Last week, a team of European economics professors urged fellow scholars to recognize the scientific value of bestsellers. They analyzed five novels in a paper: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla, and Brick Lane by Monica Ali.

According to the release, researchers from both the University of Manchester and the London School of Economics analyzed the each of the bestsellers as a "Source of Authoritative Knowledge" into poverty and development issues.

The researches singled out each novel in longer paper, but here's a sample: "The Kite Runner, has arguably done more to educate Western readers about the realities of daily life in Afghanistan under the Taliban and thereafter than any government media campaign, advocacy organization report, or social science research." (Via Tomorrow Museum)