allDAY : Harry Potter

Harry Potter, September 11th and Me

Jaclyn Levin — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 01:37:00 GMT

(By Elliott Walker, TODAY Producer)

It seems strange now, but on September 11, 2001, I had barely heard of Harry Potter. Strange both because of how global my favorite skinny boy hero is now (I just noticed an Urdu translation for sale on Amazon); and because I love the transporting literature of fantasy enough to have re-read THE LORD OF THE RINGS at least ten times and even, in a fit of geeky teenage passion, to have taught myself to write in Elvish runes (a separate alphabet J. R. R. Tolkien invented for his trilogy).

I missed Harry Potter's first three years of published life, but after September 11, Harry came to mean a lot to me. Because I lived in downtown Manhattan, on September 11 I was one of the people who saw the first jet hit the North Tower, a few blocks away. Shortly afterwards, back in my apartment phoning in my account of the explosion to the TODAY show, I looked out my bedroom window and saw the second plane hurtling full power across New York harbor, flying low, tilted almost sideways, apparently coming right for me. When it passed over my building to pierce the South Tower, my reaction became a tiny piece of NBC News's coverage of the day.

Our 9/11 trifecta was complete when my family - my husband, our one- and two-year-old and their nanny - saw both towers fall from a nearby park and were engulfed in a storm cloud of dust and debris. Just when we thought the world was ending, we were rescued by the private gumption of a New York Waterway ferry, put ashore in New Jersey, and faced with the task of getting on with our lives.

Where does Harry come in? Although our family was uninjured, my husband and I found it unexpectedly difficult to move past the experience. The shock we still felt and the questions we couldn't answer led us to call an old friend who is also a Navy SEAL officer. He offered the best advice I got anywhere on how to cope. "Do your job," he said, "and read Harry Potter."

So we did. At first it was escapism - something akin to what J. K. Rowling has said the books were for her - a comfortingly different world to go to, filled with real but different concerns. As she published more books, I continued to love the vision and the magic, but I also came to crave the message, and to believe that these are, in fact, the quintessential books of our time, a sort of moral compass in an age of terror.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that this may or may not be what J. K. Rowling intended. It's worth remembering that she began writing Harry years before September 11 and says she knew all along how the story ended. My other hero, J. R. R. Tolkien, used to insist that THE LORD OF THE RINGS was not the allegory for the Second World War that many people believed. Others argue that great storytelling, no matter how otherworldly the setting, will always feel that it is somehow intimately about us, the readers. The author sets the hero his quest and his enemies, but we connect the dots, filling in the contemporary names and faces ourselves.

I accept that and do not claim to know anything about Jo Rowling's views on terrorism or Islam or American foreign policy. But you can't read these books and mistake the abhorrence this former Amnesty International staffer feels for torture (which she termed one of the three Unforgivable Curses), her impatience with bigotry ("the thing I detest most," she told ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY), or her disdain for claims of superiority based on social position, "purity" (of blood or intentions), or dominion over others.

In the most entertaining and unpreachy way, the Harry Potter books celebrate physical courage, friendship, determining your own destiny through your own choices, and the differences between us that spice things up. The biggest-hearted and most open-minded character in the books is arguably Hagrid, a half-Giant with friends from many species that most people would call monsters. The most alluring character, the beautiful French girl Fleur Delacoeur, isn't full-human, either. (Remember that Veela grandmother?) I won't spoil anything by noting that Dobby the house elf, a former slave from an oppressed underclass of the Wizarding world, couldn't possibly play a more pivotal role in the last book.

On the darker side, we see true sociopathy at work as even the most devoted followers of Voldemort are brutally punished at his whim; we see corruption and careerism turn the Ministry of Magic into a sort of secret police; and we see gossip and cowardice turn friend against friend. Divide-and-conquer is one of Voldemort's more subtle tools.

Almost six years after September 11, Harry is a treasured friend to my children as well as to me. They were very young the day they watched religious hatred blow up their father's office building; they've also grown up with war on television, seeing images of America and her enemies acting in ways that I often can't explain. Yes, some of the things in the Harry Potter books are scary, particularly THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, but I've come to think that's part of life. Children enjoy being scared occasionally (so do I) and on the whole, I'd rather have them slightly scared while absorbing J. K. Rowling's finely shaded blacks, whites and grays than listening to the loud voices in our world (on both sides) who have all the answers and would have them believe that We are Good and They are Evil.

So I will read them HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, discuss it carefully with them, and continue to feel that, while J. K. Rowling may not have been writing ABOUT us at all, she has definitely been writing FOR us.

J.K. Rowling a Slytherin?

Jen Brown — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:00:00 GMT

No, Rowling has not joined the House of Salazar Slytherin.

The ring she wore to her interview with Meredith Vieira is a gift from her husband, Neil, and a testament to the fact that she was born in the year of the snake.

It may come as no surprise that Rowling suspects she would be sorted into Gryffindor if she were to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“The virtue I prize above the others, and I think it’s patently obvious from the books, is courage,” Rowling said. “So I would hope to be in Gryffindor…Whether I would be judged worthy or not, I don’t know.”

More from Meredith Vieira's interview with J.K. Rowling:

Rowling explains changing last word in Harry Potter

Jen Brown — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:54:00 GMT

Spoiler alert: If you haven't finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," you may not want to read any further.

It was widely reported that the last word of the final Harry Potter book was "scar" and for years Rowling said that was true.

In the epilogue, which is set19 years after the defeat of Voldemort, Rowling paints a picture of Harry standing on platform 9 3/4, his nearest and dearest surrounding him. In her original draft, the last line was “Only those who he loved could see the lightning scar,’” ….or “something like” that, she told Meredith Vieira in an exclusive interview.

Ultimately, Rowling felt that line was too ambiguous, begging the question about whether the scar was still there or not. She said wanted a more concrete statement that Harry had won; Voldemort had been defeated. The scar was still there, but now it was only a scar.

“I wanted to say it’s over. It’s done.”

Rowling changed the last line to: “All was well.”

“That felt right,” she said.

More from Meredith Vieira's interview with J.K. Rowling:

J.K. Rowling's mind games with Daniel Radcliffe

Jen Brown — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:06:00 GMT

Spoiler alert: If you haven't finished reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" yet, put this post in your "to read later" folder!

Perhaps Daniel Radcliffe thought Harry Potter was going to die in the “Deathly Hallows” because of a tip from J.K. Rowling.

When Rowling and the Radcliffes were out to dinner not too long ago, Rowling told Radcliffe he would get a death scene in the final movie.

“I’m pretty sure he would have walked away from that dinner thinking, ‘Yeah, I get a death scene, but what does that mean?’” Rowling said.

Check out Meredith's interview with J.K. Rowling to hear more about her thoughts on the end of the seven-book series and what Harry Potter has meant to her. WATCH VIDEO

J.K. Rowling brings Meredith Vieira to tears

Jen Brown — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:25:00 GMT

In her first interview since the final chapter of the Harry Potter series went public, J.K. Rowling revealed the secrets she could never previously discuss to TODAY’s Meredith Vieira in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rowling covered all topics including the rationale behind her plot choices; the character she saved and the ones she decided to kill later in the writing process; what Harry, Hermione and Ron are up to these days; her plans for the future; and the way Harry Potter has saved her own life.

Meredith’s interview with Rowling airs both this morning and Friday on TODAY and in a one-hour Dateline special this Sunday.

But to give you a little taste, allDAY talked to Meredith about the most poignant moments in the hours she spent with Rowling.

allDAY: So, after all you read about Jo going into this interview, what surprised you the most?

Meredith: I had read that she was not an easy interview; I think “aloof” was the word I read.

But I found her very much the opposite. I found her warm, I found her charming. I found her protective of her material, but not proprietary.

In so many other interviews she had to be guarded. There was still this whole series and she didn’t want to reveal secrets before now.

allDAY: There were a few really delightful off-camera moments with Jo and the children during the interview. Did any of those in particular stand out for you?

Meredith: She asked how many of us had gone to the last page first and a few of us raised our hands and she said, “How could you!,” (as an author would). She was teasing the kids.

I love that she was so protective of them during the interview. She didn’t want to spoil this book for anybody. That spoke a lot to Jo, the person, not just the author.

allDAY: While she was quite concerned about not spoiling the book for anyone during the portion of the interview when the children were present, you also got a chance to speak with her one-on-one when went into more detail about the book and also spoke openly about her own life. What struck you about that portion of the interview?

Meredith: She talked about Harry saving her, financially, and him being her touchstone for 17 years, that’s important.

She also said her biggest regret is not telling her mother about Harry. At the end of the day her biggest regret is that her mom never knew about the books, and if she had she would have been at every book opening, every signing. That was such a lovely moment.

allDAY: It was a story about her mother that actually brought you to tears at one point when the cameras were off….

Meredith: Yes, she had been talking about her mom having MS and a case where she declined very rapidly. I starting talking to her about my husband having MS and I just connected with her on a special level.

We were just talking about the strength of character of people dealing with illness – not the caretaker, the person with the illness – and I felt a bond with her. Then I was embarrassed because I started crying a little. I said I didn’t mean to cry, and she said, “Don’t worry, I’m usually the one crying!”

allDay: Of all the things she talked about – and she talked about a lot! -- what are you most excited to share with the TODAY audience?

Meredith: I think they’re going to be most excited to know why she killed off who she didn’t, and the choices she made throughout the series.

For more coverage of Meredith's interview with J.K. Rowling, click here.

Reading 'Deathly Hallows' in the temple of J.K. Rowling

Jen Brown — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:33:00 GMT

(From Jen Brown, TODAYShow.com)

I was so engrossed in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” that I didn’t notice the young woman who had approached me until she pointed to my book and asked if it was the new Harry Potter.

I nodded.

“Ahh, I see you have come to the temple to read it,” she said.

J.K. Rowling actually wrote a big part of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on the second floor of this building located in Edinburgh, Scotland, right in the heart of Edinburgh University. Back then it was Nicholson’s Café; it has since been converted into a Chinese restaurant (below).

The ground floor is now occupied by the Black Medicine Coffee Co., frequented by students and tourists. While it is not the exact seat while Rowling sat writing out her novel in long hand with her baby girl sleeping beside her, I certainly enjoyed looking up from the “Deathly Hallows” and knowing Rowling must have been looking at a similar scene where she laid the foundations for this series’ finale over 12 years ago.

For more Harry Potter news, check out our special Harry Potter section. Tune in to TODAY on Thursday, 7/26, and Friday 7/27, and to the special one-hour Dateline on Sunday, 7/29 for the exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling.

Celebrating 'Deathly Hallows' from Harry Potter's 'hometown'

Jen Brown — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:36:00 GMT

Last night, I was lucky enough to attend the midnight book release party for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in Edinburgh, Scotland, the place where J.K. Rowling "birthed" the famous wizard and his magical word. My official report is here, but I thought I'd share a few more random stories from the event:

Nina Jones, Elizabeth Thacker and Alice Langley got up at 4 a.m. in order to be first in line at the West End Waterstone's book store, but that's not the craziest thing they've done for Harry Potter. For Nina's 17th birthday, Elizabeth and Alice recorded the first sixth books on tape. The endeavor took two full months.

J.K. Rowling finished the last chapter of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the five-star Balmoral hotel, commemorating the event by scribbling "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11th Jan 2007” on the back of a marble bust. The occupant of Room 652 last night: Jeannie Barresi (left), managing director of Beyond Boundaries which runs HP fan trips.

I thought it was funny that sisters Violetta and Adrianna Solowiej (far left) came all the way from Norway to be in J.K. Rowling's city, but only bought one copy of "Deathly Hallows" between to the two of them. They laughed when I pointed that out, but already had a plan: Adrianna would stay up all nght and read; Violetta planned to sleep and start the book in the morning.

I walked past the shelves of Harry Potter books several times without realizing what they were. I had forgotten that the Bloomsbury editions have different covers. Scholastic is the publisher of Harry Potter books in the States.

Harry Potter looks much older on Bloomsbury's "children's" edition cover of "Deathly Hallows"....

....there is also an "adult" cover.

You always hear about aggressive British photographers...I just never expected to see them dueling with each other at a release of a children's book.

The two owls were surprisingly well behaved during the event. They barely flinched as children pet them throughout the evening.

For more Harry Potter news, check out our special Harry Potter section. Tune in to TODAY on Thursday, 7/26, and Friday 7/27, and to the special one-hour Dateline on Sunday, 7/29 for the exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling.

7 muggles win trip to London

Jen Brown — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:30:00 GMT

Scholastic has picked the winners of the sweepstakes the originally announced on TODAY. The following seven lucky muggles will be traveling to London to attend J.K. Rowling and the Moonlight Signing event in London for the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at 12:01 a.m. on July 21:

Andrew Lee, age 9, Havertown, PA

• Paige Raudenbush, age 11, Boise, ID

• Ayoluwa Hill, age 12, Atlanta, GA

Sophie DeGroot, age 13, Seattle, WA

• Joseph Walsh, age 15, Cincinnati, OH

• Anne Harbaugh, age 17, Spring, TX

• Yanira Rodriguez, age 20, Hialeah, FL

More Harry Potter news

J.K. Rowling announces U.S. tour

Jen Brown — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:34:00 GMT

Just a day after we announced we'll have an exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling following the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," there's more big Harry Potter news this morning.

Rowling will be coming to the States in October for the "J.K. Rowling Book Tour," which will include four events in Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York City (two events). Sadly for adult fans like myself, three of the four are only open to schoolchildren, BUT there will one stop in New York's Carnegie Hall open to fans of all ages. Tickets to that event will be given out through a Scholastic sweepstakes that opens July 30 on their Web site.

In September, Scholastic will select schools in each of the three cities to send students to the readings with Rowling. Each selected school will be given a Sorting Hat (cool) to randomly draw names of students and classes to attend the events.

At each event, Rowling will read from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," answer questions and sign books.

Dates and venues:

Monday, 10/15: Los Angeles Kodak Theater
Thursday, 10/18: Ernest N. Morial Auditorian at the Convention Center in New Orleans
Friday, 10/19: New York's Carnegie Hall
Friday, 10/19, 7 p.m.: New York's Carnegie Hall (open to adults)

You can find more Harry Potter news on our Web site

Clues revealed in special edition Harry Potter cover

Jen Brown — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:30:00 GMT

This morning, Scholastic editor Arthur Levine revealed the special edition cover of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” on TODAY...

The seventh and final book in the series, printed with the traditional cover, will have a record-setting first printing of 12 million copies when it reaches the public on July 21. The special edition book – which has 816 pages compared to 784 pages in the regular edition and costs $65 (suggested retail price) -- will have just 100,000 copies printed. (Why put out a special edition? Apparently there's quite a demand.)

Arthur said the image on the cover is one of his favorite scenes in the book and he specifically asked that it be the image of the deluxe cover. This is how Scholastic describes the scene:

“Set during a highly dramatic sunset, Harry, Hermione, and Ron--clothes in tatters--cling atop a flying dragon in this astonishing artwork created by Mary GrandPré for the deluxe edition. As mist creeps down towering hillsides to a village below, questions arise about where the trio is headed and what has led them to this spellbinding moment."

I have lots of theories about the final book, but none of them involve this scene. How about you? Does this give you any clues as to how the series will end?