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Nice to see excitement over Harry Potter books
By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Staff Writer
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said that a bookstore was the only piece of evidence that people are still thinking.
I think he is right.
With all the ridiculous hoopla surrounding Paris Hilton’s adventures in recent weeks, among other crappy stories, it was refreshing to see people get so excited about the recent release of the final installment of the Harry Potter books.
On July 20, thousands packed the Borders bookstore at Champlain Centre mall in anticipation of getting their new books.
People waited for hours, many dressed in Potter character costumes.
It wasn’t just kids waiting, either. There were mothers, fathers, grandparents, white-collar types, blue-collar types and even a few journalists.
A young woman was one of the first to get a book, and she was beaming. “I’m so excited,” she said as she ripped out of the store anxious to get home to start reading.
Another young woman burst from her car in the parking lot screaming, “I want my book!”
The huge crowd and their excitement is proof that the written word and the imagination have not taken a permanent vacation.
It’s easy to get caught up in the garbage that cable television stations present as news, sometimes, but we must remember that there is no substitute for real brain food: literature.
Yes, Harry Potter is a fictional work about wizards and witches, but great story-telling never goes out of style.
And not to mention, the books have plenty of real-life lessons and the always valid good vs. evil theme.
That’s what makes the books so educational and so darned good, not to mention the cool details author J.K. Rowling provides for some of the items in the wizarding world.
It would have been so cool to watch one of my friends receive a howler when I was growing up.
I didn’t want to stick around until 3 or 4 a.m. to get my book last Friday, but I was glad I went just for the reassurance that Mr. Seinfeld was indeed correct.
Comments
I still get excited when I wait for the postman to bring my monthly edition of Mad Magazine. And I don't have to wait in line at 4 a.m., either ...
Posted by: firemanjim | July 30, 2007 2:10 PM
I have to say, I agree. As much as I am not a Harry Potter fan, in as much as I don't like the Harry Potter franchise, there is no denying the awesome ability that it has had to quickly become a cult-classic in our era. Not to mention the ability to instill such interest in a book. A book! When was the last time that people stood outside and inside bookstores until after midnight just for their copy of a new book?
Star Wars has been around for years and has been setting up midnight showings in the decades its been out, yet despite their popular and devoted following have not garnered fans standing outside stores to such a multitude for the next book.
I can't think of anything else that has created this much energy and general euphoria when talking of a book. It conjurs up the days when the written word was truly appreciated by the masses.
Now, I've never seen Harry Potter. I've not even read a line of the books. The idea doesn't interest me and I generally loath it, but nevertheless, it has to be said that it is certainly interesting to see such interest in a binding of printed letters.
From people that I've talked to, this book has moved them to read other books and other genres - not just Fantasy. They've discovered the joy of reading. If anything, a simple congratulations to Rowling for being that successful.
Now, it's just going to be interesting to see if such a trend is able to stand now that Potter is gone from the "Upcoming Titles" list in book-stores.
Posted by: KeepinBusy | August 4, 2007 3:27 PM