Popularity of “Harry Potter” series has two generations reading

Feature cover story for The Commercial Appeal

July 14, 2009

Whether music, movies or literature, the whims and fancies of young people and their pop culture icons are nebulous and fleeting. They rush in and out of fashion on currents that rage as unpredictably as adolescent hormones.

There are times, however, when popularity holds fast and pools, and though that pool may ebb and flow, its waters nourish for years. “Harry Potter,” the wildly successful series of children’s and young adult novels celebrating its 10th year, seventh paperback and sixth movie release this year is the torrent that has pooled and collected the fascination of young and old alike … (read more)