Despite That "Hogwart's" Sounds Like a Venereal Disease, This is Still a Must-Read

After all that's been said about Harry Potter, what's left to say? I rarely write the 470th review for an item, because I'd rather expose more people to the rarer things I enjoy, instead of the things everyone already knows about. In my conceited little brain though, I (like most of us) am deluded into thinking that I have just that little bit of insight or insanity that will push someone over the edge into running out and buying that book, or seeing that movie, or stepping on those Legos with bare feet, that they would have otherwise passed by....and that's what makes Epinions great. So, here's my two cents (of income share...if I'm LUCKY!) on Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.

The original (British) title was of course, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", but the publishers, perhaps correctly thinking that American audiences are too dumb to pick up a book with any mention of philosophy in the title, changed it. Turns out the magic wasn't in the word "Philosopher," but in "Harry Potter."

If you haven't already heard about the Boy Wizard who attends Hogwart's School For Wizards, I really don't know where you've been for the last several years. The series is planned to have seven books, one for each year of Harry's life at Hogwart's (a sort of private boarding school where they all live and learn together). This is of course, the first book in the series.

When we first meet Harry Potter, he's living a horrible life right out of Roald Dahl's books...as miserable (if not more so) than Matilda's, as an orphaned boy living with his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin. All of whom HATE Harry. He has to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs, and is unhappy. Duh.

This is an element that I think is underestimated in Harry Potter's popularity...after the first book, when Harry is at Hogwart's, he's a genuine hero. The other students look up to him, and we...well, WE LOVE HIM! With all of this hero-worshiping going on, it's oddly, cruelly nice to see Harry put in his place. It's horrible, but giving Harry Potter books scenes where he's NOT adored keeps him humble in our minds...and in a different way than his treatment at the hands of his enemies at Hogwart's...Professor Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy chief among them.

Through the course of this first book, we find out with Harry that there's sort of a parallel world of wizardry going on just behind the corner of our own mundane world of Muggles. ("Muggles" are non-wizards like you and me. Well, like YOU.) This world is like the difference between Kansas and Oz, where the colors are vibrant, the characters wild, and magic is not only possible, it's necessary.

J.K. Rowling is more of a synthesizer than anything else, as far as this fantasy world of wizardry is concerned. Not that she's unoriginal, because she does have wonderful, imaginative storylines, dialogue, and above all else NAMES that keep your eye skipping along the pages until it's bedtime. But the world she's building in these books is a world that takes the best from other fantasy traditions, tweaks it a bit, and then smashes it together in a grand explosion. Giants, Wizards, Witches, Goblins, Ghosts, Unicorns, Castles, Dragons, Centaurs....all have their place in Harry Potter's first adventure, and all are delightful to encounter, whether fear-inspiring or cherished as friends.

I've read critiques of Rowling's work, that say basically she's a poor writer, has "borrowed" most of her ideas, and that the Harry Potter series will contribute to the dumbing-down of America. And the entire free world, for that matter. I disagree whole-heartedly. I, for one, think that Harry Potter and the books which feature him, will encourage children to not only read his books, but after devouring his adventures, they'll want to read more; once you discover the world that can be opened up for you through reading, it's difficult to go back to the dull state without it.

These books are really a delight to read, and the twists and turns that had me declaring them "page-turners" a few years ago had me excited, frightened, and laughing out loud while I was recovering from my li'l surgery. If you have some time to kill, read this first Harry Potter book, BEFORE the movie comes out. From what I've seen of it, it looks beautiful, but it's always better to read the book first.