Review Page/Book Burning?

I am a librarian by training and vocation. I love books. To me, books have always opened up doorways to different worlds, allowing me to swim with dolphins far under the sea, walk barefoot on the moon, ride the Black Stallion through the ocean’s surf, and dance with the fairies. Books allow me to imagine myself in a myriad of situations and setting. Some so magical I visit them again and again. One of my favorite book series is Harry Potter. I enjoy reading about Harry’s struggle against the dark and evil forces out to get him.

Not familiar with Harry Potter you say? Have you been hiding under a rock? The Harry Potter books are about a young boy who discovers that he is a wizard, and his subsequent adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Orphaned as a baby by the evil Lord Voldemort (he who must not be named), Harry is raised by his aunt and uncle in a small English village. It is not a pleasant childhood for Harry. He sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs, is dressed in his cousin’s cast-off’s, and is routinely and roundly despised by everyone. It is not until his eleventh birthday that things start looking up. Harry is admitted into the premier school of witchcraft…. Hogwarts. It’s in the world of magic that he truly feels at home and that he belongs.

The series is crafted so that there is one book for each of the seven years Harry is at school. So far, there are five of the seven books published. As Harry matures, the issues he grapples with get more difficult and the tone of the books get darker. Yet, the underlying themes remain the same. Good is struggling with evil, and, so far, good has prevailed. The characters learn courage, loyalty, perseverance, and self-reliance. The headmaster of Hogwarts (Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class) tells Harry, "It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Good advice for anyone, child or adult.

Why then, is there so much controversy surrounding these books? The Harry Potter books topped the American Library Association’s most challenged/banned book list of 1999. Fundamentalist Christian organizations have been working to get these books banned from a number of school districts and libraries across the nation.

"...tampering with the occult is potentially far more dangerous for children, often leading to spiritual confusion, psychological problems and, in all too many cases, suicide...The Potter books, under a cloak of innocence, are infecting the minds of millions....I believe the Potter books represent something dark and sinister under the guise of entertainment for children." Daniel Zanoza, "The danger of Harry Potter," Chicago Tribune, 2000-JUL-13, at: <http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/voiceofthepeople/article/0,2669,SAV-0007130100,FF.html>

"The Bible is clear about issues such as witchcraft, demons, devils and the occult...they are real, powerful and dangerous. Throughout it insists that God's people should have nothing to do with them." Carol Rookwood, Principal, St. Mary's Island School in Kent, UK

The above is a small sample of what has been said against the Harry Potter books. Some groups fear that the Harry Potter books will teach their children how to be witches, others argue that the books promote the Wiccan religion, and that having them in public schools violates the separation of church and state. Many of the harshest critics have yet to crack open a single volume in the series, while others have perused them in great detail, searching for the slightest hint of objectionable material. Some groups have gone as far as burning the books:

Members of the Harvest Assembly of God Church in Butler County, PA. had a book burning at their church on 2001-MAR-25: Thirty-five people brought books, CDs and tapes that they felt were not in keeping with their faith. Included were videos such as Pinnochio and Hercules, CDs by Pearl Jam and Black Sabbath CDs, pamphlets from Jehovah's Witnesses, and lots of Harry Potter books. Rev. George Bender said: "There's no such thing as a crusade to deal with other people's things. That's their business. We believe in the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, and the First Commandment and Second Commandment." He objects to the Harry Potter books: "We believe that Harry Potter promotes sorcery, witchcraft-type things, the paranormal, things that are against God...That is really bad." Judy Corman, a spokesperson for Scholastic, the books' publisher, said they are more about a child who feels powerless in the world understanding that he can take some control of his life. She said the message sent by burning books is more dangerous than any fable about sorcery could be. Corman said: "I think burning books is shameful. The message is very clear by inference. I think he's saying something very strong." "Purging Flame," ABC News, 2001-MAR-26, at: <http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/book_burning010326.html>

A group of Christians in Lewiston, ME, the Jesus Party had planned to hold a book burning in a local park on 2001-NOV-15. However, they were denied a fire permit by the Fire Department. So they held a "book cutting" instead. Church leader Doug Taylor said: "Everybody’s going to have scissors and we’re going to cut those four books up right into the trash. We’re Bible believers. We’re Christians. We think these books are dangerous." Counterprotestors were present. "Lewiston Christian group to protest Potter," Lewiston Sun Journal, at: <http://www.sunjournal.com/story.asp?slg=111501christian>

Pastor and members of the Christ Community Church in Alamagordo NM plan a "holy bonfire" on DEC-30 to burn Harry Potter books. Pastor Jack Brock, 74, has not actually read the books or viewed the movie. However, he believes that the books teach Wicca, a rapidly growing Neopagan religion. He is certain that: "These books encourage our youth to learn more about witches, warlocks, and sorcerers, and those things are an abomination to God and to me...Harry Potter books are going to destroy the lives of many young people." "New Mexico church plans Harry Potter book burning," Yahoo News, 2001-DEC-27, at: <http://sg.news.yahoo.com/reuters/asia-80672.html> He has expressed a concern that children will read some Internet web sites about the Potter books which are linked to Wiccan web sites. There, they could about Wiccan practices, which he termed an abomination. He appears to confuse Old Testament witchcraft (the sayings of spoken curses to harm people) with modern-day Witchcraft (called Wicca, a religion that prevents its followers from harming others) with fantasy witchcraft (as in the Harry Potter books, which deal with an imaginary place with invisibility cloaks, unicorns, flying broomsticks, etc.) James Matise, "Pastor decries Harry Potter message. CCC minister to kindle holy fire in which to burn books of witchcraft," Alamogordo News, 2001-DEC-24, at: <http://www.alamogordonews.com/>

I have no problem with people who don’t like Harry Potter. If you don’t approve, that’s fine, don’t read them, or don’t let your children read them. But don’t presume to tell me that I cannot read something that you disapprove of. That is censorship, and I will not stand for it. As Heinrich Heine, says in his 1821 play Almansor: "Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings."