Lornographic Material

Why'd they change the name of this book for American readers? Did they think that we of the red, white, and food persuasion wouldn't understand what a philosopher was? 

Anyfuck, this was my second time reading this book, and I can honestly say I liked this one twice as much as I did the first time around. Being that I hated the paper it was written after my initial go at it, that means I enjoyed myself about fifty percent more. For a while it was like-a-chapter/hate-a-chapter, back and forth, until I got to the last three chapters. I liked those quite a bit, I did, and the final chapter was damn near a love. I somehow missed the message of this one the first time, and that saddens me. 

J. K. Rowling's accomplishments are amazing. She first wrote this book on napkins while she was homeless, if I'm correctly remembering the one interview I saw with her years back. This first novel in the series was rejected by various publishers numerous times, yet she kept pressing on. Now she's one of the most successful authors in the history of literature. I applaud her.

With that being said, this book is too middle grade for me. I'm in that tiny percentage of the population that doesn't feel like a kid while reading this book. I feel like an outsider, a muggle through and through. I don't much like that feeling, but it's honest. Books that make me feel young would be: Koontz's The Voice in the Night, King's It, and McCammon's Boy's Life. Never was a wizarding kind of guy. 

In summation: It's Harry Potter. Either you've read it or you've seen the movies. You've at least heard of it. Much like Star Wars, there aren't many people in the dark about Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. I'm looking forward to the later books, but this one was about middle of the road for me.