J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Marc Shapiro

"I was sitting on the train, just staring out the window at some cows. It was not the most inspiring subject. When all of a sudden the idea for Harry just appeared in my mind's eye. I can't tell you why or what triggered it. But I saw the idea of Harry and the wizard school very plainly. I suddenly had this basic idea of a boy who didn't know what he was," [Joanne] said in a School Library Journal conversation.


J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter is an unauthorized biography of the woman who created the series that capture the minds of a generation. In 2000, Shapiro gathered together the information garnered from interviews with the press and similar sources, and this was the result of his effort.

This short and sweet biography covers all the basics. From Joanna's early childhood to the point at which this book was published, we get to see a detailed synopsis of what her life was like and what inspired her to write about the Boy Who Lived.

This biography was a little over one hundred pages, a book one could read in a single sitting, and is filled to the brim with the basic information one might want to know about J.K. Rowling. The lives of authors and how they reached success in their lives always enthralls me and I enjoyed reading through the journey.

My only real complaints with this book are these:
1. There is an error on page seven. Shapiro states that the banks in Rowling's tale are run by owls. They are, in fact, run by goblins. Owls are used as messengers, not bank tellers.
2. Shapiro seems to over-romanticize Rowling's life and the stories within it. His use of language leaves you feeling like he is trying to play her up instead of simply giving the truth. He might want to tone it down a bit if he wants people to take his work more seriously.

By now, there is a more complete biography, I believe. This book was written just after Rowling had produced the fourth book in the Harry Potter series and the first movie was simply an idea. Perhaps he has fixed these errors since then. I suppose you can be the judge of that.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥


Every day she would put Jessica in her baby carrier and walk her around town until the child fell asleep. She would then head for one of a number of local cafés, where for the price of a cup of espresso and a glass of water, she could sit and write for a couple of hours while her daughter slept. Years later, Joanne would marvel at how much she had gotten done in those short periods of time.