Common Sense
Ignore the doom & gloomers. Reading is alive everywhere. I hope you can tell me where you were at 12:01 July 21st when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released. I wasn’t going to join the hoopla starting at 9 p.m. at my local Books A Million. Honestly, all I wanted was to get the book in my hands and start reading. I didn’t need to dress up and party - I just needed the book. Still when I popped in to get my voucher that day, the sales clerk said to me, “You look just like Lily Potter.” Oops, I was hooked. So I went. Restoring, refreshing, and invigorating. That’s what the experience was to me.
Every aisle was filled with people when I arrived at 11 p.m. As I wandered every child had 2 or 3 other books in their hands and were explaining to their parents why they needed them. Teenagers were chatting about different series and disdaining their parents who weren’t up on the newest titles. Families were grouped on the floors looking at books. Yes, there were lots of people in costume, but there were many quietly determined people like me just dying to get their hands on the book. The intercom announced we could begin lining up at 11:15 and everyone was very good-natured about it. They sorted the youngest crowd of less than 16 year olds to one side of the store and the more mature group to the other. Every aisle became part of the line which then snaked out of the store, through two more parking lots. They announced watch synchronization at 11:30, 11:45, 11:50, 12:00 and then the big ten second countdown.
The screaming and cheering outdid Times Square on New Year’s Eve. These were people screaming with excitement for — a book! The experience of connecting to a character that has become part of our consciousness, our culture, and our creative lives.
I was there to experience the thrill of the release. Will I ever have the opportunity to see so many people from all walks of life (my plumber, my mechanic, teachers, bankers, teens, children, grandparents) excited about reading again? I hope so. In the meantime I will store this experience in my treasure vault of memories as to why I love being a librarian.
