CITYWIDE Whether or not “Harry Potter” is just a children’s book that appeals to adults or a novel intended for a mature audience is debatable, but one thing is for certain: The series about the wizard of Hogwarts is out-of-this-world popular among “grown-ups.”
All across the world, Potter fans are counting the days until the release of the seventh and final installment of the wildly successful series by J.K. Rowling on July 21, blowing the dust off their black robes and brooms and preparing to stand in long lines.
That includes adults, drawn to what they consider a well-written story that sparks memories of the books they read in their own childhood, a story with vividly described and relatable characters set in a real world setting — unlike many of the other fantasy genre novels that take place in an alternate universe.
“I think it stimulates people’s imagination and I think people need imagination,” said Lenny Shaw, an employee at Whimsic Alley, a fantasy goods store on Wilshire Boulevard.
Adults find the Harry Potter series attractive for various reasons, whether it’s because they enjoy the fantasy topic books, enjoy being a part of a phenomenon or just want to find a way to connect with their children.
“It’s become so popular with the success of the books and the movie that I think many people are just reading so that they understand what’s the big deal,” said Santa Monica City Librarian Greg Mullen.
In literary circles, Potter is just the latest tale targeted toward children that have proven to be popular with adults, said Mullen, citing “Alice in Wonderland” and “Lord of the Rings” as examples.
The owner of Whimsic Alley, Stan Goldin, doesn’t believe “Harry Potter” is a children’s book at all, but rather an adult book that appeals to children.
“The topics are very adult in nature and have a lot of adult humor in it,” said Goldin, whose store features a Harry Potter-themed room. “It happens to deal with kids.”
Goldin has read every one of the six “Harry Potter”books currently out on the market and attends a Harry Potter convention held every year. This year’s event, called “Prophecy,” will be held in Toronto in August. The majority of the attendees are usually women between the ages of 16 and 30, Goldin said.
“There are a lot of adults who haven’t read a 900-page book in their life,” Goldin said, alluding to Rowling’s hefty page counts.
Still, as popular as the series might be among the 21-and-over crowd, many adult readers find themselves the target of playful teasing by friends and outright ridicule by media analysts.
“Of course, but there are plenty of adults who behave like children,” said Alex Conrad, on whether he’s been teased by friends.
Conrad began reading the “Harry Potter” series after he noticed the popularity of the book at the library where he worked.
The series is definitely challenging enough for adults, Conrad insists, including elements not often found in children’s books, like death. “(It’s a book) a child can still grasp and an adult can still enjoy as well,” Conrad said.
Cathy Leogrande, who teaches a graduate course on the phenomenon at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, believes it is healthy for adults to read “Harry Potter” books and finds that the series has further encouraged reading among all age groups.
Not only has the book encouraged more reading, it has also transformed it from a solitary to a community activity.
Dedicated adult readers across the country have formed book discussion groups and fan clubs, including in Los Angeles, where the HPLA — Harry Potter Los Angeles — meet the second Saturday of the month at the L.A. Farmers’ Market.
Leogrande recently formed a Harry Potter discussion group in Syracuse, creating a place where adult fans could analyze the series and talk about some of the deep underlying themes in the books.
The chair of the education department at Le Moyne has attended a few of the Harry Potter conferences in the past and presented an academic paper last year. Many of the speakers at the Potter conference are heavy hitters from the academia, representing institutions of higher learning such as MIT, Leogrande said.
“These are not just fans like me,” Leogrande said. “They’re not just English people. They’re from psychology and political science.”
Many adult fans, like Leogrande, were drawn to the “Harry Potter” series as a way to connect with their child. Leogrande started reading the series with her son when he was 8 years old. Leogrande and her now 15-year-old son plan to speak together at the Prophecy conference next month.
“It’s become something that we’ve shared, so at a time when a lot of parents say, ‘My kids don’t talk to me,’ it’s been a source of endless discussions for us,” she said.
Whenever a parent takes interest in something their child is also interested in — whether it be listening to a particular band or reading a particular book — it creates a bridge for conversation, said Dr. Charlene Underhill Miller, a child psychotherapist in Santa Monica.
“Certainly parents are always trying to figure out how do I talk to my kids and what do I talk to them about,” Miller said. “Anything that a parent can do to involve them in their child’s world is a win-win situation.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 12, 2007. Read the original PDF.