How to be a discerning reader?

Professor Powers' essay "Reading Ethnic Literature Now," reminded me of a comment from a high school journalism professor and prompted a few questions. Powers writes, "the real problem for ethnic literary studies . . . is not the unsympathetic reader who misses cultural references, remains ignorant of cultural contexts, or simply can’t escape his or her cultural prejudices. The biggest problem is the vast and growing sea of non-readers who can’t imagine why reading a book ought to be an important thing to do in the first place." I suppose few would deny the declining trend in reading practices. Readers are rarities these days, it seems. Many people - I'm guilty too, more often than I'd like to admit - consider it laudable to accomplish the reading of anything at all, be it People magazine or a Danielle Steel.

Reminds me of a moment when, after the Harry Potter craze motivated non-readers of all ages to delve into books, my high school journalism teacher found herself fielding questions about the morality of allowing her elementary-aged boys to read the popular series. She responded simply, "This is the first time ever that my child has wanted to read. At all. To me, that's worthwhile."

The morality of Harry and his wizarding habits aside, I wonder if my teacher's logic holds weight. Does it matter what we read, or matter simply that we're reading? In my critical analysis essay I argue that Kolodny offers a more effective method than Emerson for dealing with skepticism of reading: rather than avoid it entirely, read more. Does that logic apply even in these instances? I suppose, in my essay, I assumed that the readers Kolodny imagines are scholars of literature, familiar with the canon and discerning of literary value. They, perhaps, can afford to read more. But what of the less discerning readers? Should they read more, or, in doing so, do they run the risk of 'spoiling' their literary intake? The 'Garbage in, Garbage out' adage.

And, if only discerning readers should increase the variety of literary diet, when does a reader become discerning enough?