Does J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series pervert American values?

The first Harry Potter book was introduced to me when I was twelve years old, by a teacher in my school. After reading the first book I was hooked, I would anxiously wait for the next book to come out and in that time re-read the books I had over and over again.

When a new book would come out, I would read until my mother forced me to go to bed, and she would later, often find me with reading until the wee hours of the morning with torch light.
My mother never understood why I was so excited. At the dinner table, I would constantly ramble on and on about what was happening, sharing my theories as to what would happen next. My parents had no idea what I was talking about, yet they were very amused by my passion for Harry Potter.

Most parents, who have not read Harry Potter, assume that all the book is about is witchcraft, black magic and sorcery. Particularly parents who are religious; often come across newspaper articles where, the Harry Potter books are frowned upon by the church and other religious bodies.

Harry Potter however was an escape for me. As a child growing up I found the content refreshing, believable, the characters were alive in my head. Even before the movies came out, I would constantly picture the characters and Hogwarts castle and I would stay lost in those thoughts for hours on end.

So coming back to the question in hand, "Does J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series pervert American values?"

My answer is no. Perversion is probably the last thing that this book does to American, or any other kind of values.

The charm about the books is the fact that they are solely based on adventure, friendship and loyalty. There is nothing perverted in the books. The thought that anyone could think so is ridiculous.

The books hold an important message that is essential for the children of today to be aware of. That message is to be true to you, to trust yourself and your family and friends and to always choose the right path; no matter how hard it may be.

Children of today hardly read. My sister and I have an age gap of eleven years and I know for a fact that she would rather spend time on a computer than pick up a good book to read. The Harry Potter books are probably the only books she doesn't have to be forced to read.

What Rowling did, was a favor to society through these books. She fashioned this idea of a young orphan boy and portrayed his story in a manner that made all of us laugh and cry with Harry. Rowling's readers did not just read the book, but they took part in the story. For those of us who have been reading Harry Potter for years now, we have grown up with Harry. We too have experienced parallels of the problems Harry is faced with. We too have bickered and fought with friends, had mood swings, had crushes and then had our hearts broken. Some of us have had to deal with a death in the family, and finally all of us had to grow up.

Harry's story could be seen as just an extreme version of what all children experience when growing up. Eventually we realize the more important things in life, friendship, family, loyalty and courage. Rowling brilliantly paints two sides, good and evil. Throughout the series, she shows how Harry resists the temptation to go to the dark side, how he would rather die than betray his friends. How he ill fight for what is right at no cost.

The story is beyond brilliant. It is exactly what children today need as a reminder of what is important, of the kind of person they should be. The magic in the book is just a blank canvas for these messages Rowling put across. The magic is essential, to draw children in, to excite their curiosities and to encourage them to imagine.

With the technological advances that we have today, and children growing up so fast, it is no wonder that they lose track of certain values. What the world was ten years ago, is not the same now.

I feel that Rowling has kindled a flame inside every child, pre-teen, teenager and adult. Through her stories she has kept our imaginations on a tight exercise schedule, she has warmed our hearts with Harry's relationship with Sirius Black, with Dumbledore and his friends. She has shown that love comes from different places, and although you may seem like you are alone, you never really are.

What better values could we want for our children than these messages? Those children who were fortunate enough to stumble upon Harry Potter when they were around twelve years old are lucky. They have not only had the ability to grow up with Harry, but they have also been educated on these values for the past seven years.