Looking for God in Harry Potter [Paperback]

John Granger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2006

For the latest edition of this book that covers all 7 Harry Potter novels, see How Harry Cast His Spell.
John Granger, a Christian, a teacher of classic literature, and a father of seven children, explores the surprising reasons J. K. Rowling's books are so popular and examines what the author believes are strong Christian themes throughout the Harry Potter books. Granger helps readers understand the classic literary devices used in the Potter books and contends that Rowling is writing in the tradition of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Are they just a good read, or do they nourish the soul as well?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Granger (no relation to fellow brainiac Hermione), a homeschooling Christian father of seven, initially resisted when a friend encouraged him to read the Harry Potter books. But Rowling's novels, sprinkled with literary allusions and strong biblical values, won the classicist over quickly, and he became an avid spokesperson for the series. This book transcends the responses of some other Christian writers (those in support, like Connie Neal, or in sloppy accusations, like Richard Abanes) to offer a serious literary and Christian appraisal of the first five books. Granger begins with the thesis that all humans are "wired" to respond to "stories that reflect the greatest story ever told," including that of Harry's struggle against evil. The best part of the book is Granger's lucid commentary on Rowling's use of language—the insights into character names alone are worth the price of admission—and his keen awareness of word play. Although some arguments are a stretch, and there are a few tiny mistakes (in a footnote, for example, Granger claims that the hero of James and the Giant Peach was named James Potter, like Harry's dad, when it was James Henry Trotter), this is obviously a painstakingly researched book. It is easily the best examination to date of the spiritual legacy of "the boy who lived."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

This production is an effective synergy of writer and reader. While a few of his interpretations are contrived, for the most part, John Granger approaches the Harry Potter novels with focused intelligence, scholarship, and wit. This wit, along with Granger's personal asides and the illustrative quotations from the novels, is what narrator Nick Sandys builds on to make his delivery a delight. Sandys enters fully into Granger's perspective, sounding first dubious about Harry Potter's moral importance, then gleefully surprised. Sandys knows how to evoke individual characters well through shifts in tone, and when to linger, as both Granger and J.K. Rowling do, for emphasis. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: SaltRiver; 2 Updated edition (February 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414306342
• ISBN-13: 978-1414306346
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Granger is an author, speaker, and professor. A graduate of the University of Chicago, where he studied classical languages and literature, he uses Harry Potter to teach English literature online at HogwartsProfessor.com. He is a frequent speaker at academic and fan conferences and has been interviewed as a "Harry Potter expert" in the "Wall Street Journal," the "New York Times," CNN, and the DVD of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He and his wife, Mary, have seven children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 134 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book for Potter Lovers and Parents Too! July 24, 2004

By D. Trainor

Format:Hardcover

Looking for God in Harry Potter is an updated and improved version of Granger's earlier writing on the subject. Not only is this book up to date with reference to every Potter book Rowling has written, it is also edited in a superior fashion. This book succeeds on a number of fronts: 1) It details the important themes of the Potter books extremely well. This has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate the books much more than when I first helped read Sorcerer's Stone to my son. The Potter stories are great on their own but Looking for God in Harry Potter allows you to see the deep themes Rowling is baking into these stories. I guarantee you will appreciate her writing skill and the books themselves significantly more after reading this guide. 2)This has helped me to reinforce the themes in the Potter books, which are really the great themes we are faced with in life, for my son. It has given me an informed, adult view on Rowling's writing that has created many "teachable moments" with my son.

I consider myself a decent reader but, to be honest, it's amazing how much I missed in Rowling's books that John Granger has captured in great detail. From the themes in each of the Potter books to the hidden meaning of most of the character's names--the detail and analysis will astound you if you are a Potter fan. If you'd like to see a serious treatment of Rowling's world as literature--and benefit from the experience--this is your book.

If you are a Christian reader who has felt a bit guilty in your love (or your children's) for the Potter books I urge you to buy this book. The loud, opposing voices in the Christian media have created a dangerous image for Rowling's stories and you may know people who have warned you not to let Harry Potter into your home. This book gives you the other side of the story and it does it with a great analysis of all the themes. This will help you see why the fears of many people (many of whom have never read a single Harry Potter book) are misplaced. It explains why when you read the books you couldn't see what the negative warnings were all about and indeed, you felt just the opposite.

64 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating perspective - a must for fans of all persuasions June 16, 2004

By Penny

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Granger has refined and sharpened his already-potent message of how these phenomenally successful books have such broad appeal and why they deserve to be taken seriously as literature from his first book on the subject (Hidden Key to Harry Potter, 2003). Granger's base message is that love conquers death, a fundamental principle of Christian thinking ... but it is a message that has resonance for others as well. Granger shows compellingly how Harry is resurrected from the dead via sacrificial love and/or a clear Christian symbol in each of the 5 books. Accordingly, I thought his writing was at his strongest in Chapter 7, titled "The Triumph of Love Over Death."

I always enjoy hearing (or reading) Granger's explanation of the alchemical imagery and structure in the Harry Potter novels. Once the reader understands the basics of alchemy and its uses in great literature, it is possible to appreciate the rich layers in these novels so much more. I think that appreciation of the alchemical structure and symbolism, following a grand tradition in British literature in particular, is fundamental to really understanding these books, and this is an area of analysis of Rowling's work not previously touched on by many (or any?) scholars. The chapters in Granger's book relating to the symbolism replete in the Harry Potter novels, as well as the name meanings, are also a joy to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book-by-book analysis, which is perhaps an excellent starting point for Christians who are skeptical or even hostile to Rowling's novels. Granger's analysis of each of these books is so compelling that it should foster questions and reflective thought in even the staunchest of critics. I now also have a greater understanding of why I favor the 3rd and 5th novels in the series so much (the 1st, 3rd and 5th novels being more introspective, while the 2nd and 4th novels are more focused on the greater world around Harry).

I think this is easily one of the greatest commentaries on the work of J.K. Rowling. As one promotional reviewer noted, it will make Christians who love the books appreciate them all the more, and it will give Christian critics much to consider. But, I want to emphasize that this isn't just a book for Christians; Granger's fundamental thesis and his explanations of alchemy and doppelgangers should have appeal to all Harry Potters fans, regardless of religious persuasion. I heartily recommend this book to all the Potterphiles out there!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great answers to religious (Christian) objections July 5, 2005

By Trevor Mcarthur

Format:Hardcover

This is not only an excellent answer to any religous relative you have who claims that the Harry Potter series is a demonic plot to misguide Christian youth (well, I've been hearing that), it may also be the first serious academic-type analysis of that series.

The author lays out his bona fides early on to be deciding whether books may be pro- or anti-Christian. He is a father who does not even allow television in his house and originally read Harry Potter to screen it when one of his children brought it home. He expected to forbid it and only wanted to be able to say what exactly is wrong with it (if only every modern Pharisee were so thoughtful) and instead found the book in the aligorical tradition of the Narnia series. The characters and settings might be wizards and magic, but he lays out a case that the subtext and underlying story is more New Testament.

On the one hand he lays out the differences between the sorcery banned in the Bible and portrayed in the book. I'll shorten it to say the bible condemns INVOCATIONAL magic which CALLS demons and powers from the "other side" as not just profane, but a bad idea because those beings rarely want to do what you want them to. J.K. Rowling's characters do INCANTATIONAL magic by NAMING the thing they want--light, disarm, etc. And the word became flesh. This he argues is different and not the threat the former type of magic poses. Granger explains it much better.

And on another track he lays out the similarities between Harry's story and Biblical narratives we are "supposed" to read. The sacrificial love of Harry's parents that gives him life, the decents into death and figuartive rebith in each of the stories, the paralells each character has with biblical characters and those from more accepted Christian literature like C.S. Lewis. He makes a great case these stories are not simply religion neutral but actually about a spiritual and even Christian struggle and journey.

Sometimes he may go too far, as all high-powered literary criticism and analysis has a danger of doing. As he goes into the links between the alchemy used in the stories and the way the names of the characters relate almost every page of the narative to ancient alchemical practices and symbols. This part is either way out on a limb or Rowling has written a much deeper work than many people have previously guessed.

In any case, this book helps to explain that mysterious "it" quality Potter has found and so many other children's books before and after have not. And it will help you tell that pious aunt why she is so wrong about your favorite books.