Harry Potter

[catalinarose]

About this time tomorrow I will hold in my posession the last Harry Potter book, and with each turn of the page a literary era will slowly end. After ten years there is only one more night of suspense, one last night to revel in the wonders of anticipation and to remember the effect that one little book series had on so many peoples lives, imaginations, and free time. For the millions of people lucky enough to be a part of this as fans there is certainly a sense of loss. Many of us have grown up along side Harry, feeling a kinship with the wizard and his loved ones, even as we met and surpassed his age. Being 21 and reading back over the books I felt the same rush of excitement and kinship I felt at 12, when I bought a single unassuming volume from the book fair and read it under my desk, not knowing that midnight book parties would be the way of the future. Immidently I fell in love with the world JK Rowling had fit so snuggly inside our own. Of course I was not alone. To be as large and varied as HP Fandom is I still feel we all get along well. We are the ones who go to those midnight parties, who carjole our friends into reading and getting as excited as we are, who write fanfiction, music, poems based on the books. The crowd of people who can fit 200 people into a movie theatre and not make a sound,outside of laughing and sighing as one. We've made friends that we never would have known otherwise, and continually looked for things hidden in the old texts that would "expand our minds" We've written whole books based on our love for Harry Potter, thought up a thousand different fates for our heroes. Harry has taught us things like tolerence, thinking for our selves, and how to face contraversy. He has looked at issues such as discrimination and death in the face and met it both head on and appropriatly. It's not often that a piece of fiction reaches such a wide audience on such a large level, and here in the eve of the phenomenon I am so glad I started reading the books when I did. The conclution of the Harry Potter books does leave a void in the world of fiction, which needs to be filled so that not only our children, but also our parents will continue to read. I will not go into detail about any future books, because this summer is still a time for Harry. I don't think that Potter look alike series will be the answer however. Just a decent book targeted at a difficult age range. For now however, I send out my thanks and congratulations to JK Rowling, and cross my fingers that tomorrow night does not bring about Ron's death.

(I also think the NYT has seriously messed up on the Harry Potter note, and I hope charges are pressed)

Now I'm sappy enough, so I'm going to bed.