Muggles and Magic: An Unofficial Guide to J.k. Rowling and the Harry Potter Phenomenonby George W. Beahm
Whereas many of the other books look at the content of the Harry Potter books, with analysis and speculation, Muggles and Magic takes the external view and looks at the Harry Potter phenomenon itself. Muggles and Magic is a collection of short essays on all things Harry, from a biography of J.K. Rowling to a look at the making of the movies. The final section is a thorough coverage of the Harry, Carrie, and Garp event last August at Radio City Music Hall, where J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and John Irving did readings and answered questions to raise money for charity.
If you enjoy Behind the Music or those "Making of" specials, you'll probably enjoy Muggles and Magic. It's packed with all kinds of interesting information about the history and social impact of the Harry Potter phenomenon, as well as about its amazing creator, J.K. Rowling. Because everything is presented in short, independent essays, this is a book that you can dip into or flip around and read the parts that interest you. It's a great bathroom book or book to carry with you for waiting in lines or at doctor's offices. It's also a book that will annoy your family, as you repeatedly read excerpts to them: "Hey, did you know..." or "It says here that..."
Some of the essays are outdated; "The J.K. Rowling Story," for example, was obviously written just before the publication of Order of the Phoenix. Other essays have been updated and contain fairly recent information. The outdated essays are a little disconcerting, but are still worth reading for the interesting information they contain. In general, this is a book that will be interesting to read even after the release of Deathly Hallows, because most of its information doesn't depend on the content of the last book.
5 comments:
Is it 10 days? *Looks at calendar... Gets distracted by the gorgeous David Tennant picture* Oh yes, so it is...
Are there any essays in this collection that criticise the HP phenomenon (she asks, thinking of a recent discussion she's seen elsewhere) ?
I know where your priorities are these days, LOL! Actually, this book is overall pretty positive. There's some mention of the fundamentalists, but it's clear that the author of this book is a fan. I think most of the essays were written by George Beahm, although there are some contributions from other people.
Heh ! Yes my head's almost permanently in the Whoniverse, one way or another, these days even though the season's ended.
Interesting that there's no negative criticism of the HP phenom, but then if most of the essays are by one person, it's not that surprising, I guess...
It's not really that type of work. It's more just for people who are interested in learning more about the publication of the books, Rowling's background, the making of the movies, the HP conferences, wizard rock, etc. etc. Pretty much the only people who are criticized are the media; they come across as pretty obnoxious in this book.
Ah right, I see... Thanks for the info.
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