As of today, there are ten days remaining until the seventh and final Harry Potter book releases internationally. Ten days until the entire series will end. A part of me will end with it.
Harry has followed me through so much. He has followed me from when I was a shy, eleven-year-old sixth grader to now, a twenty-year-old college student. And everything in between. All the terrible times I have had, I have picked up one of J.K. Rowling’s magical books, and escaped. And not only did I escape, I learned that “What will come, will come, and we shall have to face it when it does” (Goblet of Fire). Rarely was there a time when Harry was not there when I needed him.
Stephen King recently wrote an editorial about saying goodbye to Harry. I find myself unable to do so. Because he describes in his article children who have grown up with Harry, reading on their back porches or, in my case, their grandmother’s empty beds from when she went to Pakistan. And he mentions that in some measure, when they close Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, they close in essence a great part of their childhood.
I am not ready for that. I know that in ten days, when I pick up my copy of the book, and in eleven days, when I will have finished reading it, I will not be ready to close my childhood. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.
Comments (4)
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
- 1 Corinthians 13:11
Posted July 23, 2007 4:33 PM
Posted on July 23, 2007 16:33
My childhood was all about books. It didn't matter what kind. My folks couldn't discipline me. They'd send me to my room.. where all my books were. It made me happy. And really frustrated them too! :)
When things got bad, my books kept me safe. Safe to find an escape from the world, into worlds that I could come back to again and again and always have the same wonderful adventure. The characters were always like family. Books never let you down, like people can.
I still retreat into my books when things get overwhelming. You don't have to close off your childhood just by finishing the books. The memories and lessons of our favorite stories stay with us. Harry and friends will always be just a step behind, waiting patiently until they are needed again. In a world of constant change, stories are one of only a handful of things that will stay the same. People take books for granted. But really epic books like HP and others are just waiting for a new retelling, perhaps to future generations, who will love them just as much as you did.
What will I miss about HP? The excitement of realizing these are the first and maybe only pieces of classic literature that were created during my lifetime. The excitement and speculation about not knowing what's going to happen next.
But I know that if I miss them too much, I can always go back to the beginning and start all over again. That's the real gift.
Posted July 13, 2007 11:12 PM
Posted on July 13, 2007 23:12
I will miss Harry. I'm 53 years old and I've read ( and still read) a lot of fantasy, fiction ans sci-fi. But few have so easily pulled me into a special world as qiuckly and deeply as Harry Potter.
No one else will ever get me to stay up and leave my house ( remember I'm 53) at 10pm for the 12:05 first showing of a movie...especially when I know how it ends. IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!!!!
All I can do now it look forward to a grandchild and someday, with a great big smile on my face, introduce them to young HARRY POTTER.
Posted July 12, 2007 5:42 PM
Posted on July 12, 2007 17:42
I think it's impossible to close the door. If we do, then we are cutting off ourselves from... ourselves. Sure we should leave behind baggage, but I think there is a lot to be said for carrying on with your childhood dreams and ambitions -- even just holding onto memories and experiences we enjoyed as kids. That way, even if you do "close the door," it still enriches your future as a memory.
Staying in-touch with our younger selves lets us know where we've been and steer the course for the rest of our lives.
Posted July 10, 2007 7:21 PM
Posted on July 10, 2007 19:21