I was a huge Potterhead back in the day (well…I still am, just not as obsessed). I know the books are great and all, I know how addictive her writing style is, that she can create such vivid and engaging characters and places, and the stories keep you hungry for more…but IMO that still does not completely explain the insane hype that generated. I don’t think there has ever been this level of mania and craze for a book – a children’s/YA book for that matter. So I am wondering, what are some of the factor that led to the hype? I’ve heard things like the rise in Internet (and internet fandom), JKR’s rags-to-riches story, etc all contributed. So for those who have been there, what was the mania like at that point, and what factors (aside from the quality of the books themselves) that lead to it?
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In 3rd-ish grade one of my classmates said “My mom won’t let me read Harry Potter because it’s witchcraft!”
And my kid-self thought “…wait that’s the point though? It’s a story book. So the story is witchcraft. The book ITSSELF isn’t witchcraft and it doesn’t teach you witchcraft does it??”
So I checked it out from the library and wham-bam-thank-you-maam I loved the books.
I remember reading the first two books on a 3 week long holiday when I was 12, right before the start of secondary school. I think I even read the first book a second time during those weeks. The books weren’t that well known yet, at least not among the general public. The lady at the bookstore had recommended them to my mom.
The world JKR creates just sucks you in. The rest of the books came out during the rest of my secondary school years and it almost felt like I was growing up alongside the characters, since I always was around the same age as them. That made it extra special, I think. That, and the anticipation of waiting for the new book to come out.
My twin brother and I would fight over who could read it first. I remember reading through the night, into to the morning, finishing the book in one go. The last ones we just read in English instead of waiting for the translation in our mother language.