THE MAN IN OBAMA'S LIFE: IT'S HARRY POTTER!

The American Library Association calculates that from 1999-2004, J.K. Rowling was the number four most banned or challenged author in the country. http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/authors19902004.cfm

We all know the complaints. The Harry Potter books are evil. They teach witchcraft and corrupt the children of good churchgoing people. Recently, however, Harry and his friends have gained an illustrious champion, none other than Barack Obama. In an interview with Michelle Obama, the senator’s wife referred to him as the “Harry Potter parent.” Obama has read the entire series with his older daughter; and the senator, lest we forget, is a Christian.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/18/politics/p15...

What does Obama know that some churchgoers do not? It’s simply this: Reading makes kids smarter. And here’s another fact: most kids, unless they’re psychotic, can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Harry Potter fans are no more likely to lose their minds and start worshipping Satan, than they are to jump off the roof after watching old episodes of Superman.

Fantasy has fallen into disrepute and not just with evangelicals. Lots of parents and teachers have condemned the reading of fantasy literature, be it Goosebumps or the Potter books. While fears of witchcraft constitute an extreme version of fantasy-phobia, many adults see fantasy books as trivial and mind-polluting. They try to steer kids away from them. What a terrible mistake.

Literacy experts tell us that one way to turn kids into great readers is to give them high-interest books. What do they find interesting? Fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries and adventure stories are all very popular. When we put “proper” books into children’s hands, thinking they’ll learn important life lessons, what they take away from the experience is: reading is boring. Children will resist reading if they see it as a chore.

The only activities we repeat willingly are those that are pleasurable. Pleasure isn’t a sin; it’s a survival skill. Children who have fun reading books, including fantasy novels develop:

 Critical thinking skills
 Communication skills
 A broader vocabulary
 Empathy

Yes, I said empathy. Novels in all genres take us inside the characters’ heads and help us to feel emotions along with them. This is a transferable skill. Children who read fantasy and other literary genres learn to get inside other people’s heads. This helps them understand real people in the real world. If you know Harry Potter, for example, you know what it feels like to be a maltreated outsider. What a great starting point to teaching children about bullying and racism! One expert believes that reading novels generates greater interest in human rights.
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2002/april17/hunt-417.html

Senator Obama, who has risen to the top of the Democratic Party by the sheer force of his intellect, has pointed the way. Harry Potter can prepare our children for their future lives by building-up their cognitive and social-emotional skills. If we want our children to do well in life (and maybe even run for president some day), then we should all become Harry Potter parents.