Harry Potter was for many children the gateway to reading, yet especially the first book initially had difficulties in the USA. Certain groups believed that the story about witchcraft and curses could harm children.
Most would probably label “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” as a harmless book that can also be read by children. The story revolves around an eleven-year-old and his adventures at Hogwarts, which, although dangerous and dark at times, ultimately feel like a modern fairy tale.
In the USA, however, the first book was a cause for concern: Conservative groups and some parents saw it as a threat to their children. Just as Dolores Umbridge wants to expel Harry from Hogwarts in part 5, the books should also suffer this fate.
Will the new HBO series also spark discussions? Here you can see the first teaser:
Hogwarts as a bad influence?
What was the accusation? When “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released in the USA in 1999, some were bothered by the portrayal of magic and witchcraft in the story.
The accusation was that the book blurred the lines between reality and fantasy. The themes addressed were perceived by some as too dark for a young readership. Witchcraft and other occult themes such as curses were considered to be portrayed too harmlessly. Children might view them positively and be negatively influenced.
Also, the fact that Harry frequently breaks the strict rules at Hogwarts upset some parents. After all, the first-grader sneaks out of bed at night despite the rules or flies after Draco on his broomstick, which is also not allowed.
In the case of “The Sorcerer’s Stone,” it wasn’t just an accusation. The book was actually banned from some school libraries, as was the case in a Catholic school in Nashville, Tennessee. There, the book had to endure an accusation from a priest who recognized “real curses and spells” in it.
In other US schools, access to the novel was at least made more difficult, so that in one case in Arkansas, parental signatures were required to borrow the book.
Did the ban have long-term success? As we know today, no. Harry Potter became a huge success despite initial protests in some places and shaped the childhood of many young readers.
While the subsequent volumes regularly appeared on the American Library Association’s lists of challenged books, this hardly harmed their success. What do you think about it? Would you accuse Harry Potter of harming children in their development? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Less suitable for children is another fantasy universe: An important character in Game of Thrones could not be revived, had to die for good
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