Growing up with Harry
Mar. 29th, 2007 09:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_night(Yet again, non-Harry Potter people- forgive me.)
Many of us were children or in our early teens when we first picked up the book with that odd guy in front of a train (or on a broomstick, or somewhere else, depending on where you reside.)
So I'm conducting a survey of sorts, and want feedback from those of you who were in your teens or younger when you first read the books. In a short paragraph or sentence, tell me these things
- Your country of residence.
- The fandom/LJ name you want to be quoted as (in case I decide to quote yours), or if you'd rather not be quoted, but still want to answer.
- How old you are now, and how old you were then.
- What it was like, growing up with the books.
If you know someone who grew up with the books (little brother/sister, younger friend, your own kid, etc.), you may also post about that.
Note: I will be quoting a number of these unless you request otherwise, but it is possible not all answers will be used. I will make an effort to link to this post when I complete the project, but if it is hard to fit the number I recieve in, I will not be able to. However, again, I will link to this.
Oh, and just FYI: I was fourteen when I first read the books. I'm now twenty two. Time flies!
ETA: Thanks to all of you who have replied so far! 41 comments! One of these days I will catch up on replying, but in the meantime, it's been cool hearing all of your stories, and look forward to more. :)
Many of us were children or in our early teens when we first picked up the book with that odd guy in front of a train (or on a broomstick, or somewhere else, depending on where you reside.)
So I'm conducting a survey of sorts, and want feedback from those of you who were in your teens or younger when you first read the books. In a short paragraph or sentence, tell me these things
- Your country of residence.
- The fandom/LJ name you want to be quoted as (in case I decide to quote yours), or if you'd rather not be quoted, but still want to answer.
- How old you are now, and how old you were then.
- What it was like, growing up with the books.
If you know someone who grew up with the books (little brother/sister, younger friend, your own kid, etc.), you may also post about that.
Note: I will be quoting a number of these unless you request otherwise, but it is possible not all answers will be used. I will make an effort to link to this post when I complete the project, but if it is hard to fit the number I recieve in, I will not be able to. However, again, I will link to this.
Oh, and just FYI: I was fourteen when I first read the books. I'm now twenty two. Time flies!
ETA: Thanks to all of you who have replied so far! 41 comments! One of these days I will catch up on replying, but in the meantime, it's been cool hearing all of your stories, and look forward to more. :)
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 02:57 pm (UTC)- Your country of residence.
The Netherlands. ^^
- The fandom/LJ name you want to be quoted as (in case I decide to quote yours), or if you'd rather not be quoted, but still want to answer.
Just this name, Linda Lupos.
- How old you are now, and how old you were then.
I'm 24 right now but I was 17 when I started reading it.
... SEVENTEEN?
*calculates* Yes! I started reading it in the summer of 2000! O_O
- What it was like, growing up with the books.
Wow. Euh. I guess I didn't really 'grow up' with them since 17 is a pretty grown-up age already. But it has shaped me in ways that I can't really imagine me without Harry Potter. I owe friends to it, and my writing, and most importantly so many good memories! I don't think I'd even have been as involved on the internet had it not been for Harry Potter!
I was discussing this with this woman at my sewing class the other day, and whether the books would keep up over time. I mentioned that it would be totally different for our children to read the books because they'd have all the books readily available: they don't have to wait three years for OotP! Maybe what happens in it will be a meme like "Darth Vader is Luke's father" - EVERYBODY knows Snape kills Dumbledore. HP is, it seems to me, to this generation what Star Wars was to kids in the 80's and LotR was in the 60's. Something people connected to, what became a part of their lives, and I think it'll be hard for other people, later generations, to understand!
*hums For Good* Because I knew you, I have been changed... for good...
Oh, and uhm. My brother was 12 when he first read HP (also summer of 2000) and HP has been among the handful of books he has actually finished to date. He's not a great reader (like me...) but HP held his attention. For the first time, it was actually my younger brother who asked if we could please stay home so he could read! That was pretty amazing and I think my parents were incredibly grateful to JK Rowling for actually writing a book that had my brother spellbound. :)
And then there was the 3-year wait for OotP and he lost interest (he still knows Snape kills Dumbledore but that was because I screamed about it XD) but there's still the memory of the summer when he read three long books (long for his standard) in three weeks. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-31 05:56 am (UTC)Sanjhiya Mayekar
I am 17 now (or rather, going to be 17 this August) and I was 12 then.
Harry Potter has been an extremely intense experience for me as I have literally grown up with the books. They have given me pleasure and a whole universe to retire into when I am tired of this big bad world. Harry and his friends are very normal people (if you leave out an extremely evil wizard and unimaginable adventures), so me and, I think, all people of my age, are able to relate to them. As for me, when I first read the first book, I completely enjoyed myself as it perfectly complemented my wild imagination (which I still have) and my innocence (which i have lost). I've even had my first crush, more or less the same time as Harry's had had. I think Jo has captured the torment of the teenage years perfectly, and I had more fun thinking that 'Ha! Harry's so reasonable' or 'That's exactly what I would've done' or 'Harry's temper matches mine perfectly'! So basically, Harry and I've been through all the stages of the teenage life together and we wait and gear up for the final meeting of Voldemort, and the end of a fascinating series together, at the same age. But one thing's certain, how much ever I grow up, Harry will always remain in my heart as the same angsty teenage boy we all fell in love with... and so will I - remain the same angsty teenage girl, I mean.