Article by Hanna

For many readers (young and old), the past decade has been overwhelmingly defined by one very well-known name: Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived first made his appearance twelve and-a-half years ago, in the summer of 1997, with author J.K. Rowling’s debut, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The book began a literary and cultural explosion, which only escalated as the series continued. In 2001 Warner Brothers released their first Harry Potter film, which only fueled the already-raging fire. Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and many others became household names. As the books were translated into over 65 languages, children and adults alike united across the globe with a common purpose… to support Harry and oppose Voldemort.

As pop-culture phenomenon, Rowling’s books are fascinating. But their chief value-and primary achievement-is not in their tendency to ignite obsession. It is in their remarkable ability to create readers. In an age where television and video games offer endless entertainment, Rowling’s books have done the impossible: they have made reading an 800 page book a simple, enjoyable, even effortless endeavor. Children who previously showed no interest in sitting down with a boring old book devoured Harry Potter, and grieved to see the series come to an end. And for many people the books served as a springboard into fiction. They showed them that reading could be fun, beneficial, and life-changing. Because, for many readers, Harry Potter has indeed been life-changing. The books have added color, magic, and richness to the world. They have given us hope.

Arthur Levine, publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, VP Scholastic puts it this way: “What the numbers leave out is the singular experience that so many young people had of actually growing up WITH a literary character, which had never been done before. Kids who began reading Harry Potter when they were in elementary school, finished Harry’s story as they finished major life milestones in this decade. And they took with them not only a deep experience of the pleasure a book can bring, but a validation of hopefulness that one’s actions matter more than one’s circumstances, and a message that truly love does conquer all.” (marketwire.com)

Harry Potter is the man of the decade because his story has made its way beneath the surface of so many lives, and in small-and large-increments, changed them for the better. My brother once witnessed an argument between a handful of young boys, and in the midst of the chaos the one boy who wasn’t interested in taking a side threw out his arms and cried, “Expecto Patronum!” Of course, no patronus appeared to resolve the disagreement, but my brother was thrilled, and took the point quite clearly: bits and pieces of Harry Potter are everywhere. In my life personally, I have never read anything that has made me laugh louder, cry harder, or feel more intensely than Harry Potter. And for all these reasons, it seems obvious that Jo Rowling has created a character who will endure beyond just one decade, or two. Harry Potter is here to stay. And I think we’re all very glad of it.

Thoughts on the Man of the Decade? How have these books affected your life?

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