Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is the second post in honor of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week.  You can find the first one here.

July 2003: The final cultural event of which I take note is the release of the long-awaited fifth volume in the Harry Potter series.  Having decided to opt out of the midnight partying in favor of a good night’s sleep, I picked up my reserved copy at Borders soon after they opened Saturday morning and settled in on the couch with a mug of tea on the stand beside me, eager to learn what adventures and challenges would engage Harry and his friends this time.

Banned Books Week - Potter-Mania

In honor of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week (September 24-30, 2011), I'm posting reviews that I wrote in 2000 and 2003 about the Harry Potter books.  Though no serious challenge to the Potter series has been mounted in the past three years, ALA records show numerous attempts within the past decade to remove one or more of the volumes from school and public libraries.  The forces of censorship continue to threaten literature, from classics such as Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," and "Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, to contemporary young adult novels such as the Twilight series.  Those who value free inquiry and education need to remain vigilant.

            During the week preceding the release of the fourth Harry Potter novel, I decided that it was time that I caught up with this particular bit of popular culture.  Having been a junior high English teacher early on in my career, I am gratified to learn of any phenomenon which gets young people reading and using their imaginations instead of merely parking in front of a television set for hours on end.  Still, I was aware from various letters to the editors of the local papers that the Potter books are not without controversy.  Wanting to form my own opinions on the matter, I borrowed the first volume from a co-worker and settled in at the laundromat with book in hand, figuring that the 45 minute wait while washers and dryers performed their appointed tasks was just about enough time to determine if the story was sufficient to hold my attention.