In Defense of Harry Potter

I didn't have a picture for this post, but I still have a plethora of old photos on the computer thanks to graduation slideshows and poster-boards. I'm thinking this one could tie in to the family aspect of the below post. Maybe? I don't know. 

Warning: I wrote this post up during a two-hour quiet spell (pun intended) at work. It probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense (as if anything I post on the internet does ;) ), but it's something I've been thinking about, so there you go. Feel free to read or not read.



My parents didn't want me to read Harry Potter. I didn't want to read Harry Potter. My seven

year old self thought it sounded silly. Then I started hearing more and more about it from 

my cousins and people I met at camp. I have a memory from the summer of 2006 when my 

dad was working on building our (then) new garage. I went up to him and asked if I could  please read Harry Potter. My parents came back to me with the decision that yes, I could buy Harry Potter *if* we did it as a family read-aloud.

All sorts of articles were swimming around the Internet at that time (and now) about the evils of Harry Potter. And understandably so. Witchcraft, spells, potions, all sorts of controversial topics made parents uneasy.

Harry Potter isn't for everyone. I lent my first three books to a friend a few years ago, and they enjoyed the books enough to read them, but not to continue. There are people who read Harry Potter or Hunger Games and disagree with the messages of the books, or simply don't like them. I have absolutely nothing against those people! I don't even have anything against people who don't want to read Harry Potter for religious reasons. I do think people should give it a chance.

I remember waiting until dad got home from work so he could read to us. I remember his Hagrid voice. I remember once he was so tired that he dozed off while reading and I thought it was the funniest thing in the world (I didn't have enough respect for his exhaustion to let him stay asleep. I had to know what happened next!). I remember my feeble attempts at making scarves in Gryffindor colors. I remember being spoiled on what happened at the end of book six. 

I remember waiting for book seven to come in the mail (and waiting until after mom read it and a week of camp to be able to read it myself). Going to my first ever midnight release with my mom and friends to see the very last movie (and seeing it later that day with dad and brother after sleeping for a few hours). 

Over the past few months, my little sister has been reading the books. My parents were a little hesitant to let her read the last two books on her own, so we listened to the audio books as a family.

It was absolutely great watching her react to the things that happened in the book. It was like I was reading them again for the first time. She cried and had outbursts of triumph at all the right parts. We were able to pause in case she had questions. My sister's two favorite characters were Dobby and Neville, so for those of you who have read the last book, you can imagine the reactions she had. ;)

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with Harry Potter. There's magic, yes. There is divination and spellcasting, but that's not what the book is about. -cue cheesy music- Harry Potter is a story about Good vs. Evil wrapped up in spiderweb plotlines, seasoned with about five complex characters with Latin-roots. Taking apart the names is a school lesson in itself. ;)


I'm thankful for the family experience that Harry Potter was for me. I'm thankful for the world it was able to take me to, and I'm thankful for the stories I hear from around the globe about the positive influences Harry Potter has had on other people's lives. I don't think Harry Potter is a substitute for religion, however. People *shouldn't* let their world's revolve around a boy wizard who had dorky, relate-able friends. There's a difference between getting wrapped up in a story and letting it take you to a different place, and trying to stay in that place forever. 

That's true for any young adult series, but Harry Potter fans in particular get portrayed as manic and obsessive (in an unhealthy way).

This is one of my favorite videos on YouTube when it comes to describing healthy enthusiasm. (0:42 - 1:41 for Harry Potter stuff :) )

In short - as one of the few Potterhead homeschoolers in existence, I feel it's my duty to speak up and say that Harry Potter didn't scar me (pun intended) and it didn't turn me into a rebellious, spell-casting teenager. I urge you to give it a chance, and if you don't like it, or find something objectionable in it, I wouldn't be offended in the slightest. In fact, I'd really like to hear what you have to say in the comments below. 

Thanks, guys!