Harry Potter: A Journey Of A Lifetime

J.K. Rowling’s journey from struggling writer to literary phenomenon is a tale of perseverance, imagination, and unparalleled success. Born Joanne Rowling on July 31, 1965, in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, she showed an early passion for storytelling, often writing her own tales from a young age. After studying French and the Classics at the University of Exeter, Rowling embarked on a career in various fields, including teaching and working for Amnesty International. However, it was during a train journey from Manchester to London in 1990 that the idea for her biggest story, Harry Potter, first came about.
Rowling’s life at the time was filled with personal challenges, including the death of her mother and a failed marriage. It was during these struggles that she found comfort in her writing, channeling her experiences and emotions into the creation of a rich and immersive world of magic and wonder. Over the course of several years, Rowling meticulously created the story of a young boy who discovers he is a wizard and is thrown into a world of spells, potions, and dark forces.
In 1997, after numerous rejections from publishers, Rowling’s perseverance paid off when Bloomsbury agreed to publish her debut novel, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” The book, which follows the adventures of Harry Potter and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, became an instant hit, entertaining readers of all ages with its enchanting blend of magic, mystery, and adventure.
The success of the first book was followed by six more installments, each met with never before seen anticipation and praise The Harry Potter series became a global phenomenon, selling over 500 million copies worldwide and inspiring a devoted fan base known as “Potterheads.” The books were adapted into a blockbuster film series, further showing Rowling’s status as one of the most influential authors of her generation.
Adrian Cerrada (12) says “ I grew up watching the Harry Potter movies as a kid. The movies were all good but Harry Potter Deathly Hollows was my favorite out of all of them. The final fight scene they put in at the end of the movie was an insanely well written sequence. When they put up the barrier to protect Hogwarts from the Death Eaters, I thought that looked pretty cool. Harry Potter was also the first actually long books I ever read.”
Cayla Petijean (12) thinks “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favorite movie in the series. I just like the way the movie looks and feels. When the character played by Robert Patterson died, that was a major point in the movie for me. I was never into reading the books as much but I would recommend the movie to people who like fantasy and magical fairy tale type of stories.”
Ms. Brattebo (Math Teacher) thinks Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is my favorite movie in the series because Harry defies all odds and wins the tournament. I like the fasted paced action when they were in the maze, and I was so upset when Cedric Diggory died from the Avada Kedavra curse. The movies together make a great film series I think. I would recommend this movie series to people who like fantasy fairy tale stories with lots of character development and depth.