I was a huge Potterhead back in the day (well…I still am, just not as obsessed). I know the books are great and all, I know how addictive her writing style is, that she can create such vivid and engaging characters and places, and the stories keep you hungry for more…but IMO that still does not completely explain the insane hype that generated. I don’t think there has ever been this level of mania and craze for a book – a children’s/YA book for that matter. So I am wondering, what are some of the factor that led to the hype? I’ve heard things like the rise in Internet (and internet fandom), JKR’s rags-to-riches story, etc all contributed. So for those who have been there, what was the mania like at that point, and what factors (aside from the quality of the books themselves) that lead to it?
In 3rd-ish grade one of my classmates said “My mom won’t let me read Harry Potter because it’s witchcraft!”
And my kid-self thought “…wait that’s the point though? It’s a story book. So the story is witchcraft. The book ITSSELF isn’t witchcraft and it doesn’t teach you witchcraft does it??”
So I checked it out from the library and wham-bam-thank-you-maam I loved the books.
I remember thinking this was so bizarre because I went to a Catholic elementary school and we read it in class. But that was in Alberta and catholic schools are basically the same as public schools so a lot of parents will just put their kids in them if they’re better then the public school in the area
I had a kind of opposite experience where I was really into them around 3rd/4th grade…then my family transferred me from public school to a private religious school where the teachers were actively campaigning against the books (because GASP witchcraft), so I ended up never finishing the series past the fourth book.
I actually feel very robbed bc I was at just the right age to be growing up with them and didn’t get to have that experience due to religious bullshit :(
I had a coworker who was complaining that his 4th grace niece had to read it for class and I said “yeah, that’s a pretty long book to assign” and his response was “Long? I’m mad because it teaches the black arts!” I learned a lot about him that day.
The documentary Jesus Camp had an individual who implored her younger congregants to avoid the Harry Potter novels because of those claims of witchcraft.