Dear J.K. Rowling,
When I was six years old, I decided it was time for me to read a chapter book and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was the first thing I grabbed. I had heard bits and pieces of your first book as my mom read it aloud to my older siblings. When I was ready to read it on my own, I was over the moon. It was such a big moment for me that I can still remember the exact dates that I started and finished that book (October 1st to October 31st, 2001 if you are interested). I swallowed the book whole, asking my mom what some of the words meant and sounded out the extra-long ones. When I finally closed the book, my fingers were tingling. In the coming years, that little paperback would be cracked open again and again. Every October, I would read it again, until it got to the point that I was finishing it in a day. I knew every spell and the name of every magical creature. I devoured each new installment in the "Harry Potter" series as soon as it came out, staying up far too late as my mom would read it aloud to my older siblings and me. When I was eight, my dad hand-carved me a beautiful wand that I carried around with me consistently for years. In fact, that wand is in the drawer of my desk in my apartment where I sit writing this letter.
Your books had a gargantuan impact on my life. They were something to hold on to as I was growing up and figuring out who I was as a person. Harry, as a person, meant a lot to me. I watched him grow up and face incredibly difficult times. He lost people that he loved and was ridiculed and isolated, and yet, through the support of his friends, he was able to pull through. He was an example to me; a role model. I was one of the world’s most scared little kids. I was scared of heights, new people, going too fast while sledding, and speaking in public. I hated being the scared kid, but Harry taught me that courage is not about not being scared. It is about facing your fears in order to do what is right.
Even into my adult life, Harry’s story has continued to teach me:
From "Order of the Phoenix," I have learned that “the world isn’t split up into good people and Death Eaters.” There is good and evil within us all.
While studying psychology, I am constantly reminded of Dumbledore’s words to Harry in "Deathly Hallows"; “Of course this is all happening inside your head. But why on earth should that mean that it isn’t real?"
While struggling with depression and anxiety, I looked back at one of the last scenes in the "Order of the Phoenix" and remembered that some of the most difficult battles that we fight are inside of ourselves. I also learned that these internal struggles are much easily faced with friends alongside us.
When, at age twenty, I was desperately struggling with the decision to come out of the closet as gay, I looked back to the boy who spent ten years of his life growing up in a literal closet before finally coming out and being free.
While reading the "Deathly Hallows," the story of the Gospel was presented to me again in the form of beautiful allegory and the power of sacrifice and love to battle even the darkest demons. I like to share this fact with those people who still see "Harry Potter" as demonic. God’s story is told within the pages just like the works of Lewis and Tolkien.
I have seen your epic tale affect the lives of so many others as well. I spent this past summer working at a summer camp. One of the campers I had an opportunity to work with was absolutely terrified of being at camp. He wound up in my cabin with a group of boys who were all considerably older than him. He struggled to make friends and come out of his shell. For the first week, he lived in constant anxiety, always on the verge of tears. Then, one night, I stayed up late carving wands to give to my campers as gifts the next morning. They were excited because most of them were big Harry Potter fans, but my one young camper didn’t say much when I gave him the wand.
A few hours later, during free time, I found this camper in the craft hall with a sign made out of a trash bag that said in big, bold letters: OLLIVANDER’S WAND SHOP. He had set up a display of sticks that he had collected from the woods. Best of all he was surrounded by a gaggle of other campers. I stood off to the side and watched as he looked meaningfully at each of the campers and then back to the sticks. He would carefully pick out a stick and tenderly place it in the hand of the camper in front of him, saying things like “This one fits you. It is strong and unyielding.” “This one is yours. It’s decisive.” “This one is yours. A little bendy, but capable.”
Your incredible story stepped in to do what I could not. It brought people together and inspired a spark of life and joy in this boy. It takes something truly, simply beautiful to inspire people. It took the story of the boy in the cupboard under the stairs to inspire the boy in the cabin at camp.
So, I wanted to thank you for what you have done, Ms. Rowling. I wanted to share with you the experience that I have had, growing up as one of your readers. I learned so much from the world that you saw fit to build and let me enter. I am a writer. I’ve been writing novels ever since I was nine years old. The reason I started writing my first book was because I wanted to build something that could do for others what Harry and his friends and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry did for me. I do not know if you will ever read this, but if you do, I want to thank you for giving me one of the best gifts I have ever been given.
Yours Sincerely,
Tommy Neilson
