Archie Bunker Goes To Hogwarts
I have to admit: the books I read when I was a kid never really touched on racial issues. With the exception of To Kill A Mockingbird, popular youth focused books that focus on social issues tend to be few and far between.
Surprisingly, the popularity of Harry Potter is providing opportunities for commentary on a wide variety of social issues: from “half-bloods” to teen sexuality and (spoiler alert?) Dumbledore’s homosexuality, beneath the guise of magic wands and Quidditch. Only once in a blue moon does this sort of pop culture subtlety in social commentary come into the mainstream, either in television, music, books or all of the above. Luckily for JK Rowling (and her audience), the HP Empire encompasses all of the above.
Check out more about this topic here:
Washington Post: Harry Potter – Wizards and Racism
