I snooted up my nose at it.My inner snob said, "Surely, anything that popular must be trash."
But finally, my son dragged me to movie, and I fell in love with Harry Potter.
I've had a lot of time to think about phenomenal success of stories like Harry Potter and Lord of Rings trilogy - and why these stories resonate so with me.
It's not magic.
It's not wizards and elves, hobbits and Hogwarts.
It's not dazzling special effects.
Those things are all wonderful. They add charm, magic and mystery. They're just ripping good fun!
But real staying power of these stories lies in The Message. And it's same Message that runs like a whisper throughout all great literature - and, for that matter, not so great literature.
The Message? Things are not as they seem. There's more to us - and our world - than meets eye.
We are, indeed, magical!
Living, as we do, in sunlight world of mundane reality, we forget who we are. We're afraid of our own shadows. Afraid to step out and spread our wings. We wrap ourselves in our fears and limitations and live, as Thoreau said, "lives of quiet desperation."
And that's why Harry Potter stories and Tolkien's tales of hobbits and Middle Earth strike a chord with me. They remind me that I need not be afraid, that I have hidden powers and untapped reserves.