Harry Potter: The Last Hope for American Literacy?

I'm not going to jump up and down and sing the praises of juvenile fantasy novels. I admit, I enjoy the Harry Potter books, but there's no need to talk about that. If you read them, you know why people like them. If you don't, you're tired of hearing about it. I started reading them later than most, and one of the big reasons was that I couldn't get away from people telling me I should read them. " Oh. My. God. You haven't read Harry Potter? You have to. You just have to. It's the best thing since Jesus. If you read them your soul will be renewed with the energy of a thousand suns." It made me want to punch the little punk in the head and break his glasses. It was a lot of rage to have for a fictional character.

This isn't about liking or hating Harry Potter, though. This is about your kids. That's right, your children. The fact is, Harry Potter may very well save your children from a life without books.

I don't think that anyone needs to be reminded that the Harry Potter series is popular. In the U.S., the newest book sold 4.1 million copies in 24 hours. It is not at all rare to hear people (young or old) heatedly discussing their theories about what will happen next in the novels. It seems to be hip to wear clothing that references the books. I have not researched the online fan community, but it is surely rabid. Let's think about this. 4.1 million in one day? Can you think of a single book that has sold that many copies ever? The Bible. That's about it. People discussing books? Not only discussing, but making assertions about them, and pulling clues from the text? That doesn't happen outside of a classroom. Not in America. Not often in classrooms, really. And then, book-based merchandise being a hot seller. I just can't wrap my head around it.

Ok, so what does this tell us, besides the fact that J.K. Rowling is wealthy beyond comprehension? The Harry Potter series are books that people get excited about. Not just "Strip club? Nah, I'd rather sit down with a book" readers, but people who haven't read a book since they left high school. Like it or hate it, this series is a phenomenon.