Welcome back, dear readers. Today is a day of confession.
Today is a day that I share one of my deepest, darkest secrets with you, and I
pray that you will not judge me. OK- here goes. Up until July of 2016 I had not
read the Harry Potter novels. Go ahead- gasp, weep tears, gnash teeth in shock
and amazement. How could a learned book-reading man such as myself, a teacher
of AP Literature, never have read some of the most popular books in the history
of mankind? I will regale upon you how just a heinous event occurred- but
hopefully my redemption will earn your forgiveness.
Jump with me
into my time machine as I take us back about 15 years, back to the early 2000’s.
I was teaching drama at Del City High School, and had also previously taught
English. Most of my life to that point I had been a steady reader. During the
school year I find it difficult to plop down with a good novel, but during the
summer months I typically would blaze through several. At that point I was
aware of the Harry Potter phenomenon. At least four of the novels had been
released, and I watched as children and adults gobbled them up voraciously. I
was somewhat intrigued, but I have to confess something else here: part of the
reason I didn’t want to try them was for the simple reason that the
protagonists were kids- and I don’t really like kids. “How can you be a teacher
if you don’t like kids??!!??”
High school is a totally different ball game. I
can relate much more to teenagers, then to 10-13 year old kids. And once I
found out that Harry and his cohorts were just 11 years old in the first novel,
I had serious reservations about wanting to read them. Friends of mine were
insistent though- “You have to read them! They’re great! You’ll love them!!”
But still, I was hesitant. In 2001, the first movie was released, “Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. And even though I knew it was about kids, I was a
big movie buff, and still trying to stay relevant in the pop-culture world (see
previous blog post), so I went to see it. I thought it was “meh”. I didn’t
dislike it, but I wasn’t taken in by it either. All it did was reinforce my
decision to not read the books. When I expressed this sentiment to friends,
they would respond by telling me that of course the book is way better than the
movie because they had to leave so much out- which is typically true whenever a
beloved novel is adapted for film or television. So finally I broke down- I
borrowed a copy of the first book from a friend (“You’re gonna love it!!”) and
began reading it unenthusiastically.
I was right.
About 50 pages in, I really lost interest and put it away. I had decided that
Harry was just not for me. So I hid in shame, not wanting to share with my nerd
friends that I just couldn’t get into the world of Potter. But little did I know,
Harry was not done with me yet. Some years later, when my oldest daughter,
Sabrina, began reading in earnest, I thought perhaps that she would enjoy them,
since she read a lot of fantasy-themed novels. But she really had no interest
either, and I was not going to push her. But then fate stepped in. One night
the wife and I went out, and Sabrina’s Grandma Sherry and her daughter Lynn
came over to babysit. When we came home, I walked in and gasped- there they all
were, watching Harry Potter!! (I’m not sure which one it was- maybe the third
one??) Sherry looked at me sheepishly and said “I hope that’s alright that we
let her watch.”
Sabrina was now convinced- “Dad, I want to read these books!!”
And read them she did. In fact, she loved them. And she convinced me to start
watching the movies again. She promised me that the books got better and darker
as they progressed, and I would like them. So we watched the ones that had been
released to that point, and she was right- I did enjoy them more as he got
older. Then the sixth film came out, and we all went to see it at the theatre. After the movie, I began peppering Sabrina with questions- “Is Snape
really that evil? Who dies in the last book??” She just looked at me, grinned,
and said “I’m not telling you.” This infuriated me and I immediately yanked off
my belt and began striking her repeatedly until she told me what I wanted to
know!! (OK- that’s not true. There was
no beating.) So I did what any mature, logical adult would do- I read the final
book. Sabrina was a little concerned since I had not read the previous ones,
but I assured her I would be ok. And, I discovered, I really liked it. I was a
little lost at times because I didn’t have the background of the other books,
but I still liked it. However- not enough to go back and read them all. Not yet…..
Eventually
my youngest daughter, Marilyn, read them as well, and she was hooked. She began
her campaign of getting me to read them, but still I resisted. Then a few years
ago, we took a summer vacation to Florida and spent several days at Disney
World- the most magical place on earth!! While we were there we decided that we
should hop over to Universal Studios, where just a few years before they had
opened a huge Harry Potter addition to the park, with rides, and recreations of
various locales from the books.
While there, I have to admit I was quite
impressed, and of course the girls loved it. But still- I would not read. And
last Christmas, we were visited by our dear friends, the McEvoys. Shawn and Val
are QUITE passionate about their love for Mr. Potter. Val made several attempts
to convert me. She told us that she had listened to the books on CD multiple
times, and that I would love them. (Unfortunately, I just can’t listen to
books. I don’t like being read to. I can’t tell you why- I’m just weird that
way.)
Until
finally, we arrive at the summer of 2016. At the beginning of the summer I had
a stack of books that included Stephen King, John Grisham, David Baldacci, and
Lee Child. Lots of thrills, action, and suspenseful stories, which I quite
enjoyed. But then something happened. Within just a few weeks, our country, and
the world, was rocked by multiple horrific acts of violence. I picked up
another Jack Reacher book, and as he was fighting off some bad guys with a
combination of weapons and his brute strength, I had a moment where I thought-
I really don’t want to read about more violence right now. It was just too
much. So I set it aside, and began thinking about what I could read. And out of
nowhere, a voice told me- “Why don’t you finally try those Potter books??” Yes,
they were violent as well, but not REAL WORLD violent. And I thought- “Yes.
That’s just what I need.” So I asked Sabrina, and she gave me her battered,
well-read copy of the first book. I shared on the social media that I was going
to try it again, and multiple people told me- just get through the first few
books, and then they get much better. Not a very encouraging way to begin, but
I was determined.
So how did
it go? Well, I tore through them all in a few weeks. People were right- they
did get better as they progressed. I found myself totally immersed in the
wizarding world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m not going to say that they
were the greatest books I’ve ever read, or that they changed my life. But I
definitely understand why so many people love them. J.K. Rowling created a
rich, sumptuous world, and inhabited it with loveable, complex characters. In
fact, when I finished the last one, I went through a bit of “Potter Withdrawal”.
I was a little sad to see it end. To help ease the sadness, I began re-watching
the movies, and I also know now why so many people told me that you lose so
much if you just watch the movies. I kept thinking- “well, where’s so-and so?
And why didn’t this happen? And that’s totally different!!” But I do think the
films absolutely capture the spirit of the novels, and the actors for the most
part are perfectly cast. And to top it all off- last week the script for the
new Harry Potter play was released, which is the official 8th story
in the series. It’s a good story, and it’s fun to see what happens to all of
the beloved characters and their children. However, just being a play script,
it’s somewhat like just seeing the movie, because without the characters thoughts
and feelings spelled out, you can only rely on the dialogue. I’d love to see it
filmed someday, but that would be several years off, because they have to milk
the play for all it’s worth.
So there you
have it. I’m convinced. I shall no longer poke fun at the people who love
Potter. We nerds have to stick together, not tear each other down. No longer
will I refer to him as Colonel Potter. (I always thought I was so funny when I
did that. What an jackass.)
Now, you probably won’t see middle-aged me putting
on robes and round glasses and joining in at a Harry Potter convention. But I
do think I want to go back to Universal Studios, take a stroll down Diagon
Alley, and have myself another butterbeer. For years I have been a comic book
geek and a Star Wars nerd, and now I can add Harry Potter fan to my Nerd
Resume. Thanks for waiting on me, Harry.
