YES: We can read hard things — if we put away the phones and try.

People are reading (or, at least, buying) The Odyssey, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster movie. They’re arguing about whether the many-sided Odysseus should be seen as a heroic adventurer, a sword-shocked vet, a crafty killer or a dozen other interpretations. Emily Wilson’s modern translation has sold one million copies, and three other translations are on the top 10 list.

Young Americans can learn to read complex, challenging books, writes Natalie Wexler. Those who do will have an advantage over AI’s cognitive cripples.

What a perfect phrase there at the end.