Michael Bérubé used to write a wonderful blog, and he still pens the odd piece at Crooked Timber. His latest entry points (almost incidentally) to an essay (.pdf) he wrote for Common Review, titled "Harry Potter and the Power of Narrative." In it he describes his son's introduction to and affection for J.K. Rowling's books. One of the central aspects of the essay is that his son lives with Down's Syndrome, so Michael and his wife Janet have always been told that Jamie just wouldn't get reading very well. Michael differs, and offers Jamie as an example.
It's a wonderful essay, and it's written from the perspective of both a parent and a Professor of Literature, which is Michael's day job at Penn State. If you're a Potter fan panting and chomping at bits waiting for July 21, read this essay.
Posted by Linkmeister at July 6, 2007 10:12 AM | TrackBack