I heart Harry Potter

Seriously. I love this epic story. I used to be  a hater, and I resisted the mania for years. Literally. But then I actually watched all the movies in a row (thanks to a fellow grad student's HP collection!), and then I read the first 6 books. Over Christmas break. When I finally got my hands on Book 7, I read it in like a day. Who needs sleep when you have to find out what happens to Harry?! IT'S SO GOOD. My advisor in grad school, a quite serious scholar and mother, told me that she skipped going to the archives one day just to finish reading book 7. That's a serious concession from an historian. But trust me. The books are just that good. 

Moral of this posting? Read the Harry Potter books. Here's why I love them:

1. I am boring and uninspired, but JK Rowling is magically and brilliantly creative in weaving the story of Harry Potter. 
2. Family and friendship are really important to Harry. 
3. JK Rowling makes up words. But the words are so perfect, you wonder why they were never in the English language before now. Like muggle. 
4. The whole plot about "cleaning the bloodlines" reminds me of the Nazi party and their "Final Solution," which I think is sort of a cool way for kids (and adults) to attempt to grasp the Holocaust. 
5. In the books, there's a whole side story about Hermione trying to abolish elf slavery, since the elves are similar to a hybrid of serf and slave. Her comments and her friends' responses are similar to what actually went down regarding abolition. Hermione wants to free the elves, and others say "but they wouldn't know what to do with freedom. They like having masters." I love that JK Rowling looked to human events to craft her story. 
6. I love their accents. 
7. I wish I was friends with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. And that I went to Hogwarts (aside from the giant spiders lurking in the forest). That's how good Rowling is. 
8. Voldemort means "flight of death" in French. So clever. 

So, I, a 26 (almost 27!!) year-old woman love Harry Potter. I openly admit it. AND THE MOVIE COMES OUT tonight. I've already taken my nap so that I can give Harry my undivided attention and focus. I might just even dress up...