I believe the most influential book in a person’s life shouldn’t necessarily be the “best” book they have ever read, rather the one that has had the most impact on their personality and possibly their life. It should be a book that is unforgettable and nostalgic. My most influential book(s) would be the Harry Potter series because of the interest for reading it gave me.
The Harry Potter series is not only an influential series for me, but a nostalgic one as well. When I was in third grade, my mom read me the first books in the series. This caused us to bond in a way I have never experienced prior. The numerous plot twists, cliffhangers, and intense moments had us itching to see what was on the next page. In fact, while reading the 5th book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we read the final 6 chapters in one night, unable to turn ourselves away from the memorable moments at the Ministry of Magic. As a result, I was up well past my normal bedtime. These experiences are some of my most cherished childhood memories and caused me to become closer to my mother.
Even though above I said the most influential books aren’t necessarily the best books, the Harry Potter series is no doubt are the best books I’ve ever read. To begin, the character development J.K. Rowling created in the wizarding world isn’t short from extraordinary. I will probably never find another book in which I care for the characters as much as I did in this series. The three main characters, Harry Ron and Hermione, are a dynamic trio with incredible depth that experience incredible development as characters throughout the series. Then there are the other 772 characters in the series that all have their own story. (if you dont believe me http://magical-menagerie.com/wizardry/full-character-listing/) That roughly one character per word in this blog entry I am writing now. This ginormous world that Rowling created leads to new and interesting stories and relationships between characters. You can learn many new things you missed on reading a second or third time. The settings that are also implemented into the books are unique and very interesting. For example, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Weasley House, Kings Cross, 12 Grimmauld Place, and the Ministry of Magic are all unforgettable with many different events occurring at each throughout the series. This is expanded upon in the Harry Potter film series, which are a visual masterpiece. In all, the wizarding world within the Harry Potter series is a marvelous setting that blows away the worlds in all the other books I have read.
The main reason that Harry Potter stands above the rest for me is the story. If you look at every Harry Potter novel side by side, a concern might be whether or not the series becomes boring at times or drags on with meaningless events. However this is not the case. Every moment in the series important to character development and the overall story in general. There was never a moment where I felt bored from what was happening. Another aspect of the story is how the whole series ties together. There are moments from the first and second book that are very important to the ending. Each book has events that tie into the overall story. The work that was put into the story was very thought out and not rushed to be completed.
I could sit here all day and talk about why this series is great, but what made it so influential to me is the desire to read it gave me. Before Harry Potter, I was not a fan of reading and only did so when it was required. After I read the series however, I became a constant reader for many years. It sparked an interest for literature that I had never experienced prior. If it weren’t for the Harry Potter series, I could have never gotten into reading. I couldn’t imagine my childhood in which I hated reading. Unfortunately, I have lost the motivation the series gave me to read now and am in need for another series to spark the motivation to read that Harry Potter once did.
In conclusion, the Harry Potter series gave me an interest in books because of its interesting story, characters, setting, and memories from reading the series for the first time. I will definitely read books that are better than the collection of novels from J.K Rowling in my future, but none will capture the experience of reading these books for the first time.
1 comment:
Hello Jacob,
Reading about your childhood really intrigued me. What really hooked me to your post though was the stunning similarity between our childhoods and the books we read. We both had our moms read to us which in my opinion definitely helped us in a very positive way because if we ever had questions and or comments they were there to answer as well as dive into the books with us. After reading the Harry Potter books I thought I knew mostly everything about them, but your blog post really enlightened me on new information. For example, you talked about there being over 750 characters in just seven books! It is this type of facts that really interests me as it is not something I need to know for life but just cool information to know. On the same note, it also pleases me that we both are interested in the same type of things, such as your character count, because not many people find those things cool. The only thing you did not include was if you really bonded with any particular characters. Although you said you cared for them greatly, it makes me wonder who you would bond the strongest with, for I bonded with the weasley twins the greatest. Now, on a completely separate concept, I thought you did a magnificent job with grammar and using big words while also using them in the right spots. All in all great post and worth the time to read!
Post a Comment