Lumos!

I remember before the first Harry Potter movie came out, my parents and I were listening to a BSO concert on the radio.  It was the summer, so they were out at Tanglewood, and John Williams had come to guest conduct them, and to premier music from The Sorceror's Stone.  We hadn't known about it ahead of time and we did not listen to these concerts as a general rule, but here I was, an avid Harry Potter fan (sorry Madeline L'Engle, but I am) and I was catching the first notes of what I knew would become an epic soundtrack.

The first thing that they played was Hedwig's Theme.  Without naming it, I would have known what it was.  I got chills when I heard the celesta come in and I think that I may have held my breath for the entire opening.  I know that I got teary-eyed.  I have a great amount of respect for those books.  While they have their moments, I would not consider them to be beautifully written.  They were certainly entertaining, and like a great mystery they always kept me guessing, but there is nothing about the writing that suggests that an equally as creative high school student with all the plot points could not have come out with the same product.  No, the respect that I have stems from the fact that J. K. Rowling, knowing or unknowing, took the pulse of the entire world and came out with a captivating tale that inspired millions of people (not just children) to read!  Not only that, but she has opened the doors for other writers, and obliterated the stereotypes that surround fantasy fiction.  I don't care if she's as rich as the Pope!  She has changed the literary world for the better.

On the other hand, that's a lot to live up to.  Up to which I must live, I should say.  :-)