Harry a History by Melissa Anelli: A must for every HP fanatics

I recently just finished the a book called Harry a History. As you probably have guessed by now, it has to do with the Harry Potter phenomenon.

The book is quite different, it isn't a fantasy or love story, more like a recollection of everything that has been surrounding the publishing of Jo Rowling's amazing novels.

From the point of you of one girl just like you and I, living in New York, who had finished college and was working at a job that she was not enjoying while searching for what she really wanted to do. In the meantime playing an active part in the harry potter phenomenon, checking message bord, reading fanfic checking the major harry potter sites for news on her favourite book serie.

She ended up becoming the webmistress of leakycauldron.com and reporting for them, her major was journalism. Ending up doing more reporting for leaky than her current reporter job and enjoying leaky reporting a lot more that she eventually made the decision to quit her job and concentrate on reporting for leaky, organizing conferences and pottercast (podcast shows). And concentrating on writing the very novel that I am reviewing at the moment. And ended up flying to england to interview Jo Rowling herself for leaky, reporting the news on on the website for all HP fans, but I do believe it was not just for the website, and was more than that.

Upon reading this book, it made me realize that calling myself a harry potter fan for reading books and watching the movies over and over was a little misguided. There is so much more to this phenomenon. Let's face it, we can call it a phenomenon for sure.
With, fans attending conferences such as leakycon, etc., writing lyrics and composing music based on their favourite parts of the seven different novels and creating a brand new genre of music called: wizard rock, which I just recently found out about and downloaded songs for my iPod. Soon groups like Harry and the Potters, the instigators of the new wizard rock genre, consisting of two brothers who obviously loved the HP serie, The parselmouths, the mudbloods, the whomping willows which oddly enough is comprised of only one member, the moaning myrtles, etc. Organizing tours of different bookstores in several cities, mostly american cities though, to my disappointement. Now I sort wish I lived in the united states to be able to attend one or some of those wizard rock shows.

I also found out that at some conference, they actually play quidditch. Without the flying on broomstick part of course but a muggle version of the wizard game. In an attempt to make the wizarding world of Harry Potter seem real. What am I talking about IT IS REAL, Hogwarts DOES exist. I just haven't yet received my admittance letter to the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Yes, I do know I am weird. From reading the book I realized that I am not the only one who wish this school existed and feel like they would fit in better in that environment because they too are different and unique.

And I refuse to believe or say the word conventions. It is called Harry Potter conferences. Conventions are for geeks, trekies [not certain if this is spelled this way]. Perhaps a little in denial here. lol

I really felt as though I experienced a little bit of the phenomenon as I was reading the book. If she succeeded in making me feel this way from reading this story, she accompliged her goal and I am certain many more people who haven't had much chances to participate fully in the entire Harry potter phenomenon would feel as though reading this book gave them a sense of being part of something bigger than just reading the books and waiting for the release of the movies by themselves.

I felt like I was not alone in loving this serie so much. And that, is quite comforting.

Well, on that note I think I will end this post by recommending this great book to you if you are a fan of the serie or if you just want to see the extent of this phenomenon. 100% worth reading.

Hopefully I will see you tomorrow.