Thursday Thoughts: Another Ode to Books

Earlier this week I wrote an ode to books. It only seems fitting to follow up with a quote about books, especially on the heels of the release of a movie that dramatized one of the most successful series of books of our time.

I remember the release of the seventh book in the Harry Potter Series. I had friends visiting me in New York City, two adults and one teenager. The night before the book came out, we decided to check out the official Harry Potter block party at Scholastic, where they were counting down to midnight when the book would be released. The line to enter the party was blocks long. After calculating the hours we would wait just to enter, we decided instead to just say a quick hello to a friend of mine who worked for Scholastic and was already inside. While chatting across the barricade with my friend, someone influential recognized me from a show. In one of those quintessential New York moments, we were wisked into the party as the special guests of the president of Scholastic.

The next day, the teenager in our midst was completely engrossed in the book, as were many people in the city. It was fun to see almost everyone reading the same book on subways, buses and in city parks. It was impressive when you saw someone near the end of the book, because you knew that everyone started at the same time. Even more so, it is so rare that everyone in our country is caught up in a book, and therefore caught up in the same set of ideas.

In this case, perhaps the movie lives up to the book. Having not seen this weekend's blockbuster movie, I have no opinion, although I trust the many people who tell me they enjoyed it. This is also a rare case when many of the people who saw the movie actually read the book. I encourage you to remember how enriching that is. The next time you consider seeing a movie based on a book, read the book first. And then read another book that hasn't even been made into a movie. There are so many exciting ideas and stories for your imagination to enjoy.
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