Michael Fischer TU Lecture
By
Carla Sierra
February 9, 2026
Summary
Trinity University professor Michael Fischer’s research on reading and democracy is highlighted by the University of California, Berkeley. His work argues that reading builds the civic skills essential to a healthy democracy.

In a book review published by the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine, the author describes How Books Can Save Democracy, the recent book by Trinity University’s Janet S. Dicke Professor in Public Humanities, Michael Fischer, as “a worthwhile and timely short read for psychiatrists, therapists, and the general public.” 

In the book, Fischer argues that reading literature helps cultivate empathy, moral imagination, and the ability to engage respectfully with differing viewpoints; skills Fischer sees as essential to sustaining a diverse democracy in an era of polarization. Read the full review here.