Harry Potter is like Michelangelo's David

(This is a post moved over from my old Wordpress blog)

I know a few people who haven’t read Harry Potter, and who don’t want to. Blasphemy! But I’ve realized that trying to get someone who doesn’t care to read HP is like convincing someone who doesn’t care much about art to see Michelangelo’s David when you’re in Florence. They’re like, I’ve heard all about it, I’ve seen countless pictures, and look, there’s even a fake one in the street blocks from here and will you look at this line? And it costs like, twelve dollars. To see this one statue. That could buy a couple bottles of Chianti! Can’t we just buy the David postcard and go get gelato instead? No? Ok, fine. Hope we can be out in five minutes, because the Zara store closes…

Wait…what? What? Why didn’t anyone tell me it was like this?! I can’t… I just… I’ve never seen anything like it. No, I’m not ready to go.  This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. And I couldn’t exactly tell you why. It just is. And you won’t know until you experience it.

Just like with Harry Potter. It’s hard to care about Snape’s motivations, hard to know what it means when Neville comes out a hero, impossible to understand why everyone in a theater will gasp all at the same time when you haven’t read the books yourself. And it’s difficult to convince someone who thinks that HP is just some kids’ book about a wizard boarding school how absolutely magical Harry is.

I will probably always be a Harry Potter evangelist, but for now, last night’s midnight showing was a bittersweet farewell–though I’m sure I’ll see it at least 5 more times, because I refuse to believe it’s actually over. :) Goodbye for now, Harry!