I have read 2 of the books and will soon read the third. I was interested
in them primarily because they were amazingly popular. I have no scientific
evidence to present, however I will present my reaction to the books and the
flaps about the books.
Even as a middle-aged man, I enjoyed reading the books, good light reading.
There are plenty of examples of critical thinking used by the main
characters in the books and the use of magic does not undermine the critical
thinking. It is clearly a fantasy and I doubt that many children will
become believers in the occult just based on these books. Besides, the
books suggest that being a wizard or witch is a genetic thing, and no
training can give you the powers. So, unless a child really has some
problems, I would be surprised if the child would start becomming a believer
of such things, based on these stories. They are, primarily, good,
interesting, exciting yarns.
If we are to eliminate the supernatural, we should eliminate fairy tales,
much science fiction/fantasy, etc. I bet many of us read science fiction as
youngsters that included things like mind reading and other types of
"magic." Yet here we are able to thing critically about the world as we
know it.
I also wonder why we are so afraid of children's minds. They are not the
putty in our hands, or the authors' hands we seem to imply with our
concerns. Children can be exposed to a large amount of information and
texts and develop fine. I am more worried about children that are kept from
books, than about those exposed to the "wrong ones."
I also do not believe that our media is any more supportive of the
paranormal than it used to be. I think it always was supportive, at least
in terms of the early sci fi magazines and shows like Science Fiction
Theater (I am dating myself here) and later ones like Twilight Zone and even
Star Trek. In addition, there were many "psychics" on variety shows and
talk shows who were not debunked.
The cultures support for the "occult" is not new and is, perhaps, not good,
but I do not see that as an agument against the book Harry Potter. Finally,
if the reports of its effect on the reading behavior of youngsters is
accurate, then the book is a positive boon to society.
Jeff Nagelbush
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