We Are The Harry Potter Generation

When I was in 5th grade my mom handed a book to me and told me to read it, claiming that I would love it. I had been resistant to reading it because I was going through a phase of not wanting to do what every other kid was doing, as one does when they're a pre-teen.

To humor her, I read the book.

That book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

At the time there were three books out in the series already, so I read the next two in rapid succession as well. I had fallen in love with Harry's world.

The thing about Harry Potter, and the reason I feel that the series is so successful, is we grew up with it. When we say that we are the Harry Potter generation, it's because we literally grew up with Harry. I was around Harry's age when he starts at Hogwarts when I started reading the books. In 2007 when the final book in the series came out, I had just graduated from high school and had come "of age" just like Harry does in that book. As we grew up, the books grew up with us. The story became less innocent and darker themes emerged as Harry and his friends fought for the wizarding world.

There is never going to be another Harry Potter.

With the advent of technology that allows you to download a book immediately, there is no need for a midnight release party for a book. When the Harry Potter books were released, people lined up, dressed up, and waited at midnight for the books to release. There was a city near my hometown that had all of its downtown shops become one of the fictional stores in the Harry Potter world. People would buy the book and IMMEDIATELY begin reading. It was a race to absorb everything in the book as fast as possible. I remember holding the book in my hands for the first time and then immediately reading. Karl and I would read furiously until we finished the book and then immediately discuss them. Allie and I used to keep each other updated on which page number we were on. I remember taking Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix to the concession stand at Longwood park and reading it in between breaks from customers. All we did after we got those books was read. Then discuss. Then re-read.

The summer before I left for grad school I re-read the entire series. I was shocked to see how much I had forgotten from the series, but that made it that much more fun to read again.

There will never be another Harry Potter. Harry Potter took the world by storm in a way that a book never had before. Kids were excited to read. Kids. Excited. To. Read.

The movie release parties were equally insane. I went to the release party for the last movie. The theater we were at had 24 screens, each with a midnight showing. The theater was packed. Insane. People dressed up everywhere. People singing songs from A Very Potter Musical. People reading the books. Wizard duels breaking out in line. It was pure insanity. And pure awesomeness. I haven't been to a midnight premiere since that has even come close to that night.

For us, the Harry Potter generation, Harry Potter was something that helped us. We could read about Harry, a normal kid like us, doing amazing things. We could read about his friends. Ron, the brave and loyal friend. Hermione, the smart and witty witch. Having characters like Hermione helped me to realize that it was okay to be a nerd.

While newer generations can read the series and enjoy the movies, we alone were there to experience it as it happened. We are the Harry Potter generation. And with a theme park with a new addition to it just this year, it's clear that the Harry Potter generation isn't going anywhere anytime soon.