Customer Reviews

Looking for God in Harry Potter

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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.

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!

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.

I have read dozens of books about Harry Potter. Some were great guides to the series, and some were insightful criticisms. Still others were interesting condemnations of the dangers of this type of book and its possible effects on the reader. "Looking for God in Harry Potter" is by far the best of everything I've read. In this book, Granger takes into account every scrap of information he has available and looks at the book as a piece of LITERATURE as opposed to a cult in the making or a publishing phenomenon. He explores J.K. Rowling's background in education and addresses her comments from different interviews in order to build a framework for his analysis. In other words, he does not review the book in a vacuum.
What I found most interesting, and therefore most compelling, is his analysis of the use of language and the choice of words. For example, in his discussion of the four houses, Granger talks about the meaning of Gryffindor (a word derived from two French words meaning golden griffon) and why the symbol would be a lion rather than a griffon. I won't spoil the book here by going into too much detail, but anyone who wants to look at Harry's world as a well written piece of literature from an author of true talent (and not just some lucky welfare mom, as she is often protrayed) must read this book.
Mr. Granger has done what no other author I have read has even come close to. He has written a well researched, well balanced, review of the Harry Potter series. His work discusses the sources of inspiration for the series as well as "deeper meaning".
Of course, as you can probably tell from the title, Granger believes the book to be an inherently Christian series and he supports his ideas well. What he, unlike so many others, manages to avoid is making his point by beating you over the head with his beliefs. He simply states what he sees in this series, and he defends his position with facts instead of pushing relgious rhetoric.

This book is much better than Granger's earlier "Hidden Key to Harry Potter." Be aware that it was written before Half-Blood Prince was published. Granger, a self-described "traditional Christian," has moved from initial suspicion of the Potter books to finding Christian truth embedded in them; he compares Rowling to the noted Christian fantasy writers C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. He has assembled a formidable array of arguments, using everything from medieval heraldry to Christian theology. Some of his explanations are rather long but they are relevant. While he makes an occasional error (he says that James' and Dumbledore's friendship is the reason Dumbledore protects Harry after James dies), his analysis of the patterns in the novels and of the characters' interactions is good. He believes Rowling is making use of the medieval alchemical approach to spiritual growth (note: this does NOT mean he's trying to turn base metals into gold!) and makes a good case. His explanation of this process is thorough and his application of it to the books is helpful, as is his explanation of the relationship among Dumbledore, Harry, and Voldemort. This is a helpful book for any who want a defense against the claim that Rowling's work is dangerous and satanic.

Mr. Granger does a good job of several things:

1) He approaches Harry Potter with intelligence, a tolerable level of scholarship, and a certain genuine honesty--you believe him when he says he wasn't always a fan.

2) He manages to maintain a quite ecumenical tone, only once diverging from the tenents of my personal doctrine (Roman Catholicism--the ever-present but truly minor "Jesus' brother James" thing). I don't remember any point at which Granger dishonors any branch of Christianity. Nor is his book an evangelical tract, in the negative sense. He simply points out something about HP (and I would say most decent literature) that seemed glaringly obvious to me, especially in Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire. The richness of Christian symbol is wonderful, if you'll allow Mr. Granger's premise that God isn't physically bound in the pages of the Bible, but that Christ's Incarnation means He is present and can speak through EVERYTHING in this world, even an "occult" book (regardless of the author's intent!). St. Augustine would be proud...*Soapbox gone. Sorry for the tangent.*

3) His discussion of alchemy and its Christian past was a complete and intriguing revelation to me, and I'm guessing most who read this book.

His justification of theological criticism of English-language literature (my forte) is the best I've seen yet. I look forward to The English Major's Guide to Harry Potter!

Having read the Harry Potter books several times already, I thought it might be interesting to read this book. Granger does a great job of pointing out the many instances of Christian symbolism throughout the first five Harry Potter books (although I sometimes wonder if all instances were actually intended by Rowling). If you are a parent who has been reluctant to allow your child to read Harry Potter due to the controversy surrounding the use of magic and witchcraft in the books, this book should ease your mind and help you to realize that there is very little danger in these books.

As a fan of Harry Potter, I didn't feel that I was part of the intended audience for the book, though. There were some interesting insights, true, but the book seemed to be geared more towards a person who had never read a Harry Potter book. I also cannot help but point out that there were many, many mispellings of names and words from the Harry Potter universe that left me rather speechless. Errors such as "squibb", "flu powder", "Ms. Grubberly Plank", "Station 9 3/4" (as opposed to "Platform 9 3/4") left me wondering how Granger could have spent so much time researching the books and then leave errors obvious enough for anyone who has read the books to cringe with embarassment for the author.

So, in summary, this is a good read for parents who would like to know more about the books before they allow their children to read them. For hard-core fans of the Harry Potter series, you may want to look elsewhere for background reading.

As an evangelical Christian, I was very suspicious of Harry Potter, especially as many respected Christian leaders put it in the same genre as Philip Pullman's atheistic Dark Materials Trilogy. Having seen the first Potter movie, I noticed a lot of Christian symbolism. Shortly thereafter, I read Connie Neal's "The Gospel According to Harry Potter", and I was encouraged to see I wasn't the only one picking up the Christian themes.

John Granger's work goes even further than Connie Neal's, in a scholarly way, he shows how J.K. Rowling uses Christian symbolism in her stories just as her favorite authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Granger uses his background in classical languages and English literature to explain how Rowling uses symbolism to present glimspses of Christ and the Christian faith, just as C.S. Lewis does in the Chronicles of Narnia. Granger makes such a well-argued, powerful case that any critic of Harry Potter must meet the challenge of "Looking for God in Harry Potter". It is encouraging to read a book that is not only intellectually honest and stimulating, as well as devoutly committed to Christian truth. I would highly recommend this book and similar articles Granger has written on his website at www.hogwartsprofessor.com. Enjoy the book!

After having read other authors' blind approach to the Harry Potter/Christianity issue (Killinger pro; Abanes con), I find John Granger's approach refreshing.

He admits to starting out with a strong bias against Rowling's books, but decided to find out for himself if they were appropriate for his family by actually reading them. Too many Christians reject Rowling's books (and Rowling herself, quite honestly- the abuse her books have taken from the Christian community is one thing, the abuse she continues to take is reprehensible) without ever reading the books.

Granger delves into strong symbolism that is foundational to each story and argues his case quite convincingly that Christian symbolism is woven throughout the books.

I do recommend it.

Granger's connections to Christian doctrine and ceremony are at times extremely insightful and believable, and at times a bit of a stretch that seem like personal opinion. The first half of the book deals with literary elements, patterns, and themes that that Rowling uses to ensnare our imagination, and to deliver hidden messages (or as Granger would put it - underlying truths). The second half of this book is a book-by-book breakdown (first 5 of them) of some of the earlier mentioned themes and symbolism, but is also filled with insightful and astoundingly true revelations and connections. Though at times pushing too hard to make his connections to Christian ceremony and tradition, Granger does an Excellent job of showing the (informed) reader that the Harry Potter novels are not some hideous trap that children should fear. But are instead, literary masterpieces of knowledge and influence that are to be embraced by all generations and creeds!