How Harry Cast His Spell: The Meaning Behind the Mania for J. K. Rowling's Bestselling Books | 
 enlarge | Author: John Granger
Publisher: SaltRiver
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 22573
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 1414321880
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781414321882
ASIN: 1414321880
Publication Date: August 4, 2008
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Product Description
More than any other book of the last fifty years (and perhaps ever), the Harry Potter novels have captured the imagination of children and adults around the world. Yet no one has ever been able to unlock the secret of Harry's wild popularity . . . until now. Updated and expanded since its original publication as Looking for God in Harry Potter (and now containing final conclusions based on the entire series), How Harry Cast His Spell explains why the books meet our longing to experience the truths of life, love, and death; help us better understand life and our role in the universe; and encourage us to discover and develop our own gifts and abilities.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Secular People Beware November 18, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was very disappointed in this volumn. I love the Harry Potter books and I haven't been a Christian since the through me out for being queer, like Dumbledore. I have read several books by the Hogwarts Professor, but this one is so drenched in anti-atheist-Christ-is-Everything sentiment that it was a struggle to get through. The author reminds me of the old saying "To a Hammer everything looks like a nail." Mr. Granger finds Christ and Christianity in every nook and cranny. Never mind the fact that the number one point that Ms Rowling makes is that Love conquers all. While I would agree that the founder, Christ, was all about love, Christians on the whole don't have a very good track record. From the Crusades to Slavery to the Oppression of Women and Gays, they have shown themselves to be less than loving.
On the other hand, He totally misses the fact that every virtue that he claims for Christianity can more easily be claimed for Atheists who have a longer history tolerance. Professor Granger claims to not proselytize, however his discussion of Symbolism gives the lie to that. In that unlovely screed he claims: "Symbolic literature requires - and celebrates - this otherworldly perspective that magically undermines the worldly, atheistic, and materialist perspective of our times."
I am currently rewriting this chapter, and plan to forward it to him when I have finished, showing that this entire work can be just as meaningful taken from an atheists view. In fact, in some ways, it is more powerful as I don't need a God to scare me into being good or to bribe me with heaven. I simply know that the world works best when we control our desires (body) by using our mind (will) guided by empathy for all (heart).
Though they have tried, Christians do not have a corner on the market of Love. It is something that is part of Homo Sapiens (it means Wise Human) very nature, though often beaten down by tribalism and group think. Homo Religiouso, which John Granger uses often, is not scientific. It is instead the fanciful creation of the religious to give credibility to their devotion to unscientific/magical thinking.
In short, while he has many excellent insights into the mythology of these books, his ardent support of a literal interpretation of the Christ story (which is just a Jewish retelling of ancient Mesopotamian/Egyptian myths)is a major flaw.
 A book that will enhance your enjoyment of the HP series! October 4, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
"How Harry Cast His Spell" by John Granger (Any relation to Hermione?) initially captures the reader's attention with the lovely cover. Inside, the beautiful font, wonderful graphics and page header designs tickle the eyes. This is a humorously written look at why the Harry Potter franchise is such a phenomenon. The author points out the Christian concepts that are prominent in the immensely popular boy wizard stories, which only seems to prove that you can find the good in something if you go looking for it. Sadly, I find that the same is true if you go looking for the bad.
I don't consider this a must read unless you're severely anti-Harry Potter, in which case, you probably wouldn't read the book anyway. However, I must applaud the author for the amount of thought he put into this book. His research and the conclusions he's drawn are fascinating. This takes Harry Potter to a whole new level of enjoyment for me, personally.
must read fro Potter fans August 30, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
John Granger has done it again. This book is absolutely indispensable for anyone who wishes to discover the greatness of the genius of J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter books.
Don Holmes
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