Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.
Review
This book kicked off a worldwide phenomenon, selling hundreds of millions of books and grossing billions more in peripheral merchandise and films. Everything about the book is so magical; from the 12 rejections Rowling faced before it was published, to the actual plot itself, of an unloved 11-year old boy with magical abilities who gains friends and triumphs over evil, the book is a classic underdog upset story in more ways than one.
I first read this book when I was learning English; although I was several years younger than Harry's age in the book, the story really resonated with me. Something about the simplicity of the themes (friendship, good vs. evil, etc.) was so satisfying. Re-reading the book now, the sentiment is still the same; the book is nostalgic and reminiscent of childhood, a time when the world was simple but magical, when imagination, not logic, dictated reality.
At the time I only read the first two books of the series; I'm looking to finish read the entire series from start to finish this time around. Re-reading the first book, I felt that the language was a little childish, but not unreadable. Although I roughly remember the plot, I still enjoyed re-reading the story as Rowling subtly dropped plot hints throughout the book, details which I missed in my first reading over a decade ago. While reading the book, the mature, logic-driven part of my brain kept shouting questions at me: why are there no computers in the Gringotts Wizarding Bank (could probably afford to hire less goblins with ATMs)? what would happen to the owls once witches and wizards discover email (maybe they can deliver packages for wizard Amazon)? can you replicate magic with technology (what would we discover if we apply muggle physics to magic)? I had to relearn how to tune out the adult, questioning part of my brain and to just enjoy the story. This was a surprisingly pleasant experience.
Conclusion
A book which harkens back to the magic of childhood.