Scots author J. K. Rowling announced last week that she had completed the seventh and final book of her wildly popular Harry Potter series, and that the book would be published on July 21st. Needless to say, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shot almost immediately to the #1 position on Amazon.com as a result of pre-publication orders.
Why are these stories so popular with readers of all ages? I think there are several reasons. First of all, they're spectacularly well-written; Ms Rowling's use of the language recalls the brilliance of Charles Dickens. The major characters - Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and the evil Draco Malfoy - are all characters to whom we can relate (who hasn't lived through the high-school agonies of studies, young love, tense relationships with friends, and problems with bullies that plague Harry Potter?). In addition, the stories are masterfully plotted; although they are complex and contain numerous running subplots, everything moves ahead and holds our interest...we keep turning the pages.
These are great stories for both adults and children, although one must admit that as the series develops the plot gets darker and less suitable for the youngest readers; indeed, the last half of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has moments of sheer horror that equal anything ever written by Stephen King. But the glorious beauty of Ms Rowling's writing, her masterful manipulation of the language and delightful use of plot and imagery, make the Harry Potter stories not just marvelous entertainment for all readers, but good examples of the finest in modern written English.
Sadly though, there are some die-hard religious conservatives in America that would keep these wonderful books out of school libraries and away from young readers. These persons believe the books are "satanic" because they "celebrate" witchcraft rather than belief in God. These modern-day Puritans recall, on a somewhat smaller scale, the most severe religious excesses of the ultra-conservative Wahabis of Islam, who would strip life of joy and happiness in the expectation of some imagined future paradise. They don't appreciate the stories for their value as entertainment, they hate them for their exploration of themes with which they don't agree.
Don't let such persons do your thinking for you. If you've not read the Harry Potter stories, read them now. Read them for their plots, their glorious attention to detail, the masterful use of the language, and their wonderful depiction of characters to whom we can all relate.
Go, Harry! You can find me in my local bookstore on July 21st...and after that, don't bother me for about a week - I'll be busy!
Have a good day. Read something that other people don't want you to read.
More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
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