Conversations
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Shame...
I, too, am proud to call myself an original Potter fan, I called myself a Potterhead and then saw that being used everywhere! I discovered Harry Potter when I was in the 8th grade and I was unaware that it was a series and actually read Chamber of Secrets first. Like others, I introduced J.K. Rowling's great work to friends and family, and they fell in love as well. I remember it was when Goblet of Fire came out that "Potter-Mania" began. I went crazy trying to get a hold of that book, LOL, so starting with book 5 I then pre-ordered the books to avoid the frenzy! I am now in my senior year of college (I graduate in May!) and I still love Harry Potter and I've conceded that I always will ^_^. It probably seems kind of weird to some, I know, but if you're a truly avid reader and bibliophile like me then you would understand. It's just the sheer awe and appreciation for an amazing world within our own that J.K. Rowling created with it's intense story that has captivated the world and encouraged a whole generation of readers. It would be equivalent to blasphemy not to acknowledge that this series is the tangible product of 17 years of a person's effort, determination, heart, and soul. Many people actually have asked me, "How can you read that?", I think to myself how ignorant some people can be, how they can talk down to others about something they never tried themselves, but my best reply to that is, "It's not my fault if you don't have an adequate ability for imagination".
Rowan Fortune Wood about 1 year ago
I have to agree with you. I think there are much better books (that are not mind-bending or hugely physophical) out there. I guess I'm "ashamed" of it because I don't think it deserves to the the most popular book. I didn't like it at all.....
Facebook User about 1 year agoYou are so very right.Because of the immense popularity of Harry Potter everyone who can will try this and since no one wants to be a minority they will say"we loved it".This is the only reason why this is the most read book
Ajith Nair about 1 year agoI hardly think that the fact this these books enjoy a high frequency on this list reflects any kind of reality. I can't speak for everyone else, but after about 15 minutes of entering what books I have already read into the system I got busy and had to quit and haven't spent a lot of time going back and filling it in. The Harry Potter books came up as suggestions and since I've read them I added them to my list (less work than typing in the names of dozens/hundred of books). I imagine they were suggested because they are so popular, which means they are probably suggested to most users which means it is a self-fulfilling spiral of popularity kind of thing.
Penny about 1 year agoWell......... I am more than likely one of the older readers of the Harry Potter series, and I can honestly say that I can understand it being the most read book on visual bookshelf. Just stop and think of all the plots that she put into these books. She has a written a series that rivals Sherlock Holmes. I know once I started reading the first book, I put everything else on hold until I had finished the last one. I am just curious if she will do the same as Doyle and bring Harry or his children back. I think she will be pressured by her publisher to continue the story in some way.
Facebook User about 1 year agoI agree with Mark on the insignificance of "the most read book" label. However I did roll my eyes a bit when i noticed how many other books it beats.... Go figure!
Facebook User about 1 year agoJust becase you don't like it doesn't mean anyone else that does is an idiot. There is no shame in reading fantasy of anykind. Gone with the Wind isn't real but I don't see anyone bad mouthing people who read it. I would much rather my children read almost anything rather than watch cartoons or kids shows where they kick get to see people kick and punch. I allow my children to watch some of it but their creativity will flourish more if I can get them to read. The world would be a much better place if people complained less or could keep their comments to "I didn't care for it" rather than "poo" all over it like children.
Kate Will about 1 year agoI tend to agree with Rowan. Basically, Harry Potter is LIGHT reading, and as far as escapist, entertaining fantasy novels go, there are far superior ones out there, in terms of plot, character development, social commentary. It has mass appeal yes, but then, I get the impression that it was contrived specifically to cater to mass marketing and advertisement (Harry Potter action figures, video games, school bags, the works). The media frenzy actually turned me off of the series for quite some time, and I only picked it up after seeing Goblet of Fire. I wasn't wowed, but I attribute this to the fact that this series is geared towards kids/teens. Any commentary on serious themes and issues is vaguely hinted at and lightly treated/glossed over, which in my opinion, makes it 'literature' only for people in a certain age bracket. All this circus about studying it in universities, really I don't get. Kudos to the series, for getting youth back into reading, but shouldn't we be stepping up the level a bit now? Harry Potterism is great as a stepping stone/doorway into more serious reading, but I think people are elevating it to a status it doesn't deserve. I think if I'm interpreting Rowan correctly,what is to be ashamed of, is that the 'mainstream social community' doesn't appear to be moving beyond Harry Potter,... that books that have serious moral lessons and thought-provoking philosophical discussions, that delve more deeply into the issues that face the modern world, AREN'T coming anywhere NEAR to the popularity of Potter.
Denice about 1 year agoIf that makes me a pretentious literary snob, then I'm proud to be in that category,*takes a bow*.
I read all seven books, some more than once. They are good. Not C.S. Lewis perhaps but better than most of what makes the best seller list. (Da Vinci Code...blech). Let's not fall into the snob trap of hating anything that is popular. If you would like to suggest other books of interest to HP readers, that would be helpful, but I actually found the books quite interesting and I think that a lot of what Rowling was trying to say (about the eternal danger of society falling into fascism) are well worth considering. Perhaps once the initial frenzy has died down we can discuss the finer points of the series instead of the fantasy elements.
David about 1 year agoI read all seven books, also, some more than once, for the sake of keeping a few details straight before I moved on to the next one. They are okay, certainly not C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia would certainly be the next series I would suggest to HP readers, followed by Lord of the Rings, sticking within the fantasy genre. Especially since most of the HP generation have probably seen the LOTR and Narnia movies by now. Of course, if I hated anything that is popular, I would now hate both LOTR and Narnia, yet they are still two of my favourite fantasy series. As for the best seller list, it is just that, what books sell best. The fact that Potter is better than many on that list, just proves the point that while the series has gotten people to read, it isn't getting people to move on to BETTER books. To move on to books with deeper, more mature opinions and discussions of Rowling's 'themes' of love, death, sacrifice, good vs. evil, flaws in human nature. If we want to consider fascism etc., we would be better off reading George Orwell's Animal Farm. Has HP gotten any of these new readers to move on to Oliver Twist or The Chrysalids? That's what we want, for good literature to become popular books. A book SHOULD be more than mere entertainment, good literature makes you think.
Denice about 1 year agoyou have to look at where this bookshelf is. on Facebook. the vast majority of people on facebook are teenagers and young adults. Harry Potter was WAY over rated and WAY over popularized. the only reason So Many people have read it is because there was a big stink about it not being in schools, then people got excited because it "was something they wern't suposed to read", and so then people started reading it. then they told there friends to read it, who read it, and so on and so forth. HP is not the best fantasy book, nor is it the best childrens/young adults book.
Amanda about 1 year agoand you also have to remember that great works like shakespear, hemmingway, faulkner, bronte, tolstoy, etc. are generally Not read by teens/young adults.
Well I disagree on multiple counts. First of all, I don't believe most people of any age read these books because of this "big stink" you spoke of. I believe it catches peoples minds from all generations, and not just children or young adults, because of the issues the books deal with as well as the quality of work. Perhaps it is not on the level of great literature as Shakespeare or Dostoevsky, but it's still an incredible work of it's own. I believe the seventh book of the series was ground breaking as it has opened ideas and concepts of death that I have never really thought about, and I have a personal attachment to it as it has helped me understand many facets of fear and courage. I think it is a mistake to label Harry Potter as just another form of popular literature or a children's tale. The depth of and insight of the message as well as the ability to connect to the modern world, allows it to transcend itself. It becomes more than just a book but something one can find hope in and even answers to one's own fears. I don't believe young adults are not likely to read classic literature either, but that is another argument. I want to say that although this novel doesn't use allusions like Moby Dick and does not contain the depth of each line as does Hawthorne in Scarlet Letter, it still manages to take an incredible message and allow it to connect to all readers and allow one to really begin to reevaluate ones perspective of life and death. For me, most classic literature merely expands on what I already believe and know and it becomes interesting in the way they prove their message in their writing, but Rowling stands out, to me, in her ability to bring a take of countless themes that seem unique and inspirational.
Aaron about 1 year agoWhy do people take the time to discuss things like this? Who cares if it's the most read book? It's a book. People read books, whether its for fun, or for building ones knowledge.
Katie about 1 year agoSaying it's a shame for people to over read something they enjoy is ridiculous. I love Harry Potter, and if it wasn't for this series I would have never picked up reading. I used to hate reading, but when I started the series I went crazy. And kept myself occupied reading lots of books while I waited for the next one to come out. Now I'm an avid reader, and indulge in ALL types of books. True, I still reread the Harry Potter books, but what's the harm? That's what a book is for, to read.
Yes! Thank you! Your comment was eloquent and succinct. I want to hug you right now for giving such a well-worded defense of a book I cherish.
Shannon about 1 year ago-An English Major
here here!
argument concluded in one post! and it's taken 14 pages... lol
Facebook User about 1 year agoI think shameful is a little too strong... it is a good book but it gained it popularity through its simple language/readability rather than fine quality writing.
However i don't think I'm much of one to criticize since the only problems I have with HP are the same problems I have with most fiction books... the fiction part. I prefer informative reading... most history books and science books are just as entertaining as Harry Potter yet have real world applications and uses. What does any fiction books provide for society beyond a good moral story. I really do not know why so few casual readers read non-fiction... it's like people think the authors of non-fiction will read like textbook...
Leroy about 1 year agoI agree with you, Aaron, on every count except the fact that Harry Potter may not be as great a piece of literature as Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare - because I think it might just be that great. We can try to be modest about our era's footprint in literature, but I think we take that modesty too far. J.K. Rowling has reinvented the wheel - she has taken an already fabulous genre and reintroduced it to us - in a way that is relevant and timely to us. For this day and age, why should she not be our Oscar Wilde, or our Charles Dickens?
We can sit in our lit classes and denounce everything that has come out since George Orwell, or we can actually admit that we are in the midst of a new era in literature. The sooner we recognize it, the sooner we can analyze it with the surroundings of other instances of our time. The fact that Harry Potter was written almost half before and half after September 11th, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, new scientific inventions, new philosophical ideas - they all relate to the time in which they exist. Harry Potter is great because it is well written, wildly entertaining, etc - but it is exceptional because it is one tiny fragment of something global and huge in a time when global has just fully reached our vocabulary. This is what they will study when we are all gone - how Harry Potter changed us, along with all those other things.
This is why is absolutely fitting - and completely not embarrassing - to have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the number one book on Visual Bookshelf. As far as I'm concerned, there really isn't another book that deserves the spot.
Facebook User about 1 year agoI enjoy nonfiction as much as the next person. I am a history sponge who watches History International and NatGeo far more than any teenager should. However, I have learned more about our own world from fiction and fantasy than any textbook I have ever read. As anyone familiar with hero stories and great epics can tell you, those stories are not about defeating the Trojans or finding a way for Gilgamesh to live forever. They are about what it is to be human. Joseph Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces is spot on when it says the hero story is nothing more or less than a universal tale of coming of age and finding one's place in our world. That is why we will always have hero stories, be it King Arthur or Star Wars.
Shannon about 1 year agoIt is your kind of thinking that would have thrown the only existing copy of Beowulf away. It very nearly was because it was about dragons and monsters and so could have no merit as literature. But Tolkein saved that copy and saved the world from losing a valuable look at the values and concerns of an entire culture. All epics and even myths tell you more about the people who created them than archaeology ever could.
Harry Potter is filled to the brim with historical allusions and real world parallels. There are extremely heavy-handed connections to Nazi Germany. Just consider Durmstrang (Sturm und drang much?), the camps Grindelwald built before his death in 1945 (Interesting choice of year), and the Muggle-Born Registration Act (Nuremberg Laws ringing any bells?). And in the later books we can oh so clearly see our current world problems reflected back at us. The government uses domestic spying, torture, and incarceration without trial to achieve its ends. Sound familiar? Not to mention the whole bloody struggle with Voldemort is hugely relevant to any society combating intolerance or extremism. And in the movie the Death Eater threads look remarkably reminiscent of the KKK.
There is more truth in fiction and allegories than in most textbooks. For all too often it is only through veils of fantasy that we can tell the truth without fear of social or legal ramifications. This is clearly evident in The Crucible which was not meant as a play about the Salem Witch Trials. It was a cry against Joseph McCarthy and blacklisting in a time when one could not speak out against his communist witch trial without being accused of sedition.
So my advice to you, Leroy, is to look deeper and think harder. You may just learn something.
I definitely agree with Christie. I mean, just because there are a large number of people who read Harry Potter, does not mean that there aren't numbers of people just as large that read other great works of literature. Personally, I find that most of the people who indulge in the Visual Bookshelf application have extremely varying tastes in novels and other such things, myself included. I would rather have a larger population of people reading than a bunch of nit-wits walking around thinking that the Harry Potter movies are going to tell them the whole story, and therefore they do not need to read the books. I think the Harry Potter series is certainly literature to be appreciated maybe not for its philosophical value, but its highly articulated aesthetic approach to a fantasy world. I really don't believe there is anything to be ashamed of. It is not like great works will stop existing because of Harry Potter.
Ksera Dyette about 1 year agoIt so happens that your choice is a miniscule minority and so your negative opinion on Deathly Hollows doesnt count......the world still is mostly democratic!
MonAmi about 1 year ago