How Did Harry Change Your Life?

I enjoy every Harry Potter book I read. I read them first, then read them to my children. We enjoy each movie that comes out, waiting to see if it can compare to what we imagined. A wonderful set of stories that I wish would never end!!!

I started reading Harry Potter just to see what all the hype was about. My kids were talking about Harry Potter, and they didn't have any ideas about what the books were about, so, we started reading them together. We've had some fun times reading all of the books so far. I learned that my kids are very smart. I have been amazed that some of the younger ones could follow the plot and remember details from books we read years ago! We can't wait until the next book is released. I think that I've become a bigger Harry Potter fan than my kids through all this!
Missy

I have read the series, but it actually has changed my life more through our children. I did not need to "sell" the idea of reading to our daughters, because they dived into J.K. Rowling. As far as I am concerned she has earned her billion dollars.

I read the first book to see what all the hype was about and I think I read the second one too, but then I lost interest, especially as the books got longer. It's not my cup of tea, but they were creative and got kids reading - which is a good thing! I've seen a few of the movies and enjoyed them, but I'm not good at remembering the details from one movie to the next.

I read the first one. It's alright. I suppose if you haven't read Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, or other older books it probably seems really exceptional. I'm just too old and cynical to get into that though.

A co-worker had read them as they passed thru her family. She told me that if I wanted to start reading again that these books would be a good place to start. I have now read all six and will be waiting my turn when book 7 is released. It has revived my passion for reading. I have re-read the 3 V.C. Andrews books that I read 25 years ago--Flowers in the Attic series. I have now read the entire Flowers series. So, thanx for re-awaken the passion for reading that I once had--at the expense of housework--oh my!!!

Like many, I was a bit cynical when I heard from a friend how great Harry Potter was. If truth be told, my friend has a different idea of what's great than I do typically. My wife and I finally bought a copy of Sorcerer's Stone when it came out in paperback. Around the same time, I was diagnosed with Cancer, and was given 6 months to a year to live by a very uninformed surgeon. My wife read it first while I was in the hospital and loved it, but I had trouble getting through the first few chapters before Harry goes to Hogwarts, so I put the book down. That year we received a hard back copy of Chamber of Secrets for Christmas. I had a lot of time on my hands being on chemo, so I finally picked up Sorcerer's Stone again, got through those early chapters and fell in love with the book. I read Chamber of Secrets and the same thing. Prizoner of Azkaban was already out so I bought and read it. Now I had time to wait... I remember one of my visits to the hospital I said that despite what the doctor said, I wanted to live long enough to find out how Star Wars and Harry Potter end up. It probably wasn't the loftiest of goals, but wanting to find out what becomes of this orphan hero has kept me going for 8 years now. My tumors are still there (although slow growing) and I think I still have a lot of life left, but whenever I have a stressful time, re-reading the books gets my mind off of the everyday trials, and provides the escape I need to make it through. I am excited to know that I'm going to reach my goal of finding out how this story ends. I can hardly wait!!!

My sister is a teacher and my mom was working at a high school library when the first Potter book came out. Both of them said I should read it. I thought the books seemed silly and like nothing I would every enjoy reading, so I resisted picking one up for a long time. I was finally convinced however and then I couldn't put it down! I've read every single one and have had the latest pre-ordered for months now.

I'm a convert. :) A good story is a good story, period.

My twin sister got me into the books. She and many of her friends had read the first couple of books and were standing in lines with Harry Potter t-shirts as I made fun. Then I started watching the movies, but my sister always said I was missing some key pieces of information. So the year that the fifth book was due out I picked them up. I love reading and thought of reading a children's book seemed silly. Boy was I wrong. I loved the stories and wished that my schooling was as interesting as JK writes. I own all the books and greatly awaiting the 7th. I think I have read the series 5 times over. It is my escape from this crazy world to enter the wizarding world.

I've only read the first one - and that because my children asked me to. What I love about the series is that it got so many people reading again!

Reading is my great passion and I'm always trying to encourage nieces, nephews, other relatives and a few strangers (!) to read more. The Harry Potter books did a lot to help my cause and I'm grateful for it.

As my son said when he was very young and we were reading The Chronicles of Narnia, "Reading is just like taking a trip to a place where you've never been before!"

Joanna,

I will miss JK's books. I always looked forward to the next one coming out - and now there won't be any. (Keep this under your hat. I was one of those shameful adults shoving the kids out of the way at the library, so I could have a copy of the newest installment.)

I've always loved reading about Harry, Frodo, - I'm trying to decide who the Star Wars main character is - Darth Vader? I first started writing after a tragic event in my life. It was around the time when Harry first came onto the scene. Looking back, I guess Harry had his tragic event too - so yes, his sharing of his pain helped me through mine.

My character Chessie Bligh is running from the same types of demons as Harry. Snape, the deatheaters, Sauron, Saruman -- all of these horrible characters make our main character stronger, wiser, or vulnerable. They also make the plot far more intense.

Thanks for sharing your question about Harry. Can't wait to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I've already bought my copy.

I first knew about Harry Potter when I saw the first movie. I loved to lose myself inside a magical world where a boy who had nothing, suddenly found he was part of something huge. My husband (then my boyfriend), bought me the paperback collection of the first four books, and I read them all in less than a week. I was hooked! The story developed in such an interesting and captivating way, than I couldn't help reading them again every time a new book was published.
I love my life, but sometimes I just need something to get my mind of the bills, and the errands, and the chores, and how expensive the gas is getting... and Harry has done just that for me. I know as soon as DH comes out, I will not stop reading until I finish it, but I wonder, what will I do after it ends? I can always read them again!

They made my slightly sci-fi nerdy self and my son see a hero that wasn't big, strong or handsome and cool. And they made my other son, total jock party kid read!! and Jeff, I have cancer and I know that God will not let me miss out on Episodes 7,8 &9. (my son reads the books so I will tell you Han and Leia marry and have a son that is a hero, but that is another thread)

I was on the bandwagon before Harry Potter became a hit. My step mom boyught me the book and I fell in love with the series. She didn't start reading until the third or fourth book was out. Now, as a reward system, my mom buys me either the book, the movie, or the soundtrack of the movie for either my good grades or just because she thinks I need a lift.

Thank you Deborah, and best of luck with your cancer!! Actually, I hadn't been thinking about 7, 8 & 9; I just wanted to learn what made Anakin turn, but, as you said, that is for another thread.

I have another related question for all that read this post: What makes the series special to you? I think that it is truly amazing that a book series has been able to captivate both children and adults for a decade. I'm curious to hear the variety out there of what makes Harry Potter appealling to such a wide group of people, and look forward to reading your thoughts...

Deborah I am very sorry for your cancer and hope that God will heal you. When I was about 9 my teacher introduced me to the first Harry Potter book, and immediately I fell in love with the series. J.K. Rowling showed me that you can accomplish your dreams if you just go for them. My dream being a writer. I am also a sci-fi freak. Jeff, if you want to know why Anakin turn was the thought of losing his secret wife Pad'me Amidala. Anakin has premonitions of her dying in childbirth so he turns to the dark side because he is convinced that his newly found powers will save her. But, she dies, and Anakin is lead to believe it was his fault, so, that is why he stayed and turned to the darkside.

When five of the Harry Potter books were out and I had the second week of Christmas vacation on my plate and my college age son's encouragement, I lolled around and read all five in 4 days. What an adventure! Rowling has an engaging narrative style with all the bang for my buck: description, vivid images, plot surprises, fanciful dreams come true, good against evil....wow! and the movies have been pretty slick too.

It started in the summer of 2001. My daughter was going through some difficult times. It was hard for me to watch. She had always been my "Sunshine", my spoiled little Daddy's girl, until the dreaded teen years struck. Actually, I thought everything was fine until one Saturday. She'd had a friend spend the weekend. That morning, I made one of my typically corny jokes; it was the kind she'd always laughed at, except this time, she didn't. Her and her friend just looked at me like I had a full head of chia hair. She rolled her eyes and walked off without saying a word. From then on, our conversations became more stilted, more awkward and difficult, until finally, we barely talked at all. It just about broke my heart.

During that time, she was reading the Harry Potter series and seemed to really enjoy it. I knew about the books, had followed the publicity, but thought "it's a children's book. I'm not going to read that."

At the same time this was all going on, 9/11 happened and I was having a hard time dealing with it. I couldn't get on a plane without a prescription. I had a rough time being in crowds and there was no way I'd even think about public speaking. (Previously I'd done quiet a bit, including a two year stint as house emcee at a comedy club.)

I was sitting in the Detroit airport one day, exceptionally anxious, even with the Ativan I'd taken to help me get on the plane. I needed something to read. Browsing the bookstore, I picked up a copy of Sorcerer's Stone and decided it would be a perfect escapist read for the flight. I was caught from the first page.

When I got home, my daughter saw the book sitting on the table and asked who was reading it. When I told her it was me, her eyes lit up and we spent the next hour in deep discussion about Harry, Dumbledore, and the rest of the characters. It was the longest and best conversation we'd had in months.

From then on, we read the books together as they were released. We traded theories on various aspects of the books, discussing them at length. She'd even call me when it wasn't her weekend to be with me, to pose questions and present some new idea about whatever dilemna was facing Harry at the time. (She called me last night to ask why we've never seen a female centaur. Good question.) When we couldn't talk about anything else, we could talk about Harry. It was incredible. Jo and Harry had given my daughter back to me.

That alone was worth more than I could ever have imagined, but there was more. After I learned about Jo, how she'd gotten a relatively late start as an author, I started to think about my own writing. I'd written a ton of newspaper articles, and what I'd been told were the most entertaining user's guides at Kennedy Space Center, but I'd never taken it any further than that. People often told me "you should write a book" but I never thought seriously of actually doing it. Then, after I learned about Jo's story, I decided to give it a shot.

Three years later, I finished my first novel. It's a typical first attempt. Praised by my wife, sister and friends, panned by agents and publishers, but I did it. I'm working on my second, while trying to decide if I want to continue to pursue traditional publication of the first, or self publish it. (I'll probably self publish, get some practice marketing it, then try my hand at getting an agent/publisher again with the second one.)

So, as I said, I never would have believed it myself, but I can honestly say that Jo Rowling and Harry Potter changed my life. I regained the daughter I thought I'd lost, and found the novelist in me that I didn't know existed.

Thanks Jo.

Reading the series bonded my son and I. He was only six when the first book came out but dove into it! He told me again and again that I needed to read it. I ended up in bed with a sickness and took his advice. I was hooked.

When Chamber of Secrets came out, after my son would go to bed, I'd grab the book and read for a few hours.

We continue to share the books, now that he reads through them faster I wait until he's finished. Not only do we discuss the Harry Potter books, we discuss all sorts of literature.

In elementry school, I was never a big reader and was on computers 24/7. Then one christmas, my parents bought the first two Harry Potter books and gave them to my brother and I. I gave my book to him because I thought it was some stupid children's book (and I was 11) and just a new fad.
He wasn't a big reader, either, but unlike me, he was behind his own grade level, so my mom made him read 1 chapter to her every night. Soon, he was making her stop whatever she was doing for hours to listen to him read the whole book. One day I happened to be in the same room when he was reading and was laughing at one of Fred and George's comical antics. I thought it was so hilarious that I took the book and wouldn't give it back. Ever since, we've fought over who gets to keep the books in their room and he laughs at me for standing in lines at midnight for the next book. (Of course, he's right next to me in line when he's making fun of me.)
In sixth grade my straight-A's went away when I almost flunked language arts because I totally toned out my teacher and sat in the back of the room with my nose pressed in a HP book.
I got the Bookworm of the Year award that year.
I have become hopelessly obsessed and read the books on a regular basis. (I won the fight and the books are now in my room.) And while not obsessed, Harry Potter remains one of the VERY few books that ever caught my brothers imagination. We take turns reading chapters of the newest books until we're finished at 6 o'clock the next morning. It's the only thing that we really agree on any more so when we need to talk we bring up Harry Potter.

Deborah - love your note. Warm wishes and best of luck to you.
Nicholas - I dig your story a lot, too. Love to hear inspirational stories like yours. Excellent stuff.

As for me, I remember sitting down to read the first book while on a family vacation years ago. Started reading in the evening and didn't stop til I finished at 6 AM the next morning. Have been a huge fan ever since.

Working at Borders, my life has changed a lot because of Harry. Each book becomes a bigger and bigger event for Borders, with hundredstof thousands (maybe more!) now coming through our stores to buy the book over the course of one weekend. The planning and preparation starts more than a year in advance, before the book is even officially announced. Every stir, every buzzworthy moment generates activity on our customer front, with the HP train steadily picking up steam until the big weekend explodes onto the scene with midnight parties and hundreds of thousands of happy Borders Harry Potter customers heading home for a long weekend of reading deep into the night.

Is a special time we're part of, a time when the world pauses, for just a moment, to think, talk, and get excited about a book. That's what I'll miss most.

Cheers
Rich


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My first experience was when a friend reccommended them to me. i didnt understand it but after a while i realized what the books were all about. I love them and will continue to read them for years to come. THe final book coming out is exciting yet depressing. I have put so much of myself into this world. Its sad yet i am ready for my questions to be answered.

Harry changed my life by thousands of things. Some of them are that he inspired me to read more and more, because before him, I didn´t read that much, but know I do! Because of Harry, I got to know Hermione, who I admire. When I have a problem, I try to think what Harry or Hermione would do in my place, and they inspire me a lot. Harry also forms a huge part of my life because I have read all the books many times since I was little, and they are like a big memory of my life. Also, I have cried, laughed, etc. while reading the books, because they´re amazing, and they had touched my heart. Every character of this incredible adventure have left me something, and they have formed part of me. Harry has taught me many things that will help me throughout my life. I love Harry, and he´ll be part of me forever!!!!

I work for a company which services the book department at Wal Mart stores, so I was aware of the Harry Potter books and frustrated that they sold so fast since I'm supposed to keep the shelvves filled. It wasn't until Rosie O'Donnell flew JK Rowling to America and interviewed her on her talk show that I decided to read the books myself. Rosie recommended the books so highly that I just had to buy them. FOrtunately for me, the first two were out. I fell in love at first read. I tried and tried to get my youngest sister to read them but she kept telling me she wasn't interested in reading fantasy. (side story, as a child my sister didn't read much at all until I gave her judy Blume's "Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret" She still thanks me for that 30 years later)

Continued from above. . . One day my sister and I were in Lexington, KY shopping when I found Azkaban. I bought it and read the first couple of chapters to her as we drove home. Within minutes she was howling with laughter about Wendelin the Weird and liking to be burned at the stake.
That year, our sister-in-law was in London for New Year's Eve. (1999) We asked her to buy the British releases of the books for us. Later, my priest went to England and brought me Goblet. Then our bishop's wife brought me Order. When Half Blood Prince came out, I bonded with a lady who has now become one of my best friends. We went to Ireland in March, 2006, where she bought a signed copy of Half Blood Prince for me. I was able to buy Potters 4-6 for my sister at another store. I now own three sets of the books -- 2 in American English and one in British English. I have read them all and think you would have to place them side by side and compare them word for word to find any differences.
I was able to get my sister's son addicted, too. He gets car sick and we were going out to run errands. I popped Sorcerer's Stone in the tape player and we didn't hear a peep out of him for hours. When we arrived home, there was a dead silence. Then he asked if we could take it in so he could listen to the rest of the story. He was 6 at the time. He started reading the books and by the time he finished second grade, he was reading on a 8th grade level. He is now 13 and is looking forward to reading Deathly Hallows as much as we are.
My experiences at Wal Mart have been interesting because of the variety of people I've met who are fans. When the last 3 books have come out, I have been required to be at work, to distribute them at 12:01 am. When book 6 came out, the assistant manager on duty was afraid of what the crowd would do. She thinks the books are evil and expected a really nasty riot. I assured her that Potter fans are smart as well as intelligent and there would be no problem. Nevertheless, she surrounded me and the stack of books with the 5 burliest stockmen she could find. The noise level went up a bit as the clock ticked away and people were starting to jump up and down in excitement, but they were very polite and orderly. We had a stack of 480 books and half of them sold in 20 minutes -- they had to have all 24 registers open and running to keep up with the crowd. The fans were very polite and the wildest thing that happened was when one guy took his book, grabbed me in a big hug and danced a little jig before going to pay for his book.
I am a journalist and have always been fascinated with words. JK Rowling keeps me eternally entertained with her names for people and things. For example, the minute I saw Delores Umbridge, I KNEW she'd be horrible! I have collected several books about the books which explain the backgrounds of her many inventive names.
As a Christian, I have followed the discussions of the books from a biblical standpoint and have discussed them many times with a lot of people who have varying opinions. I have also collected books giving those viewpoints. I think the most intelligent way to make assessments from that direction is to read the books and not to read what is said about them until you have.

A close friend bought the book for my then 3rd grader. I thought she was way too young for the book, thanked him politely, and didn't think anything else of it. A few weeks later, I was desparate! Not a book in the house to read. I grabbed Harry Potter. I was totally addicted and had to rush out and buy the 2nd one. Since then, the friend and I have "competed" on who finishes the books first. His kids are 6, mine are 10 & 13---I'm wining! *G* As for my daughter...she read it after I did, we discussed it, and she took an AR (accelerated reading) test on it and made 100!

okay my story
my mom wouldnt let me read them since i was in about fourth grade when they came out and she thought id think that witchcraft was real.then i got into the mindset that is all "stupid witches and wizards" and that id NEVER read harry potter..well as you can tell i broke that promise.years lateri was in need of a book and my mom asked about harry potter i said id guess id try it to see what all the hype was about.i fell in love.i read it as much and as fast as i could..i even got grounded from reading harry potter because i wouldnt do anything else.hahahaha. anyway, harry potter is ahmazing and jk rowling is such a talented author and its written so beautifully that you get so into the story you have no clue whats going on around you.i wish it didnt have to end so soon!!!

I am a total Harry Potter fan, I love everything about the books. I think I was about 19 or 20 when I read the first book. My little cousins had gotten the first couple of books, but they have never been big readers, so they were just sort of floating around their apartment, my older brother (he would have been 26 or 27) was visiting them and picked up Sorcerer's Stone and read that whole thing in a few hours. Knowing that I love to read, he recommended the series to me, I think Azkaban had just come out when I read the first one. Suffice it to say, I was hooked right away. I had Goblet shipped to my dorm since I knew I wouldn't have access to a car when it made it to the stores and instead of studying for my incredibly hard 300 level statistics final, I read it in one day, just as I have every other HP book. I take my cousins to the midnight sales of the books and to the midnight opening movie nights, but I am definitely a bigger fan than them. I own all 6 books in hardcover as well as on cd. I listen to the books on cd on a weekly basis (I have a long drive to work each day, so I loaded them into my ipod). I have the "textbooks", Fantastic Beasts, etc. I have tried all the candy and I buy every magazine I can find on the subject. My cousins find it entertaining to pick out an obsure passage or quote in the book and have me identify who said it, the context, etc. Everyone knows that I am not to be disturded the day the HP books come out because I spend my whole day reading it and will do nothing else. When Half-Blood came out, I even refused to go pick up a pizza because I still had three chapters to go. LOL I don't know how much Harry Potter has changed my life though, other than turning me into an obsessed fan who has wanted Harry and Ginny to get together since Book 1. For everyone that goes into Harry withdrawal while waiting for the books to come out, I recommend reading some of the HP fan fiction, there are some very talented authors out there that contribute. Rock on, HP fans.

I resisted the books at first just because it seemed to good to be true. I hated reading the 'cool' books and then finding them to just be average and boring.

But I started reading them about two years ago. My soon-to-be roommate was watching the first movie and I asked her what it was and told me, "Harry Potter, haven't you seen it?" I said no and she shoved the first book into my hands and told me not to talk to her until I'd read it.

I started it and was skeptical, but by the end, I wanted to read more. I will admit, Rowling is no Tolkien or Lewis, but her story is an excellent and compelling read.

Oh the Harry Potter movement!! I remember my mom bought the first book for me when it first came out because she knew I loved to read. I read it and instantly fell in love with that book, i have waited in lines for hours at the midnight releases for the books, i have six costumes, I have everyone's wands from the movies! I love harry potter and I'll cry when its over. I can't imagine life without it.

I statred reading the Harry Potter books before they were really that famous, before all the movies were made, ect. They are the books that REALLY got me into reading. Without them, I dont know if I would like reading quite as much.

The popularity of the Harry Potter series made me feel ok about indulging in my love of kids' books. My two-year-old daughter is well on her way to learning to read, and she loves Harry Potter--I've read some of the books to her, and though she can't really read them, she loves to carry them around and pretend to read them. The books and the movies have captured her imagination and will help make her a person who loves to read. And, my partner, who doesn't usually like to read fiction, finally caved in to my persuasions and read the books after we had seen the movies. He's hooked now too, and it's nice to be able to discuss books with him; we don't usually read the same things.

In the summer of 1998, I was working in a book store in the children's department. Apart from the normal bookseller duties, my job was also to dress up in the costumes that were sent to us and to run most of the story times.

Growing up, I'd never been a very strong oral reader. I loved theater and acting, and was able to bring some of that to story time. I could hold the attention of most of the group for 20 minutes or so while we read our books and socialized. It was all... utterly fine.

That September, my department manager asked me if I had read this new book that came in. She thrust Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in my hands. It'd been on the shelf for a few days, but I hadn't picked it up yet. On my break, I smuggled it into the break room with me and started giving a read. I shirked my duties for the rest of the day to continue reading and had it done by the end of my shift.

As I was reading, I had one of those "Aha!" moments. I could hear the voices of the characters pouring from the page. Through Rowling's writing, for the first time I can ever remember, the characters had unmistakable voices. And those voices weren't content to sit on the page - they begged to be read aloud.

A few months later (perhaps it was in preparation for the release of Chamber of Secrets), my manager and I decided we wanted to start a Harry Potter Book Club. Each week, I'd read a chapter (or two), prepare a themed snack (did you ever realize how often food is mentioned in that book?), and do an activity.

From the first week, I had whole families coming to listen to me read. Each week, as the crowds grew, so did my confidence and the variety of the voices. I loved to see these people coming together for this shared experience.

It was reading Harry Potter aloud to a group that showed me the path I was meant to have in life. I am now working as an elementary school librarian where I am paid to do what I love: to bring stories to life with my voice. My students will sit for up to 45 minutes at a time doing nothing but happily listening.

so many people have forced family members and friends to pick up the books and then had to pry them from their fingers to get them to do anything else- it's hilarious. Everyone knows not to call, visit, or even try to say anything to me on "Harry Potter Days", and I used to get grounded for not doing any of my chores but just reading all day. It didn't faze me a bit so my parents finally just gave up on trying to do anything with me when a new HP release is coming. The great thing is that now they join me, so it's become a family thing.

When I was in sixth grade, my Aunt bought me Chamber of Secrets, not realising it was the second in the series. By that point they already had the first 4 books out. I tried to read it, but back then I as not big on reading at all. Then, I had to choose a book for my project at the end of that year, and it had to be on I had NEVER read before. So I picked up the book, and since I had seen the movie for Sorcers Stone, I figured I could understand it a little better now. I read it, and fell in love by chapter three. I went back and read Sorcers Stone, and continued on with the rest of the series. I have seen all movies, and gotten all books on the releace date since then. I never thought about it, but now that I do, I have read each book several times. My absolute favoirte being Prisoner of Azkaban, which I have read .. 7 times now, I think. I absolutly love the series, and want the seventh book. Though I cannot believe that it is the final, last book, ever written, about Harry Potter. Though I think, generations to come will also love this series. I am a Junior in high school now, so for five years, I have been in love with Harry Potter, and it has definatly been a big part of my life. =D

I read the first harry potter book a few years back. I was smaller then, so i just thought, cool. Then, i got older, and reread it. i needed more harry potter books.
then for easter i got the order of the phoenix and finished it in 12 days. I read book six as fast as humanely possible with school and homework.
then, i sped through the exciting moments of book four and book 2. The prisoner of azkaban, when i finished it, had a dance and celebration. now, i am reading through the series picking up those tiny but large hints jkrowling adds in there and i am predicting the out come of deathly hallow.
jk rowling made me a person who loved to read, write, and both my grades in those subjects went up

Harry Potter is the probably THE best thing tht has happened to me in my life...i have to read harry potter for 2 hrs every night, or i cant sleep...its just...MY LIFE...its changed my perspective about the world...changed my personality...im a decent writer myself but as samantha s said.... my grades in reading and writing went way up...Harry Potter is kinda like my religion i read it instead of the bible...it IS my bible!

Initially, I was wary. A few months after the release of "Goblet of Fire" is when I was officially introduced by my Dad, but the sheer volume of hype surrounding the series made me a little gunshy. But, Dad has the audiobooks, and while visiting relatives in Arizona, he played the first five chapters for me. Then, it was pretty well official. I was sucked in.

When I got home, I hit the bookstore and snagged the first four books in hardcover and devoured them, barely surfacing to take breath of fresh air. My family was gifted shortly thereafter with a set of them to pass around amongst themselves. Now, generally, I only reread a book if I haven't read it for a number of years, but these books proudly stand as the exceptions. My Gram, who usually loathes anything that can be catagorized as "fantasy" also devoured them whole, and they have since become a family favorite. She doesn't needle me so much anymore about my tastes in literature, and I find I'm able to even lend her books out of my library she never would have touched before Potter came along. A literary gateway drug, if you will, and for that, I'm glad. She's discovered some of the core reasons of why I like the genre, and for the first time, she's able to understand.

But, there was that long, dry desert of time between the release of "Goblet" and "Phoenix," and through that time, found myself, as many other fans were, speculating on where the plot could go, drooling at the upcoming release of the first movie, and I discovering quite by accident that I had unwittingly collected a large portion of Alan Rickman's filmography on DVD. No terrible thing, that. The man's a true artist.

But, in examining the various characters in the Harry Potter series, and how I personally relate to them (or utterly fail to, in some cases), I discovered some things about myself I hadn't realized on a conscious level, and I began to understand the importance of certain friends, events and interests in my life, as well as the ramifications of what I would likely have become were it not for these things. As it turns out, I was fortunate, and they had come along just in the nick of time. Held before me was a mirror, unflinching, and I found, for the first time, I was able to gaze back into it with steady eyes. Succinctly, Severus Snape got me out of therapy much earlier than I would have, without. I rediscovered things within myself I'd been denying from shame, and found there was really no shame in them in the first place. I was finally able to see the lies I'd been told for what they were. From this self-examination, I was able to shed the nonsense and dross of 15 years. My therapist could do little but sit back and watch. It was about the only use she'd ever really been to me. I reclaimed my essence, and found strength in it. I've sharpened my machete, and I've been cleaving my own path through the jungle ever since, because that, in part, is what I'm here for.

I also find inspiration in Rowling herself. She started out desperately poor and struggling. "Philosopher's Stone" was the first book she had ever published, and now, she lives in a Scottish castle. If she can do it, so can I.

My son and I read all the books a couple of times, when the movies started to come out, I would keep him home from school and just him and I would go to the movies. I have 3 kids, he's the oldest so the books gave us something to talk and debate about and the movies gave us some quality time alone. this he though he's too old to want to spend time with dear old mom, but I still have the memories. 'sigh'

The Harry Potter really got me reading. At first when I was in middle school I thought of reading books as a chore, but after reading the Harry Potter and Alex Rider books I got to really like reading. It was fun for once. Ever since then I have almost always been reading some book and been excited to read another right after it. Although I'm not the kind of person thats going to wait it line at midnight for the final instalment, I really like and enjoy these books.

Well, I was first exposed to Harry Potter in high school. My twelfth grade English teacher, Ms. Lorbach was an avid fan of anything witchy...she always told us if we read HP we'd get extra credit for any of the books we read. I never did it(didn't need xtra credit, I sorta wish I did need it 'cuz I would have read the books a lot sooner. Anyways...a few years later, my little sister wanted to go see CoS the movie for her birthday. I took her and fell in love. I immediately borrowed her copies of everything (SS-GOF) and read like wildfire....Then I started going to the midnight releases, etc.. for OOTP and HBP, now I can't wait for DH..... I was always an avid reader, but Harry changed me in that now, I like fantasy, a genre I never really got into before. It introduced me to classics like Lord of the rings and Chronicles of Narnia...but I still think P is the best book(series) I have ever read!!

The first time I read Harry Potter, I was in fifth grade. Our class had to read it before the first movie came out. When it took a month to get through half of the book and there was only 2 weeks left before the movie came out, I decided to read it on my own. I was very surprised that I finished the rest of the book in less than 2 hours. I read the book again afterwards, and it only took me less than 5 hours. Afterwards, I was determined to read the rest of the books. I would not settle for borrowing a book from a library, I had to buy it so that I could be a proud owner of the series. It took me a couple months to buy the second one, but once I received it, I read it all night, and it only took me 3 hours. After another few months, I bought the third book, took me 2 days, because I was older and did not have the passion for reading as much as I did when I was younger. I was so happy to have finished the forth book in less than 7 days. After that, I had regained my passion for Harry Potter books as well as books that are series of several books. Harry Potter is the reason why I enjoy enlarged books about adventures and full of intelligence. After the fifth book, I actually counted the days to when the sixth book would come out. To sum it all up, Harry Potter is the first book that I actually grew appreciation for, and grew appreciation for other great works of literature.

Until the first Harry Potter movie came out I sadly did not know what it was. Once I watched the movie I immedently went out searching for the books, They had made my school life much easier. It gave me new thoughts and hope thinking that dispite you age you can do great things. Harry potter had made my life much happier and I would like to thank Ms. Rowling for her outstanding series and wish her well.

I once had vowed never to read the Harry Potter books. Everyone said that I looked like what they thought he should look like. I took it as a conspiracy and avoided the books. When the forth book came out I had finaly been pressured so much into reading them that I did. I didn't stop reading the books for several days and I finished the books faster than people I knew who had been reading them before I even started. I am now one of the biggest fanatics in my town I know all the details about Harry Potter. I am the Go to guy in my town for Harry Potter Info.

See my dad and brothers were both reading it and I was young when the movies came out and I have kinda grown with the movies....and I can relate to the emmotions and some of the tragedies they face!
And so I really enjoyed reading the books and growing up with them!
Its really nice!!
I remember the night the 5th book came out we stood in line and were lucky enough to be in the front of the line! and when the 6th book came out we were near the middle of the line...but on the way home we ran out of gas and had to walk...lol
and 4 the 4th movie when we went to thearte we were in the front of the line...and the kids behind us asked me if I wanted to play cards so I made new friends and had fun that night!! :)
but he has not only changed my life in that way but emmotionally and my thoughts on life!!

For me Harry has been part of my life, a friend, even a crush. I started reading the books when I was 12 and I was fascinated, I had long conversations with my friends discussing the books too. Sometimes we stopped talking and we said "we are talking about Harry Potter and his world like if is real", then my mother started reading them too and sometimes at dinner or watching T.V. the theme came out and we discussed about it for a long time. I remember when she was reading the 6th book ( I have read it) and she said "Sheila come here" almost screaming and I thoought "what happens now", then she said " But... I used to like Snape, how can he did that....Dumbledore is not dead right?" and I had to answer yes.

Now I am 17 years old (18 in August starting my second year of college in August too) and for me Harry Potter and his world has become part of my life and. I can say that most of our intelligent conversations has came because of a theme of Harry Potter haha.

(sorry if I had some mistakes but my first language is Spanish ;) )

My story is a little weird. Sadly, I have never heard of Harry Potter until the first movie came out. I saw the trailer and decided I wanted to see it, not knowing it was inspired on a book. I wasn't a book lover then. I went to see it with my family and I absolutely loved the movie. One day, I was in Borders and saw a table in the children's book area with all things Harry Potter. I saw that they had book 1, 3 and 4 in Spanish (I'm from Puerto Rico). I wanted book 2, thinking that since I'd seen the movie it was unnecessary to read #1. But since it wasn't, my parents decided to buy book 4 for me and book 3 for my brother. So the first book I read was number #4.

For someone who had never read a book willingly, I read the book very fast. Even if I was a little lost, I was taken in by the book. After I read #4, I read book #3, which for sometime was my favorite book of the series. Then, I got CoS as a present. My cousins were at the time reading the books too. They wanted me to read Sorcerer's Stone, but they had it in English and I totally refused. But after that, I gave in. I read book #1 and loved it too.

But then I was struck with the news that it would take a while until book #5 came out in Spanish. I decided I was not going to wait and read it as soon as it came out in English. It turned out that Harry Potter was the bridge to having a closer relationship with my cousins. It's one of the very few things we have in common, but we discuss it with a passion that can only be seen when talking about Potter.
My mother has read books #4 to #6, but she decides to wait for them in Spanish, since she won't really understand them in English.

Now, I have 3 Potter books in Spanish reduced to pieces for the many times I've read them (more than 5 times each) and the last two (since they're hard cover they're good as new) surviving. I had book 5 and 6 in English so one carazy day I went and bought the first four on paperback. I am currently readong CoS, hoping I'll finish them all by the 21st. I think I can, since I reread 5 and 6 before buying the other four.

I can't wait to see the movie, to see if it will be a deception for me or not. It happened with movie 3. But I won't complain since this is like the best summer I've ever had. I remember that when book 6 came out I was in Disney World and I told my mother that when I got back I wanted to see the book on my bed. I did.

So right now, I made my boyfriend read book 6 and he is enjoying it, I'm waiting to see when I'm going to the movies and whether or not I will be able to go to the Midnight Party.

I see Potter as part of my childhood. I will be starting college on August, and with the final part of the series I see the end of my childhood.
I have grown up with him, I've seen its ups and downs. I've almost cried with deaths I did not expect, and laughed at the many jokes.

I really thank Mrs. Rowling for getting me to read. I have read many books, in Spanish as well as English. I'm pleased to say that reading made me do better in school and on my life too. I hope that Potter will inspire future generations as it did to me.

Harry has brought my children & I closer together. They are now 17, 3 & 5. When the 1st book came out, my eldest was just starting to spread her wings and do that "teenage thing" She read it first and asked me to give it a try. That first book helped to bridge the gap between us. We still have our "times" but can always come back to the Harry series to talk and even use it as a metaphor when trying to relate an issue to each other. It works with my 13 year old too. My 5 year old knows only the movies but really enjoys them and you can see the little wheels turing as he tries to figure out the plot, subplots. The book releases and movie openings have become "events" in our home and on cold, yucky or rainy days, we will hold a Harry Potter film festival and order pizza. The quality time we spend together, whether reading or watching, and the subsequent discussions *we always find something new to talk about, no matter how many times you experience it* have helped us to be able to "connect" with each other.

Before I read Harry Potter I use to hate to read, being in school didn't help. After I read the first book I started to read more and more and started to get better grades in school. I now can read at a much higher grade then most in my class. The books and the movies have brought me and my mom closer and we go to the movies together to see the movies, and I have made more friends.

I first read the H.P. books right before the release of POA. I had resisted them because they were childrens books, but I was a gymnastics teacher and was around tons of kids all day long. So many of my students were going crazy over H.P. and one of my favorite students actually gave me the first one as a gift. I read that book that night and bought the CoS the next day! Bravo to J.K. for inspiring millions of non readers. My six year old is finally reading SS with my husband and although she loves to read, she is really seeing the differences between how much the movies are forced to cut from the stories and how much more you get from a book than can be told in an actors facial expression. I rarely go see a movie or a play without first reading the book it may have been based on because my first love has always been reading, but to see how much more my daughter is getting out of the book is so exciting!! J.K. and H.P. will be passed into future generations along with Tolkien and Lewis. FYI another excellent series is the 'Ender's Series' by Orson Scott Card. Our oldest daughter is named after Enders older sister Valentine.
This series is more sci fi than fantasy though the first one is not TOO Sci Fi and is really not at all far fetched. So for those of you who think you will miss H.P. try a new genre and you will discover a new world!

To be honest, I did not know what to think of Harry Potter when the 1st book came out and it was not until I read the books did I fully understand why all the hype.

Harry Potter is someone that anyone can relate to in regards to finding out who he is as, his place in the world, discovering his potential, finding out the true meaning of what friendship is, etc. Maybe very few have been in the situation like Harry where bad things always seem to happen to him, but he has given people the hope and faith that one person can make a difference and overcome the obstacles that are contantly put in his path. As his adventures continues, you see someone who is discovering and struggling to some extent of becoming something he was destined to be . . . . a great wizard.

Harry allows us all to escape to a fantasy world and gets us all involved in the mystery that is his life. In a way, he has everyone believing, interacting with each other about what has happened and what his future holds and bringing people together from all around the world .

Harry Potter is a positive role model.

I think that the main reason tha the Harry Potter books are so universal is the way Rowling twists simplicity with complex. The first book is simple in the way that it reminds all of us how easy it is to escape real life for a short time into a different world. But with each book she twists the simplicity and brings us closer and closer to the "real world" as the characters grow both in age and in emotional maturity. The underlying themes that teach moral character and hopefully remind us of mistakes made in our own history (Pure Bloods and the WWII Nazis,etc) are written on levels for bothadults and children and give perfect segues for parents who do read with their children. Even with all that she also has one of the most creative minds I;ve ever read. Her writing delights me every time I pickit up.

I grew up with these books, and began reading them long before the movies came out. I fell in love from the first page. Now I am to be a high school senior, the same age as Harry, and awaiting the poignant day that will bring the end of the series. As wonderful as it will be to have the final installment, I know I will drag it out as long as possible, knowing it is the last time i will read a Harry Potter book unaware of what will happen next. J.K. Rowling's writing has also grown with the books, becoming more advanced for its audience. I don't think anything has inspired me quite the way Harry Potter has, intensifying my thirst for adventure and desire to become a writer. No other book has taken me away as these have, pulling me out of ordinary life and into a facinating world where anything is possible; a world of dragons and hippogriffs, hope and hatred, good and evil, war and peace, and the incredibly powerful magic that exists even in the most desolate places of the muggle world: love.

I am a huge HP fan and was delighted to find some many other HP fans on here I have only just joined Gather so I have not read what you have all written about HP yet but I will in timeand look forward to doing so. I am Veronica a 67 yr old disabled house housewife from Grimsby in Lincolnshire UK. Looking forward to going at midnight to by the last book.

One of my friends bought me Sorcerer's Stone for christmas in 2000. I had heard about the books and wanted to know what was so fabulous about them. After I finished it, I quickly ordered the other three and was instantly swept away. Here we are, less than a week away from the seventh book's release, and I can't begin to describe how these books have changed me. I never really had that one fixation, that one obsession as a kid. I liked alot of different things, I was very scattered. The HP books turned me into a fangirl, a total geek, a Potter Otaku. They've improved my sewing and writing skills in ways I can't believe! *lol* They've spawned so many websites and communities and all kinds of nonsense, and, I don't know, I love the feeling that I belong to this huge, crazy-awesome community of bookworms that could, given the motivation, rise up and take over the world at any given point. *lol* That's how strong this fanbase is! Anywho... When anyone praises my costuming skills and my imagination and my writing skills, I always give props to Potter. I've managed to get ALL of my friends hooked on the books, and any one of us has been known to drop a Potter reference at the drop of a hat. Seriously, we can relate almost everything that happens in life to a HP passage. I always feel deliciously geektastic when I catch a Potter reference on TV or in a magazine or some such. Last week's Doctor Who? Yeah, I fell off the sofa laughing when Martha shouted "Expelliarmus!" to help Shakespeare banish the witches. Beautiful. Anyway... I've spent so much time and energy and money on books and costumes and movies and all that geekery over the years, and if you were to ask me if I'd go back and do it again, I'd gank that timeturner with the quickness with a "Hecks yeah!" ^_^

I first read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (out of order, I know!) at my cousin's house. He hated HP, and let me have it since I enjoyed it (as well as the 1st one).
The next year, I had ear surgery. When I woke up, my aunt had brought me book 3, which had come out a few days earlier.
In the fifth grade, I became something of a legend in my school for reading "Goblet of Fire" in under three days.
Between books 4 and 5, I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.
I was very excited when 5 finally came out- I reread all four books before buying OOTP.
Book six was bought purely on accident (I was supposed to get it for Christmas). When my aunt and uncle went shopping, and both of them picked up "Prince" without realizing the other one got one- So my uncle gave me his copy.
"The Deathly Hallows" is going to be the only time I will be able to go to a Potter convention at Borders, so I can't wait!

I started reading the books in first grade. When everyone else was reading picture books, I was thumbing through my trusty 2 inch thick Harry Potter (1) book sitting on my lap. It disappointed me that nobody my age read it, so my mom began to read it, then my dad, then my grandpa, then all my grandmas! I don't think I was ever so close with my relatives.
8 grades and 7 books later, we can still be close. Although I generally maintain my distance from my dad's clingy and stingy relatives, I will occasionally join in on a bouncing, excited group-squeal/hug (really hard to explain, but all you hardcore fans know what I'm talking about). We can still come together for one last year at Hogwarts.
(me and my mom even have a running bet: If Dumbledore doesn't come back--in the flesh--I get $20 and I get to keep the new book in my room)

Like many other aspiring author, Rowling's success spurred me to ask, "If an unknown mother with no previous published work can do it then so can I." My result was Arnie Carver and the Plague of Demeverde. I am sure that many others have been prompted by her in the same way. If I were to sell a percent of her volume, I would be happy as a clam.

Where to start?

I discovered Harry in 5th grade, but was very reluctant o read. I was against conforming to what everyone else was reading, but Harry's spell was cast and six months later, I was groping for everything potter. I chose a good time too, because book five was about to come out, and excitement levels were high. At the time of book six, I was in the country of Jordan, scared that i wouldn't be able to get a copy until i got back to the states...but a little shopping disproved this and it sparked an epiphany in me..Harry potter was universal! It wasn't just my passion, it took a thousand forms, across different languages, cultures, and part of the world. It was truly spectacular seeing Jordanian kids with Harry potter in their hands!

Ah, but then that realization of the end comes, and all those little quivers of excitement run through me. Can this really be the end of such a wonderful global connection? I think not, after all, the spell has been cast...

I started reading the Harry Potter series three summers ago, as I faced the difficult transition between homeschooling 3rd-8th grade and then heading off to public high school as a 9th grader. I had always wondered at the Potter books, having seen hundreds of articles and having heard snippets of Potterspeak before, but I hadn't been allowed to read them because of slanderous comments my mother's homeschooling 'friends' had made to her characterizing the books as 'devil-worshipping'. It amazes me now that anyone could say something so preposterous, so baseless, and so amazingly...stupid, but, at the time, I had no friends and didn't know anyone who had read the books, so I had to settle for such awful secondhand misinformation. Or, I thought I did. That summer, three years ago, my cool aunt (I hope everyone is so lucky as to have one magical relative who is daring enough to question conventionality) came in and brought the first book to my house. She disabused my mother of her faulty notions, and, within 72 hours, Pottermania swept my entire household. My mother bought the first four books, available in paperback, withing those three critical days, and shelled out $20 for the Order of the Phoenix, available then only in hardcover, within a week.

I read the first four books in four-and-a-half days flat, just before I began summer school to aquire a world geography credit hour my peers had gained in public 8th grade. It could not have been a better transition. I started the Sorcerer's Stone just like Harry: friendless, alone, afraid for my life around others my age (I'd never really met any genuine teenagers and therefore believed the stupid projections of absolute shallowness and cruelty projected by genre shows and magazine articles written by older people who'd been as close to real teenagers as I had), and I ended the series with hope that I could be like him and find school to be a place filled with friendship and acceptance, if only from two marvelous friends. I'm an upcoming senior now, and, while I still don't quite fit in or have any really close friends, I have kept the hope I gained from reading about Harry's struggles with growing up and then discovering his special destiny, and I still love to escape into the fantasy world where, no matter what, I feel as though Harry will always win. While no one else in school is into the books in quite the way I am, it has helped me start plenty of conversations, and I can escape into the far-flung world of true fans online. I can't wait to see where this series ends, what the Deathly Hallows will be, and to find out what I've wanted to know for so long: What happens to Harry Potter? Will he kill Voldemort and still survive? It's been two years since the Half Blood Prince, three years since I started reading, and I keep wondering. It will be great to finally have the answer to everything I've been questioning all along, but, at the same time, I know that nothing will equal the magic that I first met, when I felt that I could be exactly like Harry and find my own destiny waiting, like an owl from Hogwarts, at the end of summer on the first day of school.

When I first heard about Harry Potter, I thought the whole idea was really stupid and I had no desire to read it. Though I was kinda young at the time and I hated anything to do w/ reading and I tried to avoid it as much as I could. Well, my sister had decided to read the books after one of her friends had said how great they were. She asked if I would like to listen to her read. I agreed mostly because I wanted to be around her and she was getting more busy seeing as she was a lot older than me (11 years). As soon as the 1st chapter was over I was hooked and I longed for the next time she would read to me. The part that I remember best from my sister reading was the part about Firenze from the 1st book.

Well, when my sister finished reading the 1st book to me I decided to try and takle the rest on my own. I was only in 3ed grade. I finished the books that were out at the time in less than two months. (the 1st four). My friends were all pretty envious because they didn't understand how I could devour the books so quickly. As soon as I started to read the Harry Potter books on my own I wanted to read all the time. I couldn't get enough of it. I now loved to go to the libarary and book stores.

Hermione was a very big role model to me. She was something I wanted to be. Smart, top of her class. So I decided to do what it took to get there. I worked hard to get better grades. (I now have straight A's). I hope to be the Valedictorian. Before I knew about Hermione I didn't care about my grades, though I was a good student, I just didn't care if the grades were good or not. Now I get mad if I have an A-!

When I read the books, I wished that I could be apart of this wonderful world Rowling had created. I actually thought that on my 11th birthday I would get a letter from Hogwarts too, because the books seemed so real to me. I actually made myself a letter and put it in my mailbox, though I wanted it so much I smudeged a bit on the age, I was only 8 years old. I sometimes made the boy I used to play w/, play Harry Potter w/ me. We would get some Chop sticks and pretend they were wands and I would put on my Harry Potter robes. It was all pretty funny.

For many years I dressed up like Hermione for Halloween. I always had alot of fun as the girl who knew it all. I never wanted to be anything else. But as I grew up I started wanting to be other things. Though Hermione was always very dear to my heart when it came to costumes.

I didn't have that much confidence in myself last year and I would read the Harry Potter books for comfort. I felt as though Harry, Ron, and Hermione were my only friends and so I read about them to feel closer to them. I hated to finish a book because then I would be closing the book and feeling that hallow feeling like you had just lost something really special. Then I would think but there is another book to start, so then I would get into that one.

Without the Harry Potter books I don't know what I would be like today. Probably the girl sitting in the back of the room who never did her homework and was always getting D's. The person that never knew any of the answers to the questions the teacher asked. I am so thankful that I was introduced to the HP books because I love learning now and I don't know what it would have been like if I'd never descovered that.

Wow! Breezy, as a teacher, your little testimonial just warmed the cockles of my heart (wherever they may be!).

Well, when I started to read your little essays (yes, I read them all), I thought I would never find one that related to my experience. But I think it was H.L. who was home-schooled and not allowed to read the books because they "promoted devil worship" who came closest. I was a teacher of reading in junior high school when I first heard of Harry Potter. Everyone was saying what an evil book it was, and how it was really too bad that kids who didn't like to read before were now reading Harry! I never take other people's word for things like that (but no, I'm not going to try pot, or jumping from a building)--speaking of which, Dr. Spock's Book of Baby and Child Care, and Pollyanna are books I read in spite of others' comments, and I'm glad I did!

Anyway, I bought Harry Potter just to see if I should recommend it to my students or jump on the "ban Potter" bandwagon. I fell in love with the very first book, decided the folks who hated it probably hadn't read it, and I eagerly awaited each new installment, just like the rest of you. Far from being an evil book, the stories promote so many good qualities I can't begin to name them all. However, I do worry about the writer who called the books "my Bible"-- to me, that goes a bit far! And I have to say, again as a teacher, that the characters' tendency to break school rules sometimes gives me pause. After all, Harry, you really could have talked to Dumbledore, even to McGonagall some of those times!

As for Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, I have read (repeatedly) their books and thoroughly enjoyed them, but Harry and friends have a special place in my heart because of the light touch Jo puts into her books. The only Lewis book that ever had me laughing out loud (as I often do while reading Harry) was The Screwtape Letters.

OK, can't resist it--dear younger readers, please find the little essay written by Ravennin for some really first class writing! At first, I thought my oldest son had written it (he majored in English and music), but some of the information was not applicable to him. Your opinions will be taken more seriously if you take the time to spell and capitalize properly (oops! that did sound a bit too teacherish!) Hey, guess what I'm teaching now--high school math! Well, please forgive me--after all, they still feed me, guess they still need me, now I'm 64! But I'll truly miss Harry and friends (three readings of each book is probably going to be enough for me).

As a comfirm book worm and a Tolken addict, I have read all of his books at least sixty times. I was baby sitting my two neces and my nephew. THe oldest girl Megan and her brother Chris was always fighting over nothing. One sunday they were over and Megan who never pick up a book unless she had to was toatally into a book sitting on the couch. I asked Laura the youngest girl what was with the book. She told me "It is Harry Potter." That week I went to the library and took out Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone. I stay up all night and read it from cover to cover. Ended up hooked. Told both of my nieces I would buy them the books if they read each one. Tomorrow night we are going the last Harry Potter
party at Boarders. It has brought my nieces and I really close It will be really sad to say goodbye to Harry and Hogwarts.

Harry Potter is not a children's book, any more than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. In many ways it is a traditional hero tale, but it is more than that. JKR develops her characters in fine detail, using their development to explore every theme pertinent to the human condition.

LIFE AND DEATH: We not only get to explore the meaning of life and the meaning of death, but also the moral implications of the age-old quest for eternal life, and the distinction between life and soul. We must ask ourselves what, if anything, is worth dying for, and furthermore, why. And then, most especially in DH, we must turn around and ask ourselves what, if anything, is worth living for. And again, why.

GOOD AND EVIL: JKR's characters are so real to us and so dear to our hearts because they exhibit so many shades of gray. Their very complexity gives them dimension, as the complexity of many values of light and dark lend the illusion of depth to a painting. The HP fan world in such a tizzy over Severus Snape not only because of the mystery of the Great Debate, but also because of the magnificent complexity built up in that character. In DH, Albus Dumbledore finally gets built out into enough intricacy and depth to inspire affection to go with the admiration readers hitherto experienced.

DETERMINISM AND FREE WILL: If we are the result of our own choices, then what is the role of prophesy and divination? And faced with similar circumstances of birth, such as being half-blood, being raised among cruel or at least negligent muggles, being outcast as different, and finding our one true home at school, what inner bit motivates our choices from then on? At least one virtuous Gryffindor descends from a long line of vicious Slytherins, indicating that our genes do not direct our choices, yet we cannot ignore how the purest of heart descends from Gryffindor while the basest of evil descends from Slytherin.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN: Lord V is presented as both more than human and less. He is the flattest of all JKR's characters, the least penetrable, in short, the least human. Even in memories of his childhood, it's hard to find anything good to embrace. In DH, Lord V is given a chance for redemption. And, sorry if this is a spoiler, but the ultimate sacrifice, in contrast to the Christian mythos, comes from being entirely human.

Let me close by thanking Ravennin for her beautiful writing and her moving contributions to a number of HP discussions. I have Ravennin down as one of my Gather people, because she always has something profound to say, deep from the heart.

It was a very depressing point in my life when my mom handed me book 1 and basically told me to read it, promising I'd like it. (It was just after book 5 came out. So luckily, there's only been two books I've truly had to wait in line for at midnight. Though, both times have been great experiences and great fun!) So what did I do? I read, and I didn't stop until I finished Order of the Phoenix. I was wrapped by the first few chapters of Sorcerer's Stone. It was a huge escape for me, and I fell in love with so many of the wonderful characters in the series. The series really did help with my happiness, but most of all it helped me realize just how much I love reading! I was never much of a reader until I read the Harry Potter series. It seems that now I'm always reading something, whatever it is.

My most memorable, yet horrible, moment is when Dumbledore was murdered. It was awful for me because Harry is my favorite character and I knew just how much he cared for him and what he was feeling. Dumbledore is another favorite character of mine along with Ron. I couldn't choose who I like more between the two.

*I've read the final book. It's an emotional roller coaster. I'll leave it at that for now.

Robin, may I have permission to copy the wonderful summary you wrote on the various themes in the HP series? I just stumbled into a "I Hate Harry" website, and touched on just one of those themes in my email to the author of the site, but you said it all, and much more beautifully than I ever could.
I found the seventh book to be very satisfying, although as Lindsay says, its "an emotional roller coaster." From tears to laughter, anger and frustration to resolution and relief!
One wee question (I may have missed the answer in my readings of the previous books)--anyone know how the wizarding world learns of magical children of Muggles? The don't have the Trace on them until they're eleven years old, right?

*blush* I would dearly like to thank Robin and Lo for their kind words. Writing has always been a joy to me, and, like any aspiring author, such praise as this is a wonderous elixir!

I also found the final book the emotional rollercoaster as it's oft been described, and I do feel a bit wistful now at the close of the series, but when I have lived such a piece of my life as I have traisping across those magical lands, as I travel through those imaginitive pages, I always find a bit of myself remains there. I am heartened, however, to hear that our beloved Jo will indeed continue to write. Perhaps other lands, the stories of other heros, antiheroes and villains, but at least she will be continuing to share her marvelous gift. I believe the world to be richer for her.