Harry Potter Inside

Editorial Reviews

Book Description:

Customer Reviews

The End of Harry Potter? by MARJORIE MCROBERTS
I enjoyed the book as a refresher and discussion during the run up to the release of book 7. Now that I’ve read book 7, this will be very dated, unless you want to see what some speculations were for the end of the series.

Cliff Notes for Harry Potter? by S. M Marson
While I was in high school, I used Cliff Notes and Monarch Notes as a substitute for reading unsavory literature (i.e. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in particular). I never understood the purpose of these literary products until I enrolled in college literature classes. The coerced reader can understand symbols and see aspects of literature that would be missed. In fact, Cliff and Monarch Notes enable the coerced reader to be transformed into an engaged reader. THE END OF HARRY POTTER? accomplishes the identical tasks as Cliff and Monarch Notes. One BIG difference; no one is coerced to read Harry Potter. After reading Langford’s work, I see important aspects of the series that I missed or didn’t get. After I read DEATHLY HOLLOWS, I probably will reread the series. Langford will be responsible for that.

One aspect of THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX I missed was the linkage of Rowling’s life and the symbolism of Umbridge’s actions. As a single parent living in poverty, Rowling was confronted with well-meaning but overly bureaucratic social workers. Umbridge’s character emerged from Rowling’s experience with social workers. An extremely important and eye-opening article that Langford cites is Benjamin Barton’s article entitled ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy’ in THE MICHIGAN LAW REVIEW volume 104, May 2006. I teach a course in community organization and will require my students read Barton’s work. The contents will help social work students understand the impact of their actions on clients’ capacity to succeed.

I can make two points that will help a person decide whether to read THE END OF HARRY POTTER?. First, if you read this review after the publication of THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS, you’re too late. The central theme within Langford’s book is connections within the first six novels that lead to the last. Thus, THE END OF HARRY POTTER? will not be enjoyable if THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS is read first. Second, the Rowling’s purpose is reminiscent of Roddenberry’s. The original STAR TREK was intended to be a morality play made palpable to the general public. The Harry Potter series achieves the identical objective. The easier route in life is succumbing to evil. Harry (or Rowling) shows that the long term consequences of taking the moral path is a self actualizing experience that is more satisfying than any short term pleasure.

Langford is a master of the written word and THE END OF HARRY POTTER? is worthy to read.

Nothing new or exciting by Yossi’s Mom
I got this book because I am so bored waiting for the last book to come. I had hoped for some new idea, but basically it is the same ole same old. There are several questions listed on the back, which by page 100 the author still hadn’t gotten to. It was written before the name of the 7th book was announced, and you can already see that he is wrong about his guesses. Which is basically what this book is … a lot of suggestions of what will be “cool” to see in book 7. I hope JK didn’t read it. LOL.

This is not Lord of the Rings by Kimberly S. Hargis
I usually don’t review books but this one irritates me, and I admit I have not read every word in the book. I have read several chapters here and there. I am not sure I will be able to read it all. This is Harry Potter and not Lord of the Rings. I know many people love Lord of the Rings but I didn’t and I don’t like having to read over and over again about how this part of Harry Potter was like Lord of the Rings in this or that part. David Landford makes it sound like she stole parts of other books, not just Lord of the Rings but other books as well. To me this book was a waste of money and I will end up giving it to Goodwill instead of passing it off to a friend to read.

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