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A review by vermidian
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
4.0
This was my first time rereading this since I was a kid. I don't even remember how old I was. Nine? Ten? I might have been as old as twelve, but I was a tinier version of me to be sure. I think the first book I ever went to the release party for was the fourth book, by which time the whole world had the same itch for Hogwarts. But this was also my first time reading it since JK Rowling has proven to be a hateful person, more interested in slinging hate at Transgender people than putting good into the world. As a result I've been really reluctant to go back and read these for fear of being a much more critical thinker now.
And there were parts of this book where I had a right to be concerned. For example, the language Rowling uses when referring to people who happen to carry more body weight was atrocious. The multiple instances of child abuse which are just meant to be treated as an acceptable part of the story was also pretty jarring, and not as curious or funny as they might have seemed when I read them as a child. No, these are things CPS should have been called for and things teachers (mostly Snape) should have been fired for. Also the culture the school creates of "All Slytherin kids are evil!" is kind of shitty.
But the world I enjoyed so much is still there, underneath that ugliness. The world building is still whimsical and fun. The storyline is still fun, though, again, that hinges on grown adults abusing an eleven year old via bullying and, in his family's case, sometimes physical abuse. The polish was definitely off the silver reading this as an adult. The friendships and the characters of the children are definitely still very strong characterizations, though they are a little one-sided in the first book without a tremendous amount of opportunity to grow.
I downgraded the book to four stars as a result of my shifting view of the books. I love the world, but there are things about it I would definitely have changed if I were the author. Do I recommend the book? Sure. But be sure to talk to your kids as they read them about the harmful aspects of these books.
And there were parts of this book where I had a right to be concerned. For example, the language Rowling uses when referring to people who happen to carry more body weight was atrocious. The multiple instances of child abuse which are just meant to be treated as an acceptable part of the story was also pretty jarring, and not as curious or funny as they might have seemed when I read them as a child. No, these are things CPS should have been called for and things teachers (mostly Snape) should have been fired for. Also the culture the school creates of "All Slytherin kids are evil!" is kind of shitty.
But the world I enjoyed so much is still there, underneath that ugliness. The world building is still whimsical and fun. The storyline is still fun, though, again, that hinges on grown adults abusing an eleven year old via bullying and, in his family's case, sometimes physical abuse. The polish was definitely off the silver reading this as an adult. The friendships and the characters of the children are definitely still very strong characterizations, though they are a little one-sided in the first book without a tremendous amount of opportunity to grow.
I downgraded the book to four stars as a result of my shifting view of the books. I love the world, but there are things about it I would definitely have changed if I were the author. Do I recommend the book? Sure. But be sure to talk to your kids as they read them about the harmful aspects of these books.