I finished reading “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and final book in the series, last night. Many avid readers of author J.K. Rowling’s young wizard’s odyssey finished the book over a week ago, but I got started late and I only read in spurts. (Hey, I gotta take time to post this blog right?)
“Hallows” is an incredibly well-written novel and Harry’s tale, which is meticulously and amazingly woven through seven books, never loses its momentum or tension. Obviously I’m a fan—a big fan. But after I closed the book it lead me to wonder, with over 12 million copies printed:
Are there a lot of black folks who are reading the Harry Potter series?
I asked short story writer and home schooling consultant Candice Davis that question. “Amongst readers, yes, the Potter books are popular. But unfortunately many of our black children are not avid readers,” she says. I asked about adults. “Most of them when they do read, don’t read fiction.”
I’d love for there to be some poll to discover what percentage of black people are avid readers (I hear the question coming: What determines “avid?” But that’s the surveyors job) and what are our avid readers reading?
Might it have anything to do with wizards, Quidditch, wands or a kid named Harry?
I realize that I am weighing in on this a little late but I am just checking out your blog, and I love it but I have always loved your writing and your wit! (ha) African American’s don’t read fiction? Are you kidding me??? As I remember in the late nineties when I was reading “The Coldest Winter Ever” by Sister Souljah I enjoyed the number of African-Americans that came up to me and said, they were really “digging” this book! For a couple of minutes we shared a snicker and knew that we had latched on to something cool. “The Coldest Winter Ever”, sold over half a million copies in the United States alone. Small peanuts compared to the fiction king, James Patterson who has sold over 130 million copies of his books worldwide, but hey that still isn’t bad. Then there are the authors we as African-Americans love to read like the late BB Moore Campbell, and E. Lynn Harris (his books were being read and circulated around pretty fast and all of a sudden we were thinking “oh my goodness what have the brothers gone and gotten themselves into!!!)
ReplyDeleteI have been a part of an African American book club that has been reading together for almost 7 years. Our Book club has read fiction and nonfiction, both African-American authors and European authors. There are book clubs cropping up all around the country and yes we are reading and not just enjoying a good meal!
There’s Oprah’s book club which has endorsed quite a few books, but there are some of us out there that will only read her books and some of us that won’t touch them proclaiming that we will not be a party to her book madness because she’s just endorsing this book or that book as a prelude to her next show! Also in Chicago many of the African-American radio stations are suggesting a book title for the month and having people to come down to one of the neighborhood spots like, The Spoken Word Café, in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood for some discussion.
There is a new generation that is discovering Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison and so yes, we as African-Americans are reading more. So to answer your question I am not sure why Harry Potter has not fallen into the brief cases of African American adults and their children by the loads, but maybe it has more to do with our spirituality and the fact that “witches and warlocks” still “spook” us rather than that we are not reading. Just my humble opinion…thanks
Avery,
ReplyDeletethere may be more blacks reading Harry Potter than you might suspect.
They are called " Thrivals"
Nat Irvin, II