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| These people became like dear friends to me. The person that created them became my role model. |
"Books
are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and
wisest of counselors and the most patient of teachers." – Charles William Eliot
I’ve
loved reading books for as long as I can remember. As a child with a very
active imagination, books allowed me the opportunity to let it run free and
imagine worlds full of dungeons and dragons, princes and princesses and witches
and magic. The library became almost like a
treasure hunt, searching every row and every book before discovering just the
right one to read. The most exciting part was when I would come across a new
book that I could immerse myself into and imagine all the possible adventures I
could have.
My
parents were often shocked at how much I loved to read. They still don’t know
where the habit came from, but they never discouraged it and I thank them for
that. They always bought me new books when I asked (which my siblings would say
because I was the spoiled baby of the family and they couldn’t say no to me),
and my bookshelves were full of books like The
BFG by Ronald Dahl, The Phantom
Tollbooth by Norton Jester, the works of Beverly Clearly, Louis Sachar and
Shel Silverstein, The Babysitter’s Club and Goosebump books and many more. Now,
I have way too many books to count - just ask the people who have helped me
move boxes and boxes of books up many flights of stairs during my college
years. It wasn’t pretty.
My
love for reading really took off in the sixth grade when my mom bought me a
book that I still have and will always cherish – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I have the exact copy she
bought me sitting on my book shelf now, along with the other well-worn copies
of books two through seven. It has seen better days – the spine is creased,
pages are dog-eared and the cover is bent, but I love it all the same and
there’s nothing that could make me get rid of it. It came out the summer
between my fifth- and sixth-grade year and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. I
thought, it’s a book about a boy who is a wizard? Sounds kind of dumb. So I
kept it in my desk, which was a bad decision because my desk was ALWAYS a mess,
and it floated around in there all year and I forgot about it. One day, while
we were being forced to clean our desks, I put that book on top of the pile of
things I wanted to take home and the boy in the desk next to me asked me if I
had read it yet. “No,” I answered. “I don’t think I want to read it. It sounds
weird.” We had become friends with our mutual love of reading books, and I can
distinctly remember the look on his face when I told him that. “Morgan, you
have to read that book.” I looked at it again and thought, well – okay then.
“Mr.
and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were
perfectly normal, thank you very much.” From that first line, I was hooked. I
have always been a fast reader and I think I finished that book in a few days. My
mom told me that I just didn’t know when to put it down and would read way past
my bedtime. “You still don’t know when to put a book down!” That’s true, Mom, I
don’t. Anyway, I read it extremely fast and couldn’t wait until the next one
was released. I didn’t have to wait long, though, because it come out the
summer of 1999. I gobbled up The Chamber
of Secrets in just a few days, and Prisoner
of Azkaban came out September of that same year. It’s been like an
addiction ever since. I was one of those people waiting at midnight to buy the
book, or I would drag someone (who could drive) along with me the very next day
to pick up the newest installment of the amazing series. Throughout the years,
the books grew exponentially bigger and I just kept reading them. I couldn’t
wait to find out what happened to Harry and his friends and his beloved
Hogwarts, a place I desperately wished I could visit.
When
the last one came out July 21, 2007, I was going to be a freshman in college. I had
been following these characters and their lives since I was 12-years old. Then
finally, at the age of 19, it was coming to an end and I was sad. Sure, there
were movies still to be made, but it wasn’t the same. When I picked up my copy
of The Deathly Hallows, I didn’t want
to start it. If I started it, I wouldn’t be able to stop and I would finish it
and it would be over. Done. I did finish it in four days, all 759 pages of it.
When I turned that last page, a big part of my life was over. It was like
saying goodbye to some of my dearest friends.
Harry
Potter is more than just a book series to me. I believe it is a powerful,
adventurous and meaningful story that has had large impact on many people. I
would like to believe that I would have continued with my love of reading if
J.K. Rowling had never written a single page about Harry, but it’s something I
never had to worry about. Reading that first book kept my love of reading
ignited like a flame, one that I hope is never distinguished. Rowling also taught
me to love writing. Without her, I don’t think I would have pursued it the way
I have today. I just loved the way she created this beautiful, fantastical
world with just her imagination, a pen and paper. She made these amazing
characters that people love and admire and care about, and I think that’s
pretty amazing. She’s inspired me to do the same. She also taught me to not be afraid of your imagination.
There
is a moral to be found in every book and in every chapter. What I love most
about the Harry Potter series is that it is great for children and adults
alike. "Do you want your 11-year-old to start out reading Deathly Hallows? Of course not. Can they
handle Sorcerer’s Stone? You better
believe it. As they start to discover each novel as they get older the books
become tailor made for them. The language never gets too complicated, yet it is
still very well written. What if you’re older and want to get into the series?
Does the first one still work? Of course it does. Harry Potter is one of the
few things in life that is able to speak to multiple generations at the same
time. The world of Harry Potter and
as such, the world through Rowling’s eyes, values bravery, intelligence,
loyalty and trust. The characters treat friends and families with respect, and
in the end, the good triumph over the evil. Of course, there can be many losses
along the way, but such is life. People can also change for the better and/or
worse, but in the end you have to forgive them. You can learn a lot from Harry
Potter; it's not just wand waving and spells." (I wish I could remember where I found that, but I can't. Those words are not mine)
To
those that love Harry Potter, just like me, we know the magic will never leave
us. He’ll never be gone completely. Yes, I have all seven books lined up on my
bookshelf and all eight movies, but it’s the lessons that Rowling and Harry
have taught us that stick with us. Harry Potter will live on in all of us…always.
I’ll
leave you with two of my utmost favorite quotes from the entire series:
“The world isn’t split into good people and Death
Eaters. We have all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the
power we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
-Sirius Black
“Happiness
can be found even in the darkest of times when one only remembers to turn on
the light.” – Albus Dumbledore.
