Reading changed my life

At eleven years old, I opened a magical book that changed my life and opened my heart to a world of literacy. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling, 1997) not only intensified my already keen imagination, but filled me with a hunger for knowledge. I knew then that I had to enhance my literary skills in order to obtain the level of intellectual stimulation I craved, and Harry Potter gave me the tools and motivation to do so. To this day, the series carries an impact in both my personal life as well as fueling my own desire to write. When I read Harry Potter, I developed a fervent need to continue reading. While I had to wait in agony between the premieres of each book, I kept myself busy by burying my mind, and nose, in every book I could get my hands on. I know that I would not have had such an interest in the world of books and creativity if it weren’t for Rowling’s beautiful world of wizardry. Every time one of the books would come out, I would shut myself up in my room and would not leave until I had devoured every word from cover to cover. I had never been so emotionally moved by a book before I discovered the Harry Potter series. I felt joy, fear, awe, sadness, love, and grief through the stories of good and evil; friendship and betrayal; love and forgiveness. I was quite a peculiar child in that my parents would not punish me by taking away my phone or my television; they knew the most effective way to punish me for my wrongdoings was to take away my books, especially my Harry Potter books. To me, there was no fate worse than being without my stories.
Hogwarts has always been a safe haven for me when the true world became too much, or too little, for me to handle alone. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling, 2003) has always had a particularly strong impact on my life when I am battling with life and am losing- the characters that are admired are shown to possess both positive and negative attributes, just as we all do. That particular book came to my aid through any strife I have ever faced, including the death of three grandfathers (for whom I have a Harry Potter quote memorial tattoo, because of how much it makes me think of them), the confusion of teenage life, and my journey to accept myself for who I am as a person. When I was a teenager, I was not outwardly troubled; I never touched drugs or alcohol, I enjoyed participating in school activities, and I was a decent student. However, I was struggling internally every day with my personal demons. I was my own worst enemy and biggest critic. Just as I started to think, as many teenagers do, that life would always feel that way, I reread the entire Harry Potter series, and was brought to tears. Each book had something to teach me about myself and the world that surrounded me. They made me less cynical towards those around me, and I felt as though I could make a difference. Perhaps I would never make a difference to the world, but I could be successful in my own right and that no battle was too large if I had my friends, family, self, and an unwavering belief that I could overcome any obstacle. It is with no exaggeration that I say the Harry Potter books have saved my life. Words from each book penetrate my very soul, are etched into my heart, are literally etched on my skin, and apply to my life every day. The fact that one woman’s words could affect my life so strongly made me think that, perhaps, I could have an impact on someone’s life through my words; and so, I decided to write. With my imagination as sharpened as my pencil, and the courage found from the Harry Potter books to keep me going, I put pencil to paper and began to write my stories. From faeries to mermaids; murderous villains and courageous heroines; even an entire anthology about phobias. My goal is to give even one person a place to escape the harsh, or even simply mundane, realities of everyday life, just as J.K. Rowling gave me an entire universe to escape to at the turn of a page. I had a poem published in my college’s biannual art book, it was the very first time I have seen my work in print. It is a dream of mine to have a book published and maybe even put on the New York Time’s Best Seller List. Rowling’s real life story has inspired me to believe that it can actually happen for me. She went from being on welfare and battling depression to being one of the most successful and influential women of our time, all because of her words. Though I will, probably, never receive my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I can say without the slightest hesitation that the Harry Potter books have changed both my literary and personal lives. Because of them, I now see writing as the best creative outlet for myself and I will not let go of the dream to have a book published. I have gone through much with my fictional friends by my side. “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home” (Rowling, 2011). The stories of the Boy Who Lived helped me become the Girl Who Lived.

Works Cited
Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Rowling, J.K. (July 7, 2011). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie premiere. London, England.

Cited: Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone. New York, NY: Scholastic. Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York, NY: Scholastic. Rowling, J.K. (July 7, 2011). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie premiere. London, England.