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Review: Harry Potter touches on current events, deeper themes By Peter T. Chattaway THIS IS way too eerie. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- in which the war between the evil Lord Voldemort and the forces loyal to Dumbledore really heats up -- was released July 16, almost exactly one week after the first terrorist attacks in London. And the first chapter concerns an anonymous British prime minister who wonders why his country has been hit by inexplicable acts of violence during the previous week -- also in mid-July. If it seems like a stretch to look for real-world parallels in the Harry Potter books, well, author J.K. Rowling practically invites them. Not only does the book's very first paragraph allude to the "wretched" president of "a far-distant country" -- no doubt a nod to the attitude some Brits harbour towards the Bush administration -- but the story also makes frequent references to the increased security measures at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and to the unwarranted imprisonment of innocent civilians. And just as the present struggle requires moderate Muslims to take a stand against their extremist co-religionists, so too the only people who can stop Voldemort and his minions are his fellow wizards and witches -- many of them former teachers and classmates of his. But there are deeper themes here, too. Half-Blood Prince is profoundly concerned with the nature of love and free will, two themes that come together in one of the book's funnier recurring motifs: love potions. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the others are 16 years old now, and there is much talk of classmates pairing off and splitting up and harbouring the silliest of crushes; Ron's older brother even plans to marry a slightly snobbish Frenchwoman. But the book also underscores the difference between infatuation, which a potion can provide if need be, and true love, romantic or otherwise, which sets other people free and accepts their independence. The story of how Voldemort's parents met -- and parted -- is like a tragedy out of Dickens; and the book's shocking, climactic sequence hinges on the ability of certain characters to keep their promises, some voluntarily, others perhaps not. In this light, it is also interesting to see how Rowling describes the effects of the Felix Felicis potion, which grants good luck to the person who takes it. One character is tricked into thinking that he has taken the potion, when in fact he hasn't -- but even just the suggestion that things will go right for him prompts him to step out boldly and to achieve success through his own skills. He is acting freely, and he doesn't know it. What's more, when Harry himself takes the potion, he finds that it does not change other people's actions, but rather, it guides his own. Harry experiences a feeling of "infinite possibility", and yet, the potion "sets a path" for him that he follows without hesitation. It is like having total freedom yet always choosing to do the "right" thing -- a state which, when you think about it, must resemble what it is like to be made in God's image, but sinless. At least some of the characters have become increasingly complex. The wise headmaster Dumbledore is more vulnerable than he has ever been before, both physically -- one of his hands seems to be permanently injured after a mysterious incident -- and emotionally, his eyes watering at one point after Harry matter-of-factly professes his loyalty to him. Harry, for his part, comes to see a new side of the bully Draco Malfoy; he still doesn't like Malfoy very much, but for once, he begins to feel pity for him. And Snape, the double-agent who is trusted by Dumbledore even though he was once one of Voldemort's infamous Death Eaters, is a much more ambiguous figure than ever before. Even if Snape really is on Dumbledore's side, you wonder how long he can go on convincing the Death Eaters that he is one of them without inadvertently convincing himself. Those who criticize the Harry Potter books for their alleged ties to the occult will find little if any new ammunition here. As ever, the magic is little more than a fanciful and highly creative riff on modern technology; it's like science fiction, but without any pretense of science. Ron's brothers run a joke shop where they sell, among other things, spell-checking quills that deliberately scramble what you're trying to write; and when Harry peers into a character's tampered memories, the fog that obscures the edits is rather like video static. At 607 pages, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is pretty long for a children's book, but it is actually the shortest entry in this series since Prisoner of Azkaban came out six years ago. Thankfully, it provides a much better pay-off than the previous instalment -- the bloated, 766-page Order of the Phoenix -- even as it introduces some new unsolved mysteries.

There is still one book to go. While he still has his adolescent foibles -- once again, he keeps something dangerous secret for far too long -- Harry is growing up, and taking charge in a battle that is much older than he is. This book shows Harry steeling himself for the battles to come, and it just may help its readers to prepare for similar challenges.

Harry Potter release brings out fanatics

Kids ran around with capes tied around their necks and round glassed propped on their noses. Witch hats covered their hair. With magic wands in hand, children shouted spells like "Accio."

This wasn't a preview to Halloween, but just the release of the newest book in the "Harry Potter" series.

The interest in the book "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," which is the sixth Potter book by J.K. Rowling, had kids lined up for hours just so they could start reading on Friday night.

"I stood in line for Cabbage Patch dolls and Pokemon for my kids because it was so important for them to have it. I'm just thrilled this kind of hoopla is over a book," said Debbie France, community relations manager for Barnes and Noble in Lewisville. "In 20 years they will remember the books and read it to their kids."

But for now, the children spent hours in line at the bookstore Friday night waiting for the release of the long, awaited book. France had to begin the store event an hour early because of the people that were already in line.

The families waiting for the book made Harry Potter crafts, including capes and new magic wands, took quizzes and won prizes like better spots in the line and a poster autographed by the book illustrator. Since the store was only allowed to have 500 people inside at once, the 2,000 people who came to the event had to be rotated in and out.

"We had the countdown at midnight and then we sold thousands of books in about an hour and a half," France said.

Although she didn't have a firm count, France said the store sold more than 5,000, but less than 10,000 books in the small amount of time. Patrons should not worry though, because there are still books on the shelf to buy.

The local libraries, however, are another story.

The Carrollton Public Library owns 28 copies of the new Potter book and all of those went out on Saturday, and there are still 87 holds outstanding on the book, said library spokesman Jane Dillon. The library committed the last two summer reading club programs to the book by watching the latest movie and a documentary about the myths and legends of witches, wizards and magical creatures, Dillon said.

The Flower Mound Public Library has 20 books, which were checked out on Saturday and 52 people were on the waiting list, said Karen Dehdari, the children's librarian.

The fascination with the Harry Potter series is beneficial because it's introducing more young children to the world of books, according to librarians.

"It's making a strong generation of readers," said Marianne Follis, children's librarian for the Coppell Public Library. "People are hooked on reading elaborate stories."

The thing that makes these books so popular is the characters.

"They are likeable characters that are not true to life, but mythologized," Dillon said.

France agreed.

"Harry is the underdog and that is universally appealing," she said. "The characters are so engaging and it offers something for every kind of reader."

Kids aren't the only ones interested in the book though.

REVIEW: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- Readers have to adjust to maturing characters, storyline

After spending all day reading "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- stopping only to sleep from 5 to 10 a.m. and to read to my very tired, pneumonia-stricken friend -- I finished the final chapter feeling hurt and betrayed by J.K. Rowling.

-- Read This! writer Jody Goldberg, Los Gatos High

But I'll admit it, I cried. Can you blame me?

I'm what is often referred to as a super-geek, an ber-nerd or, my personal favorite, a Potter-Head. I have invested way too much time and emotion into the series.

After years of waiting and anticipation, not only did this book have a deeply sad ending, but it left me feeling like it was incomplete.

I was much more shocked and saddened by the loss of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" than the death that took place in this novel. It was hard not to see it coming.

Then, Harry's best friends spend the entire novel either flirting or trying to make one another jealous and still hadn't resolved their, a-hem, tension by the end.

And so, some of the best (well, in my opinion) characters had been killed, defamed or stuck in an annoyingly fan fiction-like relationship.

Each of the other five novels had me racing to the finish. But when Harry's world falls apart toward the end of "Half-Blood Prince," I wondered: Why this book took me out of the fantastic world of children's literature and back into the real world, which is devoid of romance and full of tragedy?

Then it hit me like a dungbomb. Like me and all of Harry's other adolescent admirers, Harry is growing up.

The first three novels are full of excitement and happiness. Who we initally think as horrible turn out to be good because they protect Harry (Snape), they're only being framed (Hagrid) or they turn out to care for Harry as only his parents could (Sirius). Those who are evil are portrayed as a coward (Quirrel), an incompetent fool (Lockhart), or, quite literally, a rat (Wormtail). Everything is beautiful through the eyes of a child.

However in the fourth book, "Harry and the Goblet of Fire," there was a transition. After the excitement of the Triwizard tournament, Harry has an intimate experience with death. That leads to changes in Harry's world in the next book, "Order of the Phoenix:" he's able to see Thestrals; Dumbledore and everyone else Harry trusts keeps secrets from him; and the press and Ministry of Magic portrays him as a liar and lunatic.

Even as a teenager, Harry has to finally step into the less-than-glamorous world of adulthood. And, as life gets harder for Harry to deal with, the content of the books becomes more difficult for the reader.

While some will argue whether this is the best or worst book of the series, this is the book in which Harry and his peers — namely his archenemy Draco Malfoy — are forced to grow up the most.

Although "Half-Blood Prince" packs in much more information than plot or action, I found it to be the most moving, and, like Harry, the most mature of the series.

While it finished on an incomplete note, I put my complete trust in Rowling to fill that void with whatever adventure she produces next.

. Edgar Hix: The danger here is not 'Harry Potter'

I am an Evangelical Christian and a "Harry Potter" fan. Is this a contradiction? Well, yes and no.

Yes, the Department of Mysteries has some goodies that contradict Christian doctrine. Yes, the main characters call themselves wizards and witches and do magic. The Bible condemns witchcraft.

The Potter series has lots and lots of ghosts, contradicting the reality of heaven and hell as described in Scripture. And, to this politically correct generation, I need to point out that Christianity, as it is practiced in the Bible, is a religion of absolutes -- one of which is no casting spells and similar practices because this kind of activity, when it actually works, is powered demonically and opens the user to demonic attack.

No, I don't see any of this as dangerous to children. As one who grew up on science fiction with its non-deistic and evolution-centered premises, I think one can enjoy reading without it being "theologically correct." How? By what your English teacher probably used to call "suspension of disbelief."

"Harry Potter" is fiction. Specifically, "Harry Potter" is fantasy fiction. It has dragons. It has house elves needing to have their civil liberties protected. It does not make statements about religion and, even if it does in some future book, they will be fantasy, whether true or false.

There is a threat, however: that children are not being taught how to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

Fantasy is a huge part of Western entertainment. But if you think car chases in real life are cool and go around trying to blow up vehicles, you've taken fantasy too far. The same is true of magic. Fantasy magic is fun, like talking vegetables are fun. Real magic is demonic.

The danger here is not "Harry Potter." We can learn good and bad things from Harry and his world. The danger is mixing fantasy and reality, regardless of whether the fantasy is magic, fashion photos, cowboys or whatever. That is a powerful and persistent problem for all of us, including me.

Faithful's fears about Harry Potter on the wane

By NANCY CHURNIN The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas — Harry Potter: pariah or parable? For a vocal group of Christians, the answer was resoundingly pariah when "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" made its U.S. debut in 1998.

The Harry Potter books, dealing with Harry's education at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, have topped the American Library Association's list of most protested books since 1999, according to Beverley Becker of the association's Office for Intellectual Freedom in Chicago.

Some churches even burned the books. The books' opponents cited biblical injunctions against witchcraft and divination, such as those found in Exodus and Leviticus.

But that opposition may be doing a vanishing act that would do Harry's professors proud.

Reg Grant, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, has noticed that protests have been muted as the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," was readied for release last Saturday. He wasn't surprised to hear that Harry dropped off the top-10 list of the ALA's most protested books last year.

"We were hearing so many complaints, and now we're hardly hearing any complaints at all," Becker said.

Grant believes an increasing number of Christians are "seeing there are many lessons we can celebrate and shake hands on." He also credits the Harry Potter films for the apparent change of heart. "I think the movies illustrated how much Christian theology has in common with the message of Harry Potter. Without the movies, we would still have a huge uproar."

And an increasing number of Christian writers are going further. Connie Neal, John Granger, Gina Burkart and John Killinger — a former youth pastor, classics teacher, creative writing professor and Congregationalist minister, respectively — are making a case to their faith community that Harry Potter is actually a parable.

Their theory? That instead of leading children down the path of the occult, J.K. Rowling is using magic in the way that Christian authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien did, as a way of enchanting children into hearing the story of the Gospel.

Neal shocked many in 2001 when she led the charge with "What's a Christian To Do With Harry Potter?" (WaterBrook Press, $12.99) and then followed up in 2002 with "The Gospel According to Harry Potter" (Westminster John Knox Press, $14.95). Her books were published between the fourth and fifth Harry Potter books.

She read the first Harry Potter book, "thinking I would explain to my kids why they wouldn't be reading it," said Neal, 47, an author of Christian and inspirational books who lives in Sacramento, Calif., with her husband and three kids.

But, she said, "when I got to the end, I thought that in all my years I can't think of a better illustration of the battle we're in against evil than of one who dies to save the one she loves."

Neal was referring to the moment when Harry discovers that the love of his mother, who died to save him when he was a baby, continues to protect him.

But when Neal wrote "What's a Christian To Do," many opponents were not ready to hear it.

"I used to get a lot of attack mail — so much so that I took my e-mail off my Web site because some of it was a little scary. I had people making statements such as 'Connie Neal is leading children directly into the occult.'" … Recently, Neal has since noticed a change. Angry letters have slacked off in the past year, and she has even started to get thank-you notes. Three years ago, when she would speak at churches, pastors would tell her not to bring her books about Harry Potter. This year, most church officials request them.

Other Christians still oppose Pottermania.

Richard Abanes, a prolific author of Christian books, including the newly released "Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings" (Harvest House, $11.99), scoffs at the idea that the Potter series promotes Christianity. "That's just wrong," said Abanes, 44, an evangelical Christian whose new book is the third he has written about the Potter phenomenon. He sees Harry as a child-empowerment tale with a supernatural twist that concerns him.

"Many real-world occultists and Wiccans are using the popularity of Harry Potter to bring kids into their practices. We have one extreme that's accusing Potter author J.K. Rowling of being Satanic. The others don't worry about the books at all. I'm desperately trying to get people to look at reality, which is usually middle of the road. You can't say they're deeply Satanic, but you can't say they're harmless. I am against giving them to very small children, and you need to be very careful with ages 7 to 10."

There has been confusion, too, as to the Vatican's position on Rowling's books. Potter fans rejoiced in 2003 when spokesman Paul Fleetwood said: "If I have understood well the intentions of Harry Potter's author, they help children to see the difference between good and evil."

But when Pope Benedict XVI succeeded Pope John Paul II, Potter critics brought up a letter the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had written that praised a book critical of Harry Potter: "This is a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow properly."

Still, the tide seems to be turning. Like Grant, Gina Burkart, whose book, "A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter" (InterVarsity Press, $11), came out in June, credits the movies with making people less fearful.

"A lot of people didn't know what the books were about. They got all worked up because someone would say how evil they were, and then they wouldn't read the books. Now some of the people who didn't want to read the books have seen the movies, and that may have alleviated their fears."

Burkart, 34, teaches creative writing on the college level. She says she has been impressed by the way the books help her children, ages 12, 10 and 8, understand their Catholic faith.

"One of the most powerful connections my son made was when he was in the fourth grade," Burkart said. "He told me that when Harry drives the serpent's tooth through Tom Riddle's journal in 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' that reminded him of how Christ destroyed Satan's book of lies when they drove the nails through Christ's hands and feet.

"And he told me that when the phoenix's tears heal Harry, that made him think of Christ's tears at the crucifixion. That's how Christ heals us."

Killinger, a Congregationalist minister, also takes the Christian parallels pretty far in his 2002 "God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels" (St. Martin's Press, $12.95), at one point referring to Harry as an "often unwitting Christ figure."

Like Neal, John Granger picked up his first Harry Potter book only so he could tell his daughter Hannah, then 11, why she shouldn't read it.

Granger, a classics teacher, and his wife are devout members of the Greek Orthodox Church. They home-school their seven children, screen their books and don't own a television.

Granger respects people who don't read the Harry Potter books because their priest tells them not to.

"They're being obedient," he said. "That's part of being a Christian."

But Granger's priest expressed no opinion on Harry Potter. So Granger went ahead and discovered the messages that surprised him and inspired his 2004 book, "Looking for God in Harry Potter" (Tyndale House Publishers, $16.99).

"Harry rises from the dead after three days. Harry is saved by the sacrificial love of his mother. A snake drinks the blood of the unicorn, which makes you immortal but damned. That's First Corinthians," Granger said, referring to the New Testament passage that states: "It follows that anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of desecrating the body and blood of the Lord."

"This book — and later I found out every book — ends with Harry's figurative death and his resurrection in the presence of a traditional symbol of Christ," Granger said.

He gave Hannah the book the next day.

Harry Potter and the question of morality

Are the Harry Potter books fun fantasy to enjoy or temptations to do wrong?

BY JOE RODRIGUEZ

The Wichita Eagle

Is there anything wrong -- morally or spiritually -- with the immensely popular Harry Potter books?

It depends on whom you talk with.

For some people, the J.K. Rowling books, including the one released just last week ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"), cloud young people's minds with images of wizardry, witchcraft and occult activity and glamorize a character who lies.

Hardly the stuff of Christian values, they say.

For others, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the books. They tell stories -- captivating stories -- and readers know the difference between fantasy and reality.

And there's nothing in the books that undermines faith, they say.

Wichitan Sarah Warfield, 18, has read all six of the Harry Potter books. She said they're like much classic literature -- they spark some sort of controversy.

She understands why some people may have religious concerns about the books, but she doesn't think it's a major issue.

"When you're reading, you're not reading it thinking, 'it's dark and scary and I want to do witchcraft,' " she said. "You're thinking, 'I like Harry Potter as a person,' and you recognize it as a story of fantasy."

If you banned stories of fantasy, you'd wipe out three-fourths of books geared toward children, said Connie Neal, a California-based author who has written two books about religion and Harry Potter.

She pointed to stories such as Cinderella and even "A Christmas Carol," in which Ebenezer Scrooge talks with the dead.

In the Harry Potter books, Neal sees the use of wizardry and witchcraft as a literary device.

"This is classic fairy tale, myth," she said.

And Neal said she thinks more people are recognizing that aspect of them.

At a Christian booksellers convention she attended four years ago, the feedback she received on her first book, "What's a Christian to Do With Harry Potter?" ranged from "very cautious to adamantly against me."

Earlier this month, she returned to the annual convention with her newest Harry Potter book, "The Gospel According to Harry Potter."

Attitudes had changed.

"This time, it ranged from, 'Oh thank you' to 'I'm a Harry Potter fan, too,' " she said. "The attitude has changed 180 degrees."

But it hasn't changed for everyone.

Pastor Steve Day of Friendship Baptist Church in southeast Wichita said the Harry Potter books are an example of popular culture that he opposes. He also speaks out against movies such as "Bewitched" that depict witchcraft as harmless and others that are sexually explicit.

Harry Potter "lied and he was into witchcraft, that kind of thing, cult kind of stuff," Day said. "That's something that kids shouldn't be exposed to.

"It's just opening doors of opportunity for young people to experiment in that and get into something that they really don't know what it is."

His views are shared by Wichitans John and Laura Murphy. The couple has three children, ages 15, 12 and 11, and doesn't want them reading the Harry Potter books.

"There's a lot of occult concerns," she said. "And then the language, there's a lot of inappropriate language and just things like that."

She also dislikes the fact that characters justify lying or stealing "because it's for an ultimate good."

Murphy said she doesn't criticize parents who enjoy the novels and allow their children to read them. Her decision to keep the books out of her home -- as well as cable television -- is based on her and her husband's values.

"It's just teaching or portraying things in a different value system than what we want to expose our children to," she said.

Wichitan Mary Beth Thomas enjoys the Harry Potter books, as do her three daughters, ages 14, 12 and 10. She says Harry's not perfect but thinks readers are able to distinguish between right and wrong.

"I think it's a great morality book, myself."

Harry Potter "breaks the rules, he lies by omission, no question," she said. "But in my opinion, the kids, they're always looking for greater good. Like Harry, he puts himself in mortal danger to help save his friends all the time."

Thomas also feels that readers, including children, are able to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

"I have always considered (the books) fun, fantasy -- and what an imagination that author has," she said. "I just think it's really very clever."

Children party it up for Harry Potter

Dozens of area youngsters gathered at the Beloit Public Library to celebrate their love of Harry Potter and his latest adventures in J.K. Rowling's recently released book.

In honor of the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the library converted its top floor into its own version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Thursday. Wizarding students took part in scavenger hunts, wizard trivia bingo, potions class and a story telling session where the children could make their own Pensieves.

Not all the children had finished the new novel, which sold 6.9 million copies in the United States in its first day on bookshelves Saturday. The library has copies making their way from child to child, but even those that hadn't read the book yet were excited about the Potter party.

During potions class, the children talked about the world Rowling had created as they made dream pillows and herb vinegar under the direction of librarian Jody Winchester.

"It's cool that he does magic tricks because I used to pretend that I always did magic, but I never did any," Kyra Putman, 8, of Beloit, said.

Putman used to pretend she could levitate things, but said if she had magic powers now she would like to turn everything into cotton candy.

"I like all the mysteries and the funny parts like when they get stuck in trees," Shamika Adams, 11, of Janesville said.

Next to her, D'Nea Yancey, 10, of Beloit, said she loved the magic and imagination of Potter's world. Yancey even said she has done a little magic.

"I tried to make someone fall in school and he fell back and broke his pencil," she said.

Dan Roberts, 9, of Beloit, would play Quidditch and study potions if he could attend Hogwarts. And he would try and become an animagus so he could turn into a dog.

"I like every book. There's always an adventure in it," Roberts said.

Kristen Cullen, 9, of Beloit, said she would love to live in Hogwarts or at the Burrow, where Potter's friend Ron Weasly lives with his family.

Sisters Emily and Kelly Siekierski, 14 and 11, both of Beloit, started reading the Harry Potter books with their mother after the release of the first movie.

"I think (Rowling) writes really, really well. It's the best written fantasy books I've read and I like the story," Emily said.

She liked the sixth book better than the fourth, but it still hasn't replaced the third as her favorite.

"I basically just like how magical it is," Kelly said.

Both the girls agreed their favorite character aside from Potter was Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Kelly admires the way he doesn't take offense and keeps his manners even if someone is being rude to him.

Aaron Mendelson, 12, of Beloit, who likes Ron Weasly best after Potter because of his comic relief, has been reading the books since they first came out.

"I like the way (the series) was written and that it has magic," he said.

Although he thought the ending of the sixth book was too sad, he is eagerly awaiting the seventh installment.

Potter among Net pirates

The latest Rowling blockbuster is yours if you can so much as tap your finger on the mouse. The Harry Potter magic has been made real this time by the Net, with result that you hardly have to buy it. Read on.

Navigate to one of those Internet relay chat (IRC) channels and you have it for free. If you are willing to pay for the read then visit sites like eBay -where illegal ebooks have been floated by Potter pirates from the US, UK, Singapore and even India.

The print version is available in word or PDF format while the audio version is available in wav format. All you need is Acrobat or Windows mediaplayer and wham, the book is yours - why spend Rs 895?

Pirate versions of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were available on the Net within 12 hours of the official release -- scanned and proof-read.

Pirates are meeting on various blog and chat sites and trading scanned and proof-read illegal versions of the book - at times at a cost, others are simply sharing the contents at large. You can even access illegal audio versions of the book on the Internet.

Ebay India representatives, however, say that ebooks have been banned on its site, but accept that they were possibly floated from another country. "We have banned ebooks on ebay.in,'' said Ebay India spokesperson Deepa Thomas.

According to the book's official distributors in the country Penguin India, the publishers Bloomsbury have not yet put up an Internet version. But they are not worried. "It's not easy reading an 800-page tome on the computer," said Penguin senior vice-president P M Sundaram.