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Unless otherwise noted,
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is written by Brian Murphy
© 2006.
Review Archive
BOOKS
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stoneby J.K. Rowling
Scholastic Press; New York, NY; 309 pgs; Hardcover; $19.95
A few years ago my friend's mom told me that she was reading this wonderful book, it was a children's book, yet it was still wonderful. Being a writer and knowing that I was a voracious reader, she asked if I'd read Harry Potter yet. I hadn't. She suggested I read them as soon as possible. I nodded, said I would, and promptly forgot about it.
Shortly thereafter you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting something related to Harry Potter. It was, I imagine, not unlike the British Invasion in the '60s, only this time it wasn't a group of rock 'n' roll celebrities coming to our shores, but rather a single woman armed with nothing more than her imagination.
The second book came out. I didn't read it. The third book came out. I didn't read it. The fourth book came out. Bookstores opened their doors at midnight so eager fans of the boy wizard could snatch up the latest copy and have it finished by breakfast. It shot to #1 on Amazon.com and various Best Seller lists. I didn't read it.
Thanksgiving, 2001: The long-awaited film of the first book hit the theaters. Little boys who had, not a month before dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween were now given the treat of seeing their lightening-scarred hero upon the silver screen. It got rave reviews. I went and saw it sometime in December. (For more on that, you can read my review.)
I admired the franchise and the marketing. I remember what it was like when I was a child to have a series that I adored. G.I. Joe, Transformers, Star Wars. It's good to be a kid and to know that even adults can make something cool, that they don't always have to be so adultish.
But as much as I love what J.K. Rowling did for children and readers everywhere, I adore her for what she's done for the writing community. She put fantasy and magic back on the map, popularized it, sold it to kids, made it a household name. Hell, even Right Wing Nazi's in Pennsylvania were threatened by this Brit and her wunderboy that they felt compelled to burn her books, claiming that Harry Potter taught magic to children, that it was Satan's literature. You go, Rowling!
The Harry Potter series has also helped create a new generation of science fiction and fantasy writers and readers. These kids reading Harry Potter today will be tomorrow's Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Le Guin, Card, Gaiman, Moorcock, or Ellison. The Harry Potter series is simple enough for children to read and engaging enough for adults to enjoy. (Personally, I can't wait until I have a son or daughter, just so I can read them this book. It'll be a few years off, but it's something that I am honestly looking forward to.)
And these are not small books. The edition I have is over 300 pages long. And it has no pictures. No pop-ups. No eye-candy for the wee ones. That, in and of itself, is magic; that Rowling was able to swoop down upon the youngest generation, hand them an adult-sized book unlike anything on the market, and said, "Oh, here. I wrote this for you." And they gobbled it up. Children are not stupid. We like to think they are, because it's easier for us if they are. I'm not saying this series is rocket science, but it's not Dick and Jane. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, is over 700 pages long. And it won a Hugo Award. Take that to the pecksniffs in Pennsylvania and tell 'em to smoke it!)
I applaud J.K. Rowling for her efforts. Her many accolades are well deserved. While she may not have created anything groundbreaking, she did, however, make something old new again. Not just new, but popular. Famous. Worthwhile. Wonderful.
I'll not bother with a plot summary. Those of you who are unfamiliar with Harry Potter had best purchase the book and enjoy. Those of you who've already read it, probably agree with me.
Not sure when I'll pick up the second in the series, but I don't think it'll be too long.
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