What I've Learned from JK Rowling

My oldest daugher is absolutely obsessed with Harry Potter. She bought her ticket to the midnight showing (tonight) last week. She's planning to attend a midnight party at a local bookstore when the final book is released next weekend. She talks about the books and movies contstantly. She has grown up with the characters and I'm afraid she'll sink into a deep depression if Harry dies in this last book.


Whether you like the Harry Potter books or not, you have to admit that JK Rowling has ignited a love of reading in a generation of TV-computer-XBox kids. What an amazing impact one author has had on so many children. I'm sure she never imagined, especially after 28 rejections, that her book would inspire so many kids to rediscover reading. Her imagination is incredible and it's contagious. Her characters have become real, her settings have become real, her story has become real to so many. Basically, her story is about a kid who just wants to find his place and fit in. Of course, she's added a fantastical world filled with creatures and magic, but the story is essentially about a boy who wants to be loved. It has that universal appeal.


Rowling believed in her story. Rejection after rejection, she refused to give up. She persevered even when it seemed that no one else believed in her and that's what I've learned from JK Rowling--never give up. Believe in yourself, believe in your story. Because, when you believe, miracles happen.