Here’s my short list of why I liked reading the Harry Potter series and why you might want to consider reading it if you haven’t read them.  I’ve read all of the them in the past few months and was surprised.  I thought it was going to be like 4th grade reading level and while the first book is more basic, the books increase in depth and complexity as they go along.  Here we go:

1. I was talking to a wife of a pastor the other day and she had read all the books as well and she said they were “Freaking Awesome!” I agree – so check them out.
2. The quality of writing and storytelling totally surprised me.  I just had fun reading this books and that’s not always easy to come by for me.  I thought it would be only for kids, but it’s not.
3. Systems baby - I’ve mentioned multiple times that there are sections in the series that portray some of the organizational/congregational dynamics that I love studying and thinking about.  For people who are drawn to read some of my thoughts here that relate to Friedman and systems, there’s some great illustrations and catalysts for thought – especially in books 4 and 5.
4. The self-fulfilling prophecy and the leader at risk. This is illustrated more later in the series, but there’s actually some fairly insightful portrayals of the leadership danger of the self-fulfilling prophecy.  The antagonist in the books is developed well along lines that really draw out this dynamic – how that which we seek to control by force out of fear actually ends up ruining us because of our own actions inspired by fear.  That might not do it justice, but I thought there was great character development pertaining to the dark side of character development and of leadership and power.
5. Teen Romance. The books start with the heroes at age 11 and it tracks them through age 17 and they do a great job illustrating the hormonal changes and awkward dynamics between teen boys and girls.  Some classic stuff.
6. Good illustrations and insights pertaining to power. Just as the antagonist is driven by power, the protagonist is routinely tested by how power is going to be stewarded.  There are great contrasts provided and great insights.
7. Great humor - I found them to contain some great humor and I really enjoyed them.
8. It’s a long series. You ever read a good book and want it to keep going.  Ultimately, there’s no way around that, but it drags out the enjoyment for a lot longer when you’re covering 7 books and several thousand pages.  There’s a familiarity that builds and an attachment to the characters grow.
9. They are not non-fiction books or seminary books which is what I read 90% of the time.  Which means these books are easy to read, fun to read, and relaxing to read – all things not true of most of what I read.
10. They make the movies more enjoyable - I wasn’t committed to watching those movies when they came out, but I have enjoyed the movies even more now that I have a bit more of the background and detailed character development of the books.

I know some Christians freak out on anything that has stuff like magic and witchcraft in it.  I don’t disagree that at times there can be some danger there, but from a genre standpoint I don’t mind it and actually I’m drawn to a lot of mythology of all sorts and this is some of how books like this come off to me.Anyway, there you have it…they were great books that I can see myself reading again down the line sometime and was glad I took the time to read them.

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Tagged as: Book Reviews, Movies and Television