I was talking to some folks at the Workplace the other day about the most recent Harry Potter book. Turns out, several of them immediately read the epilogue and then started reading the beginning of the book. This absolutely floors me. I honestly cannot comprehend “ruining” a book by reading it that way. But I guess I’m just weird like that.

Anyhow, I’ve also talked to a couple of people who just don’t get the whole “Harry Potter thing.” They’ve maybe read the first book or saw one of the movies and it just wasn’t their thing. I can relate. There have been books and movies that didn’t take my fancy. I actually hated the first Lord of the Rings movie. I thought it was too long and the ending pissed me off. I ended up seeing and enjoying the remaining two movies, though.

My take on the Potter phenomenon may be unique, but I’ll bore you with it share it with you nonetheless. I didn’t find the books to be terribly well written or extraordinary in any way. I just liked the story. I liked that it engaged my imagination and took me places I’d never heard of before. When I read a series of books, I become involved with the characters. Emotionally involved. If a book and it’s characters are truly brought to life by the author, I care about them. When a series ends, it’s like I’ve lost friends. Dear God, doesn’t that sound like the most pathetic thing ever? But you know what? I’m not deleting it. It’s true. That’s why I’m such an avid reader. I get swept away with a good book. No TV show or movie has ever done that for me. But, I’m not about to dress up in my Gryffindor robes and start shouting “Expecto Patronum!” on my front yawn. They’re stories. Not real life. Although, it would be wicked cool to be able to do some of that stuff. Personally, I’d really like to be able to shoot laser beams out my eyeballs and vaporize the retards other drivers on my daily commute. But, again, that’s just me.

I’ve also heard some people say that they have fundamental beliefs that don’t allow them to read the books. The one I hear more often than others is “I don’t believe in witchcraft. It’s evil.” First of all, that’s a contradiction. How can you tell me you don’t believe in something and then proceed to assign it a moral value? Then, there’s the issue of fantasy versus reality. Entertainment has been made up of fantasy for hundreds of years. Reality TV is a fairly recent advent. Most of us want to be transported out of our humdrum daily lives by entertainment. Movies, TV, radio programs… they’re all fantasy designed to take our minds off the bills, the kids, the car repairs, etc, for brief period of time. Secondly, these books are about the age-old story of Good vs. Evil. I’ll give you hint – Good wins most of the time, but not without collateral damage. Kinda like life, I guess. I honestly don’t get the mind set of parents who forbid their children to read the series. Do they honestly think they can “protect” their children from everything in the world that may clash with their beliefs? And, let’s face it, the more fundamentalist you are, the more things are going to clash. Isn’t it better to let you child either, A. decide what they believe for themselves, or B. expose them to things like fantasy books and let their imagination run wild being careful to explain how your beliefs fit in there? Growing up, my parents let me read anything I wanted, short of erotic material. When I was 16, we moved to St Louis and the first week we were there, I went to the library to get a card. Unbeknownst to me, their policy was to issue a “children’s card” to anyone under 18. This meant that I was only allowed to check out books that the library had deemed as appropriate for a child. Fairly shortly after getting my card, I tried to check out Imajica, by Clive Barker. DE. NIED. And the librarian was not budging. She explained to me about the children’s cards and directed me to the “teen” section to find a more suitable book. So, I took my indignant ass home and told my mom what happened. She drove me back to the library and proceeded to explain to the librarian that she was, in fact, my parent and she was responsible for deciding what I was allowed to read. She went on to explain that I was currently allowed to read any book in the library that I wanted to. She requested that I be issued a new “adult” library card immediately. Which, of course, I was. I checked out my book and loved every word of it. Clive Barker is still one of my favorite authors.

I will be that kind of parent to Maddie. I consider it my job to instill good morals and values in her that cannot easily be dissuaded by a book about a magic school and kids who fly on broomsticks. I want her to be able to read a book, or watch a movie and still be secure in her beliefs. There will be times when something she reads or watches may force her to question her beliefs. I know this and welcome it. She’ll be challenged every day to stand for what she believes and she’ll need all the practice she can get.

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