My friends have grown up on Harry Potter, and like a lot of kids, claim it was the first book to really make them appreciate reading. It’s also one of the few books they go back to and reread and can still love today. I didn’t read them until about two years ago.
I used to be a really avid reader until about freshman year in high school; I felt as if I’d ‘grown out of’ my reading habit. No books really interested me anymore, and reading became more tedious than enjoyable. I used to be the kid who would lug around at least one or two books with her everywhere, read during lunchtime instead of talking to her friends, have a book open on the dinner table, stay up until 4am reading by nightlight, etc, but for no particular reason I just lost all interest, and ironically a series initially aimed at young children is what brought my love of reading back.
I read the HP series in full two years ago, and I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. I’d never been so entranced by a book before. It not only reminded me how much I love getting completely lost in a book, but I felt an attachment to them unlike anything else. It was odd because I was pretty skeptical about the books to begin with; I thought they were blown out of proportion and I expected to be disappointed. I’d read the first one around the time it came out and vaguely remembered enjoying it, but didn’t think I’d find it at all relevant enough to read now. I hadn’t even seen most of the movies.
It’s not the most sophisticated literature, but I’d never quite appreciated the importance of a good story before HP. I’d forgotten that a good book isn’t just about employing a pretentious vocabulary or creating incredibly complex characters. It can also just be a really spectacular story told well. I’ve since started reading a lot more again, and I really don’t know if I would have if it hadn’t been for HP. I read because I enjoy it again, not just because I want the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a book. It brought back the delight and comfort in reading that I hadn’t felt since I was younger.
I can write a novel on my adoration for the series, and if you hadn’t noticed, I think i just got a pretty good start