I think so, absolutely. Consider how some people suggest reading 1984 or Brave New World to understand totalitarian societies, or how people suggest various reading science fiction or fantasy as a way of understanding some issue. What the quote describes is the empathy crowd's version of that.

I don't know that the purpose is promoting understanding of popular political issues, but it definitely seems to me that work of this kind is fashionable to celebrate in literary circles. Take my view with a grain of salt, though--I'm neither fashionable nor in literary circles.

In Mexico we have had a trend of books about drug trafficking for years, which is a very charged political and social issue. I do not think that most of these publications contribute towards understanding the problem, however.