The American Library Association Web site is a bounty of information — especially about books. But the site isn’t just a place for renewals, fees and reviews. Instead it is a gathering of information and facts about books themselves, and the influences they’ve had intellectually and culturally. There is a great quote you see when you do a search for the words “Harry Potter.”
The quotation is taken from a play written in 1821 by Heinrich Heine, called Almansor, which reads, “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.” How appropriate.
The release of J.K. Rowling’s fifth installment in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” will surely spawn more contempt and over-zealous overbearing on the behalf of conservative-Christian parents trying to raise others’ children.
Rolwing’s books are, according to the ALA’s Web site, more contested than other books like “Huck Finn” and “Catcher in the Rye.” The cause of all the clamor over this young and courageous British wizard and the author who writes the books is the belief that the Harry Potter series causes children to veer toward Satanism and witchcraft. Obviously, something is amiss.
The series itself, witchcraft and Satan aside, is one of the most popular in history. Printed in over 20 different languages, breaking e-commerce and printing records and inspiring children to put away the PlayStation and read, it has become the most popular children’s series to date.
Aside from the many accolades the series and its author have received, there are those who would wish to do away completely with Harry and his friends at Hogwart’s academy. Although the book has helped some children to advance as much as two reading levels in one summer, or inspired others to read more fantasy-based works, there are still some who can’t see past their own narrow-mindedness to acknowledge what Rowling has achieved with her books.
Potter pros and cons taken out, what the issue boils down to is censorship. If parents don’t want their children exposed to the evils of Harry Potter because of the ludicrous idea that it may stray their children away from the flock, then the parents should more closely monitor what their children are reading instead of making sure no children are reading. You never hear a story of a Harry Potter fan asking school libraries to ban the Bible from bookshelves because it may derail the evils being taught in these innocent children’s books.
This isn’t the first time something such as this has happened. Every time there is something that is edgy, questioning or inspiring, and it is popular, there are those who will come forward to champion for their beliefs and then force everyone else to conform.
This is where the true evil lies. Not in books. Not in the mind of an English author. The real evil lies in those who want to think for the rest of society. In those who want to raise your children the way they see fit.
Let’s not allow this to happen to something that has benefited the minds of so many children worldwide. In a world of broadband internet and graphic accelerated video games, anything that entices a person to pick up a book is a good thing. Reading leads to reading. And there is little knowledge to be found in video games like there is in books.
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