Harry Potter and the Death of Reading

While I don't agree 100% with the article, there are a lot of good points in there.

Originally I hated Harry Potter. I actually began reading the series back in high school as the result of a lost bet. I have since been obligated to read the series until Harry's death. Unfortunately, the whiny little twit just refuses to die.

At first I thought, well, it's just a children's series. No reason to get my panties in a twist. However, as the books progressed I felt that it was an author attempting to break into mainstream fantasy/fiction by using childrens/YA as a springboard. I wasn't even sure why, but that didn't sit well with me.

By now, I know why. It has a lot to do with what that article says about the fact that by book 7 more adults than children will be reading. The Harry Potter series is decent (though truthfully PoA was my favorite, and the last that I enjoyed from cover to cover), but it is above all else a series for kids. I mean, Tolkien's prelude to LotR is considered childrens' literature, so Potter is like British pre-school level.

In my opinion the underlying wittiness and decently cloaked symbolism fell off a cliff after PoA. By now, Rowling is like Stephen King; she could write kindergarten prose or something with author intrusion every third line and it'd still be an immediate bestseller. At least with King you're almost assured an interesting tale.

I hate it that society is so susceptible to manias such as this, but I find it still more disconcerting that it takes exactly that to get society out of a theater and into a book.

If so many people aren't reading how come the writer states

But all around me, I see adults reading J.K. Rowling's books to themselves: perfectly intelligent, mature people, poring over "Harry Potter" with nary a child in sight.

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The rest of the article smacks of elitist snobbery, IMO.

Azraelsbane said:

I hate it that society is so susceptible to manias such as this, but I find it still more disconcerting that it takes exactly that to get society out of a theater and into a book.

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I always think that the Harry Potter series will encourage kids to read other books as they become more sophisticated. I never read the series, but when my son was eleven, he ate the stuff up. He hasn't gone back for the last three (I guess), but he doesn't read much either. I don't know what the answer is about reading. Maybe the pendulum will return soon. I hope so.

I don't buy into Harry Potter single-handedly saving readership, but I am a fan of the books. And I'll admit, I think it's nice something exists that, all over the globe, captures people's attentions.

I'm hardly ever around children, so I don't know if they're reading Harry Potter or not. But the children who read the first editions of Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone are now adults, or nearly adults. So what's the big deal that adults keep reading? Maybe kids starting the series from the beginning now aren't aging properly with the books, or maybe something else will come along to capture them, too. Different strokes for different folks.

I know readers who don't read Harry Potter. I know people who don't read anything and still won't read Harry Potter. I don't know anyone who only reads these books.

I will say what I always do: not reading something because everyone else is is just as bad as reading it because everyone else is. It's up to the individual to make up their mind, following something because the masses are doing it and not doing something because the masses are doing it are both not using your own mind.

I love Harry Potter, but I love children's lit in general. I don't think this makes me a less discriminating reader. I think there is a lot in children's lit that only adults can appreciate. I know this because when I re-read books from my youth I am shocked at what I missed the first time round.

Now I"m not saying adults should ONLY read children's lit, but to dismiss the art form as something that adults should be embarrassed to enjoy is insulting to both the genre and the people who enjoy it. There is a lot of depth in simplicity (in fact the simplicity tends to make them all the more profound, as opposed to the waxing philosophical and BS-ical of some adult books), that's why I like kids books.

I find quite a lot of middle school students read, but it does wear off when they reach high school. Some pick it up again later, some don't.

All the children who are into HP now may develop a love of reading, and even if they don't read so much though their teen years, might pick it up again and teach their children, so it may take a generation to see the full effects of the HP phenomenon.

Toothpaste said:

I will say what I always do: not reading something because everyone else is is just as bad as reading it because everyone else is. It's up to the individual to make up their mind, following something because the masses are doing it and not doing something because the masses are doing it are both not using your own mind.

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Yep yep.

Your post reminded me of this blog entry from Tess Gerritsen:

<snip>

"Next time you hear people say proudly, “I’ve never read one of his/her books and I never will,” challenge them. Ask them if they always let other people think for them. Ask them what other sheep-like characteristics they have. Because they aren’t independent thinkers.

No matter how smart they think they are."

http://www.tessgerritsen.com/blog/2006/12/24/id-never-read-one-of-her-books/

they could do worse than read Harry Potter.

The article seems kind of snobbish to me. I do agree with him that it's kind of strange that many people only read books by bestselling authors, but I don't think there's anything wrong with reading books like Harry Potter. I read purely for enjoyment. So do a lot of people. And I don't think it's something to be ashamed of. I get the feeling the author of this article wouldn't consider me a reader, because I don't read complex literary books for edification. It's not because they're too hard for me; it's because I don't enjoy them. Simple as that. (Not that there's anything wrong with reading books like that, lest anybody mistake this for a criticism of that kind of book. I just don't enjoy reading them. And I do enjoy some literary fiction, just not the kind that tries to prove how smart and artistic it is. Okay, done with tangent now.)

I don't think Harry Potter is the best thing ever written, and the books don't qualify as my favorites, but they're fun, and for me that's a good enough reason to read them.

He mentions Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell; the reason I haven't read that isn't because it's harder to read than Harry Potter, it's because I'm not interested in the premise and the writing style turns me off. And the fact that he mentions the His Dark Materials trilogy mystifies me - those are YA books, and isn't he complaining about adults reading YA books? (I loved His Dark Materials, by the way, though the third book could have used a bit - or a lot - more subtlety.)

This article really rubbed me the wrong way. It always bugs me when people say only a certain kind of book is worth reading.

Yeah, they could read Dan Brown.

Having never read a Harry Potter book I proclaim myself an expert to comment.

I've seen the movies, most of them more than once because my daughter (who I can't get to read) likes them. Yesterday I took her to The Order of the Phoenix and it was alright but disappointing in the sense that all the stories are the same. Generally a new character or two is introduced and it's the same old dribble ending with a yawn producing climax.

Yes, but from what I undersand about OOtP, since I haven't seen it yet, and all the movies actually, is there is SO much missing from them. Like PoA, the whole "my dad's name was Prongs" and that his dad turned into a stag, which was what Harry's patronus turned out to be, for example.

Whole layers of story get cut out in the movies. I agree the first two or three are a bit formulaic, and the writing isn't absolutely the best, but the further into the story you go, the more layers she builds on top, wheels within wheels kinds of things, which is just something you don't get from the movies.

It's fascinating the way she weaves it all together, at least to me.

Rllgthunder said:

The rest of the article smacks of elitist snobbery, IMO.

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Up yours, you fuzzy little feline.

*cough*

Okay, I think the article is right on. I've been saying pretty much the same sorts of things since the late 1990's. Further, I believe that a typical person owns a good number of novels--purchased by that person--that they have never finished, or maybe even started. And some people carry around the same book for months, w/out even getting past chapter two. Consumerism and vanity drive a good portion more of market sales than anyone would like to admit.

As to the specifics of Harry Potter, I tried to read it when my daughter started, but found it uninteresting (I love the movies, though--what a peasant I am). She was nuts about it, reading all the time. But I noticed that her frequency of actually picking up the book--without any prodding--had really dropped off during GoF. So I asked her about it, and sure enough, she was bored. So she set Harry down; we went to the library and the bookstore and she starting reading again. Really reading.

That was last year. Now, she's back on the Potter wagon. And that's great. But I'm watching. And counting pages.

Btw William, shouldn't you put a "spoiler alert" in your thread title?

FWIW (not a whole lot--spare change, mister?), at Yahoo Answers about 2/3 of all the Books and Authors questions are about Harry Potter. A great many of those seek suggestions for other books that someone who loves Harry Potter will enjoy. Sadly, they're not getting many useful replies.

These are young people eager to read but entirely lacking direction. If we want to keep kids reading, we need to help them find literature they'll love.

My grasp on YA novels is out of date. I'd be pleased to pass along your suggestions to these wanna-be-readers, if you have any.

Maryn, who now returns you to Haskins' original post and its discussion

I don't have a problem with encouraging children to read, and I don't have a problem with children wanting to read only best-selling authors. And I don't have a problem with children picking up a book because of peer pressure, etc. (if you don't read Harry Potter you're a dork). I think that's just part of growing up. Even adults do that -- we have so little time, so we go to the book stores and only pick out the known authors and we keep reading certain people even if the book is not very good -- it's familiarity; it's convenient; it's easy; SOME people are like sheep. Even here, in the "book club" forums, many only talk about best selling authors. There are so many other books by other authors, some even come to AW, but all we want to talk about is Stephen King or Dan Brown or Dean Koontz. I'd like to see more variety, or people talking about/recommending emerging authors, or an off-the-beaten-path book that they absolutely enjoyed.

But I am baffled by some of the mass hysteria. The midnight book launch parties that go on to 4 AM -- for kids! Selling 10 million books on the first day. The celebrity worshiping that goes with it. And all that. I know, "it helps the kids keep reading" but I think it's not healthy. There are so many other books -- good, great books -- for them to read, too, and these books never got that kind of mass hysteria and commercialism associated with them (don't just get the book, but the stickers and the mugs and the coloring books and the blanket and the T-shirt and the... TOO!).

It's all very well saying HP gets people reading...but what about the cases where that's all they read? HP over and over and over again without branching out into other books.

I mean, they're okay - not the worst books I've ever read but far from the best. I don't get the hero-worship that goes along with these books which Maestro mentioned. If you're going to worship an author, there are plenty more deserving ones out there than Rowling. Not that I would worship an author anyway; they're all human.

So who's this Harry Potter geezer, then?

"He Who Must Not Be Outsold"... priceless!

I used to think, way back when Potter-dom was just starting to explode, that it was A Good Thing, and that it Got Kids to Read (long books, even!).

Now I'm beginning to realize the only thing it's doing is getting kids to read Harry Potter. Sigh.

I gotta say - and I know this is going to make a lot of people shake their heads and tut-tut, envision sour grapes, think I'm being self-righteous, or say to themselves "yeah, right, you say this now but if you really were Rowling you'd never do it" - that if I were Rowling, and I knew damned well every Potter book was soaring into the sales stratosphere no matter what I did or did not do, I would spend those signings and readings introducing kids to other books they might enjoy reading.

If Rowling recommended other writers' books to kids, it'd be more powerful than Oprah.

(Yes, really, I would do this. And actually, I don't ever want to be as big as Rowling. Waaaaay too much pressure.)

As a teacher, anything that gets a child to read is worth the effort. And the somewhat annoying 'lets-ram-it-down-their-throats' marketing tactics are tolerable because it normally doesn't stop there. I don't read Harry Potter, I may some day, but today isn't that day. When I see my students reading these books, I'm impressed that they are willing to read something that looks 'that big'. What I do from there, is guide their interests into other books.

As a bookseller, I worked one of those midnight release parties for the last book. It was insane. But many of the kids end up falling asleep in the aisles with one parent while the other waits to purchase the book.

swvaughn said:

If Rowling recommended other writers' books to kids, it'd be more powerful than Oprah.

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That's a really good point, and I would be nice to see her do that. Stephen King recommends other books and authors all the time, as do other authors. If Rowling would recommend other books to kids, I think that would do more good than just "buy Harry Potter, now, at midnight!"

Serenity said:

As a bookseller, I worked one of those midnight release parties for the last book. It was insane. But many of the kids end up falling asleep in the aisles with one parent while the other waits to purchase the book.

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That, too me, is a sign of part of the sickness I see.

Interesting thread. I feel compelled to add something, because we're in the thick of things at my house as the book countdown reaches its final days.

At first I read HP because my daughter did. As the books became more adult and complicated, her interest waned but mine grew. She finished book 5 but I didn't. I finished book 6 but she didn't.

Rowling is a pretty good writer (although OMG her editor needs to cut her adverb and excessive tag usage - just try reading one of those suckers out loud to an eleven year old), but man, her world building is something special. It doesn't matter what her genre is, there's a reason people are mad for them.

I enjoy a good phenomenon. I don't go crazy with the buying, but my kids have obsessed over Pokémon, Spongebob, Corpse Bride, Invader Zim. I've obsessed over Buffy the Vampire Slayer and...well, that's about it for me. We don't pick our obsessions, they pick us.

In closing, we'll be at the book release party, but we won't buy the book until it's 40 percent off.

Maestro, I can see what you are saying.

I can also see that for once a book is being treated with the same hysteria as a movie premiere. And I kind of like that. I have always enjoyed the opening night excitment of a film, and to be honest it is less hysteria and more party like. The most attentive and kindest audiences tend to be the ones who do the midnight showings etc (and if there is a jerk they are invariably not a fan and there to make fun of the ones who are).

Same with the book stuff. I think it's nice. I think it's sweet for a kid to be allowed to stay up that late (when I was little there was the odd treat of that I recall for myself). Granted things will always get out of hand someplace, but what I have witnessed isn't so much the mob mentality as a really fun get together of strangers who are just really happy.

Sorry.