the more tolerant they were toward gay people. We'll go ahead and call the students who identify with Voldemort a straight-up lost cause.

Researchers noted that "Reading the novels can potentially tackle actual prejudice reduction."

Unfortunately, as the nonprofit Common Sense Media notes, half of the 17-year-olds they surveyed read for pleasure only once or twice a year, if at all. Should students at a young age start reading "Harry Potter" in their classrooms, in addition to their usual dry reading list?

What do you think?

Rowling, who lost her "billionaire" status by giving away so much of her income to charities, would be proud.