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The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
The adventures of the boy wizard have provoked a vigorous debate among Christians.
Whether your children have read the series or are planning to in the future, The Mystery of Harry A Catholic Family Guide will help you appreciate and address the series underlying moral and spiritual themes.
Using her natural teaching skills and parenting experience, author Nancy Brown has created a must-read for every Catholic family as she walks you through her journey of
--Are the stories compatible with the Catholic Faith?
--What moral and spiritual issues are addressed?
--What kind of role model is Harry Potter?
--How can I talk about these issues with my children?
--How are the movies different from the books?
Let The Mystery of Harry Potter guide your family through the fullest experience of Harry Potter yet!
Whether your children have read the series or are planning to in the future, The Mystery of Harry A Catholic Family Guide will help you appreciate and address the series underlying moral and spiritual themes.
Using her natural teaching skills and parenting experience, author Nancy Brown has created a must-read for every Catholic family as she walks you through her journey of
--Are the stories compatible with the Catholic Faith?
--What moral and spiritual issues are addressed?
--What kind of role model is Harry Potter?
--How can I talk about these issues with my children?
--How are the movies different from the books?
Let The Mystery of Harry Potter guide your family through the fullest experience of Harry Potter yet!
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2007
8 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 13, 2018
I am glad the resource like this exists specifically for Catholic families. I am grateful for her excellent research and for her true love of fairytales and understanding of what children’s stories are really all about. Brown’s enthusiasm is contagious.
That said, the writing is not excellent. And, some of her arguments are quite weak. I am predisposed to want to love her book and Harry Potter because of our shared values. So, when I find her arguments weak, it is irritating. Because I think she is generally right, I wish that her insight into and defense of the book was better able to stand up to scrutiny.
As an example, throughout the book she argues that Rowling was trying to slip a Christian morality tale into the secular culture. I’m not sure that’s the case at all. I’m pretty sure that Rowling wrote what she believed to be a fantastic story. I don’t think that she was intentionally trying to sneak goodness into a dark world. I think that it is true that Harry Potter is in fact deeply moral, but I’m not sure that that The author was in fact intentionally raging against the culture.
For someone who loves Chesterton so much, I was hoping that her arguments would be tighter, more well defended, and more eloquently expressed. Like her biography of Frances Chesterton, I think that brown does excellent research, has a clear sense of what is and is not true, but lacks the ability to express her ideas as cleanly and eloquently as the subject deserves.
That said, the writing is not excellent. And, some of her arguments are quite weak. I am predisposed to want to love her book and Harry Potter because of our shared values. So, when I find her arguments weak, it is irritating. Because I think she is generally right, I wish that her insight into and defense of the book was better able to stand up to scrutiny.
As an example, throughout the book she argues that Rowling was trying to slip a Christian morality tale into the secular culture. I’m not sure that’s the case at all. I’m pretty sure that Rowling wrote what she believed to be a fantastic story. I don’t think that she was intentionally trying to sneak goodness into a dark world. I think that it is true that Harry Potter is in fact deeply moral, but I’m not sure that that The author was in fact intentionally raging against the culture.
For someone who loves Chesterton so much, I was hoping that her arguments would be tighter, more well defended, and more eloquently expressed. Like her biography of Frances Chesterton, I think that brown does excellent research, has a clear sense of what is and is not true, but lacks the ability to express her ideas as cleanly and eloquently as the subject deserves.
May 10, 2013
The best tribute I can give this book is to say that I don't need to be convinced that it is ok for kids to read Harry Potter ... and yet I read the entire book, with interest. I originally picked it up thinking that I could look it over with a mind to recommending it to friends that are wary, as are many Christians, of the magic found in the stories.
Brown has many sensible recommendations to ease parents' fears and to help them evaluate whether the books and motives are right for their children. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment is that she has written a passionate defense of the necessity of fantasy for both children and adults. It is that depth that makes this book much more than a single subject "Harry Potter" book. Moreover, she manages to go beyond quoting the "usual suspects" of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. She has done her homework. For those who are leery of Harry Potter and his gung-ho supporters, I must add that Brown comes from the stance of one who was equally leery and forbade her children the books ... until she began investigating them, which in itself is an interesting and instructive tale.
Easy to read, this book is also a bit addictive as I kept picking it up after long absences due to the distraction of other books. I thought I would only glance through it, and then would find myself sucked in to read yet more. Highly recommended even if you don't have any problems with the Harry Potter books.
Brown has many sensible recommendations to ease parents' fears and to help them evaluate whether the books and motives are right for their children. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment is that she has written a passionate defense of the necessity of fantasy for both children and adults. It is that depth that makes this book much more than a single subject "Harry Potter" book. Moreover, she manages to go beyond quoting the "usual suspects" of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. She has done her homework. For those who are leery of Harry Potter and his gung-ho supporters, I must add that Brown comes from the stance of one who was equally leery and forbade her children the books ... until she began investigating them, which in itself is an interesting and instructive tale.
Easy to read, this book is also a bit addictive as I kept picking it up after long absences due to the distraction of other books. I thought I would only glance through it, and then would find myself sucked in to read yet more. Highly recommended even if you don't have any problems with the Harry Potter books.
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May 18, 2009Great book on Catholic perspective of Harry Potter! It's nice to know that you can be a devout Catholic and a Harry fan. :)
August 15, 2018
Very encouraging and helpful.
January 10, 2020
Many faceted
A study of the Harry Potter books from a Chestertonian/Christian/literary perspective. Well written. Nancy C. Brown has given me a lot to think about!
A study of the Harry Potter books from a Chestertonian/Christian/literary perspective. Well written. Nancy C. Brown has given me a lot to think about!
October 17, 2009
I picked up this book because I (as a college student with no current religious affiliation) was curious about the controversy the Catholic church has instilled over a (I think) necessary book of my childhood.
I suppose this book does a successful job in quelling the immediate Catholic disdain for the Harry Potter books which is why I awarded it three stars. However I feel as if this book is injecting powerful opinions on the books that might/might not be true.
The main focus of the book is that Nancy Carpentier Brown gives Harry Potter books a PG rating. Meaning these books require Parental Guidance when reading the books. Which are understandable if you have a strong disapproval of the books in general.
I suppose this book does a successful job in quelling the immediate Catholic disdain for the Harry Potter books which is why I awarded it three stars. However I feel as if this book is injecting powerful opinions on the books that might/might not be true.
The main focus of the book is that Nancy Carpentier Brown gives Harry Potter books a PG rating. Meaning these books require Parental Guidance when reading the books. Which are understandable if you have a strong disapproval of the books in general.
June 6, 2012
Now that I have listened to the entire Harry Potter series twice in six months, I am picking up on all kinds of interesting aspects and detail in the books. I'm also interested in what other people are saying about them. This book is very insightful and covers many "concerns" of parents who wouldn't consider allowing their kids to read the series, but she does this by plumbing the depths of symbols, character development, intricacies of the stories and many Christian parallels in the stories. Without being reactionary, she really covers arguments well and compares and contrasts with similar classics from the past (CS Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton). She articulates well my sense of the books in a way I never could.
November 4, 2008
I have read over 30 books about Harry Potter, and probably 15 or more of those have been written to give a Christian critique of the series. Brown's book is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. She asks the obvious questions most Christian parents have about the series, then has the insight to add questions for families to use in dinner table discussions. I'm recommending the book to an adult Sunday school class on Harry Potter that I'm currently teaching in a Presbyterian church (I'm a presbyterian minister).
October 24, 2012
This is a solid defense of the virtues of the Harry Potter series, and a great guide for using it to teach children (and adults) more about their faith. As Nancy points out, it is unfortunate that misconceptions about the content of the books have caused many to miss out on one of the greatest literary coups for Christians of our time.
If you have doubts about the Potter books, especially if you're a Catholic, read this book. If you love the books, I still recommend this book, because it will deepen your appreciation and help you relate them to your faith.
If you have doubts about the Potter books, especially if you're a Catholic, read this book. If you love the books, I still recommend this book, because it will deepen your appreciation and help you relate them to your faith.
August 8, 2015
I re-read this book this summer as our family has been (finally) reading through the Harry Potter series. Brown has such a sensible take and style on this. A helpful overview. As she points out, it's good to read the books with your kids. We've had so many good discussions about the themes in the books, and I know it will continue.
September 5, 2011
Loved it. gave me a new insight to all of the Harry Potter books.
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April 6, 2017A good book, but is still not convincing enough for me to say HP is good.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews