Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Looking for God in Harry Potter
Book Review: Finally! Sanity! Thank you, thank you, THANK you, Mr. Granger
Summary: 5 Stars
I have gotten more and more frustrated over the years as all my irritation and annoyance at closeminded religious nuts (who had, incidentally, not dared to pick up the book for fear of being thrown into Hell) bundled up inside me, threatening to explode. And I have exploded. Several times. (Usually to my likeminded friends or cousin). I explode because these people who have never read this book (yet allow their children to read occultic -- and don't try to tell me it DOESN'T have occult, though it doesn't "glorify" it -- horror books by Frank Peretti, merely because he's a Christian author) refuse to even attempt to sanely think, "You know, Rowling says she's a Presbyterian (Church of Scotland), and maybe (here's a thought!) I should check it out!"
Nope. Instead they base their highly biased opinions on an article, a friend's opinion, or a book (and even with pro-Harry books such as this, I believe reading the books FIRST is always a good idea).
The Lord of the Rings has got Gandalf. Don't try to tell me he doesn't do magic, but -- here's the thing -- because J.R.R. Tolkien was a CHRISTIAN, LOTR is good. And it is. But imagine for a second that he WASN'T a Christian. LOTR would still have the morals and all that. But would it be accepted by the general Christian community and half-mad schools like my own?
Sadly, I don't think so.
It's just sad to see so many fervent Christians wasting their time thumping the Bible, protesting violently against a children's fantasy book. It really is.
So read this book. But before you spend fifteen dollars, trot over to the kids' section of the bookstore and grab a Harry Potter novel. Trust me, you know better than anyone whether something is right for you.
Rating: Very Good
Book Review: Kind of Sad
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a book written by a Christian fundamentalist for other Christian fundamentalists. If you live in the world of "am I saved?" and want to know if it's "OK" to read Harry Potter books, then this book might be for you. On the other hand, if you can think for yourself, and don't subscribe to a sadistic god of heaven/hell, all-or-nothing, just one true religion, you won't see the point of this book.
The author makes some valid points about the richness of J. K. Rowling's worlds, etc., to let us all know "it's OK".
Book Review: At last, a critical analysis by someone who's done his homework!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read dozens of books about Harry Potter. Some were great guides to the series, and some were insightful criticisms. Still others were interesting condemnations of the dangers of this type of book and its possible effects on the reader. "Looking for God in Harry Potter" is by far the best of everything I've read. In this book, Granger takes into account every scrap of information he has available and looks at the book as a piece of LITERATURE as opposed to a cult in the making or a publishing phenomenon. He explores J.K. Rowling's background in education and addresses her comments from different interviews in order to build a framework for his analysis. In other words, he does not review the book in a vacuum.
What I found most interesting, and therefore most compelling, is his analysis of the use of language and the choice of words. For example, in his discussion of the four houses, Granger talks about the meaning of Gryffindor (a word derived from two French words meaning golden griffon) and why the symbol would be a lion rather than a griffon. I won't spoil the book here by going into too much detail, but anyone who wants to look at Harry's world as a well written piece of literature from an author of true talent (and not just some lucky welfare mom, as she is often protrayed) must read this book.
Mr. Granger has done what no other author I have read has even come close to. He has written a well researched, well balanced, review of the Harry Potter series. His work discusses the sources of inspiration for the series as well as "deeper meaning".
Of course, as you can probably tell from the title, Granger believes the book to be an inherently Christian series and he supports his ideas well. What he, unlike so many others, manages to avoid is making his point by beating you over the head with his beliefs. He simply states what he sees in this series, and he defends his position with facts instead of pushing relgious rhetoric.
Book Review: Good read for curious parents
Summary: 4 Stars
Having read the Harry Potter books several times already, I thought it might be interesting to read this book. Granger does a great job of pointing out the many instances of Christian symbolism throughout the first five Harry Potter books (although I sometimes wonder if all instances were actually intended by Rowling). If you are a parent who has been reluctant to allow your child to read Harry Potter due to the controversy surrounding the use of magic and witchcraft in the books, this book should ease your mind and help you to realize that there is very little danger in these books.
As a fan of Harry Potter, I didn't feel that I was part of the intended audience for the book, though. There were some interesting insights, true, but the book seemed to be geared more towards a person who had never read a Harry Potter book. I also cannot help but point out that there were many, many mispellings of names and words from the Harry Potter universe that left me rather speechless. Errors such as "squibb", "flu powder", "Ms. Grubberly Plank", "Station 9 3/4" (as opposed to "Platform 9 3/4") left me wondering how Granger could have spent so much time researching the books and then leave errors obvious enough for anyone who has read the books to cringe with embarassment for the author.
So, in summary, this is a good read for parents who would like to know more about the books before they allow their children to read them. For hard-core fans of the Harry Potter series, you may want to look elsewhere for background reading.
Book Review: I recommend It.
Summary: 5 Stars
After having read other authors' blind approach to the Harry Potter/Christianity issue (Killinger pro; Abanes con), I find John Granger's approach refreshing.
He admits to starting out with a strong bias against Rowling's books, but decided to find out for himself if they were appropriate for his family by actually reading them. Too many Christians reject Rowling's books (and Rowling herself, quite honestly- the abuse her books have taken from the Christian community is one thing, the abuse she continues to take is reprehensible) without ever reading the books.
Granger delves into strong symbolism that is foundational to each story and argues his case quite convincingly that Christian symbolism is woven throughout the books.
I do recommend it.