A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K. Rowling

by Solomon Schmidt

THE ONLY COMPLETE BIOGRAPHY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS AUTHOR

Features exclusive interview content with relatives of Rowling

With nearly 150 full-color photographs - many published here for the first time

Contains 5 maps and a Family Tree specially created for this book

Joanne "Jo" Rowling is known to readers the world over as J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling book series of all time. The creator of Harry Potter was once a single mother writing in cafés and living on welfare, who experienced a fairytale-like rise from poverty and obscurity to becoming one of the richest and most influential women on the planet. And following her controversial stances in the cultural and political war over transgender rights, Rowling found herself a pariah in circles that had previously adored her.

Wunderkind author Solomon Schmidt spent years studying Rowling's life and books. He spoke with her reclusive ex-husband in Portugal, along with relatives who shared substantial memories and never-before-seen photographs of Rowling and her family. During the course of his extensive interviews and research, Schmidt discovered dark family secrets that have remained concealed until now. He also uncovered numerous autobiographical references that Rowling hid in plain sight within her bestselling work. By systematically unpacking and “decoding” these references, this biography reveals entire new layers to Rowling’s books, which will forever change how the world reads and understands her work.

This book follows Rowling from her childhood in pastoral England, to seaside Porto where she became entangled in a violent marriage, to the depths of poverty in cloudy Edinburgh, to buzzing studios and red-carpet premieres in London, and beyond. New light is shed on her formative experiences of abuse, depression, and the tragic death of her mother, whose horrifying illness left Rowling emotionally shattered. Extensive coverage is also devoted to unpacking the tortured relationship between Rowling and her father, which had an indelible mark on Harry Potter, her post-Potter books, and her decision to speak out in the battle over transgender rights.

The full story of Rowling's writing of Harry Potter is chronicled for the first time. Schmidt provides fascinating background on how she came up with her iconic characters and how she developed the magnificent, overarching plot of the seven-book series. The exciting production of the Harry Pottermovies is also captured from Rowling's unique perspective, along with the making of the Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Childand the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.

On top of all this, woven into the story is a complete account of Rowling's involvement in the conflict over sex and gender. Rooted in her experiences of sexual assault and domestic abuse, Rowling morphed from supporting trans rights in 2016 to later being seen as a fierce foe of the trans community. Sparring with politicians and media figures, she played a key role in the hottest controversies in the UK, which played out on social media, before the highest courts, and inside the halls of power. Along the way, she became a "cancelled" figure, facing the condemnation of prominent actors and fans from the Potter community and multiple threats on her life.

This dramatic book is the definitive biography of J.K. Rowling’s momentous life – a must read for all those intrigued, uplifted, or triggered by this era-defining billionaire.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

552 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2026

About the author

Solomon Schmidt is a 22-year-old author of ten books. These include eight books in a series called History Bites, as well as biographies on Alan Dershowitz and J.K. Rowling. Solomon wrote his first book at the age of 12 and was described by Fox & Friends as “the youngest child historian in America.” He has traveled to all seven continents to film videos for his History Bites YouTube channel, speaks at conferences throughout the US, and runs historical tours in England and Scotland. He is also working to help expand education in rural parts of Nepal through the JAPA Workbook Initiative.
Solomon's book Legal Gladiator is the authorized biography of Alan Dershowitz. It contains groundbreaking, archival research and interviews with some of the most significant historical figures of modern times. The book was lauded by prominent reviewers as a "must-read," "engrossing," "a significant biography," "objective and fascinating," and containing "gripping prose based on rigorous research." His latest book, A Pen to Change the World, is the first complete biography of J.K. Rowling, and it includes bombshell revelations and many never-before-seen photographs. Solomon's work has been praised by Mike Tyson, Jocko Willink, Glenn Greenwald, Nima Rinji Sherpa, Steven Pinker, John Solomon, Jay Sekulow, Robert Shapiro, Mike Huckabee, Jamie Raskin, Mike Pompeo, Noam Chomsky, Jane Goodall, and President Donald Trump, among many others. He lives near Buffalo, New York.

Reviews

[John Leamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took on the challenge of reading Solomon Schmidt’s, “A Pen to Change the World” as a gesture of friendship. Upon opening the book and reading the prologue, I could not put it down, consuming the almost 500-page biography of J.K. Rowling in three days. Young Schmidt’s tenacity to detail made the book come alive.

I imagined boarding the train at King’s Cross Station in London and travelling through England, Scotland and America. Walking down Diagon Alley drifted me to Sherlock Holme’s Baker Street. And what would a tour of England and Scotland be without seeing Edinburgh Castle.

Not a “Potter” reader, Schmidt took me on a glorious journey into Rowling’s world. A world of complexity, darkness, fantasy, and exuberance. The years of developing a myriad of characters with an awareness of who each was. From Rowling’s young years of seemingly being unwanted by her father, a hellish first marriage, social welfare to one of the world’s wealthiest women.

The so-called wealth came not from an industrial invention, scientific breakthrough, nor biological discovery, but from the stroke of her pen. Rowling endured hardship, and yet her life was consumed of wanting to write. Stories constantly flowing through her mind, bending, twisting, escaping and returning to the plot(s) and theme(s).

Schmidt’s attention to interviews and research is mind boggling. It was like understanding the Bible’s Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts when Dr. Luke tenaciously interviewed eyewitnesses of the Risen Christ.

Rowling’s world seemed surreal at first. Who was this pauper that would change the world? In a short period of time, I came to think of her as a nobody, to feel her exasperations, to jubilance with the birth of her children and the publication of her first “Potter” book. Much of her writing was done in a variety of coffee houses, much like Schmidt himself and me.

Rowling would find herself in social and political frays early in the 21st century. She experienced betrayal by loyal fans only to be supported by others. Her connections throughout the world are that of a Prime Minister or President, even both! This book is a journey of ups, downs, acceptance, rejection and social awareness. It is a wonderful leap into the world of one of the most gifted imaginers, J.K. Rowling.
J Leamer

[Donna Mae]

A thought about books, reviews, and kindness...

Every author pours countless hours, energy, and heart into bringing a book into the world. Writing a book requires courage. Publishing it requires even more.

It's perfectly fair to disagree with a book after reading it. Thoughtful criticism is part of healthy discussion. But leaving negative reviews for a book you haven't read doesn't help readers, authors, or the conversation itself.

A review should reflect an honest reading experience—not assumptions, headlines, opinions about the author, or opinions about someone connected to the book.

If you're curious about Pen to Change the World, I simply ask that you approach it with an open mind. Read it. Consider its message. Then decide for yourself.

In a world that can be quick to judge, let's choose something better: fairness, integrity, and thoughtful dialogue.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, reflect, and share an honest review. It means more than you know.

#PenToChangeTheWorld #ReadBeforeYouJudge #BooksMatter #ChooseKindness

[Sarah Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, thorough, and fascinating biography with detailed research, quotes, interviews, and pictures telling a most-provocative story of an incredible life and person. This biography of JK Rowling, written by Solomon Schmidt, is fast-paced and I continually found myself wanting to return to it to learn more about Rowling. Highly recommend; though with some reservations for young teenagers (particularly the last two chapters).

Although I grew up when the Harry Potter books were exploding onto the world scene, I did not know much about JK Rowling, and in this biography I learned so much about a brilliant woman and a complex character. Through Schmidt’s story-telling, it was easy to see myself in her life story from a love of books as a child, to delighting in the gift of motherhood, to wanting to see girls and women protected in today’s constantly confused landscape. “A Pen to Change the World” manages to be detailed without over detailing in a tedious way, gracious and honest while confronting hard issues in her life, and superbly executed in explaining what was happening in Rowling’s life alongside what she was writing and creating at the time. It was an absolute delight to learn about this remarkably talented women through this biography, and to learn about all that informed and shaped her as a person and a writer.

My favorite quote hit me after just dropping my daughter off at school. When I read it, I just cried.
“I kept arguing that ‘love is the most important force, love is the most important force,’” said Rowling. “So I wanted to show him loving. Sometimes it’s dramatic: it means you lay down your life. But sometimes it means making sure someone’s trunk is packed and hoping
they’ll be O.K. at school.” (p. 227)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok...

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This unauthorised biography of Rowling is the fullest treatment on her to date, and thoroughly explores the life of this very famous author, bringing us right up to date. The coverage is balanced and sensitive, and deals thoroughly with the recent controversies, without getting totally bogged down in them. There is extensive sourcing provided in endnotes and additionally online, although this is not presented in a standard form of footnotes. Instead there is an appendix that can be used for cross-reference. Some of the voices of the oral interviews come out more clearly than others, so you can tell from the reading where some of this is coming from. But it is a faithfully written biography that brings out plenty of new information worth the reading.

One utterly frustrating aspect of this book was the writer's insistence on writing [sic] after every British spelling in every quotation about this British author by her or other British people. This bit of American parochialism was almost enough for me to rate this as "it was OK" rather than "I enjoyed it", but that would be churlish of me as the content was good. Let's hope that a world-wide edit will be released without that foible.

I don't think every fact and interpretation in the text is correct. The oral method relied on for significant aspects of the work will introduce bias, and perhaps the book was rushed together without sufficient investigation of these. But that is not unusual for this kind of biography. It is biography and not history after all. The source notes and attention to detail make this a very strong work, and provide the route through which any premature synthesis can be seen and understood for what it is. Rowling herself did not willingly contribute (although all her writings have been mined for information), so we don't know what she thinks of it. But considering the debates raging around her these days, many will think that this may even be a benefit.

All in all, a much needed biography, and definitely worth reading.

[Janice Won · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ “She helped reawaken many to a love of reading” and I am one of those! This was an unauthorized biography, but I thought the author did a pretty good job. He gives a detailed synopsis of almost every book she wrote at the corresponding time of when she wrote them during her life, which got kind of tedious at times, but sort of explains why the Strike series is so dark, and it got really political at the end (duh, I should have known). I think she’s brilliant and will be a Potterhead 4 Lyfe.⚡️

[Brian Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterfully researched, profoundly moving, and beautifully written biography

A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K. Rowling by Solomon Schmidt is not simply a biography; it is an immersive literary journey through the making of one of the most influential writers of the modern age. This is the rare biography that manages to be both sweeping and intimate, richly historical and deeply human, meticulous in its research yet alive with narrative momentum. From the opening pages, Schmidt makes it clear that he is not merely cataloging the events of J.K. Rowling’s life. He is tracing the formation of a mind, the endurance of a spirit, and the extraordinary power of a pen placed in the hands of someone who refused to stop imagining.

What struck me most about this book is its scope. Schmidt does not begin with fame, nor does he reduce Rowling’s story to the familiar shorthand of “single mother on welfare becomes bestselling author.” Instead, he patiently builds the world that produced her. The early chapters reach backward into family history, geography, class, hardship, reading, childhood imagination, and formative wounds. This gives the biography a generational depth that many literary biographies lack. Rowling does not appear suddenly as a cultural phenomenon; she emerges from a long human chain of longing, poverty, resilience, disappointment, love, ambition, grief, and storytelling. By the time the reader reaches the familiar moments of the Harry Potter years, they feel earned. We understand not only what happened to Rowling, but how those experiences shaped the person and writer she became.

One of the things I appreciate most about Schmidt’s work on Rowling is the reminder that each of us can be more than the worst things that have happened to us. This biography does not minimize the hardships Rowling endured, nor does it sentimentalize them. Instead, Schmidt shows how grief, poverty, rejection, loneliness, fear, abuse, and public scrutiny became part of the larger fabric of her life without ever being allowed to define the whole of it. In his telling, none of these experiences are treated as meaningless. They are not portrayed as good things, but they are shown to matter. Each hardship becomes part of the story of endurance, imagination, conviction, and creative force that shaped Rowling’s life and work. That, to me, is one of the most powerful gifts of this biography: it reminds readers that suffering may wound us, but it does not have to be the final word over who we are or what we can create.

Schmidt’s narrative style is one of the book’s greatest strengths. He has a gift for setting scenes with cinematic precision: train stations, childhood homes, classrooms, cafés, city streets, publishing offices, movie sets, and private moments of grief all feel textured and vivid. The biography is filled with concrete detail, but it rarely feels cluttered. Instead, the details accumulate like brushstrokes in a portrait. A childhood book, a family photograph, a schoolteacher, a difficult household, a humiliating job, a manuscript carried through hardship — each piece becomes part of a larger pattern. Schmidt understands that great lives are not made only in spectacular moments. They are formed quietly, in rooms, books, disappointments, habits, humiliations, loyalties, and private acts of persistence.

The book is especially powerful in its treatment of Rowling as a writer. Schmidt takes her creativity seriously. He does not treat Harry Potter as an accidental commercial miracle, but as the product of sustained imaginative labor. The biography shows the years of mental world-building, character development, thematic layering, and sheer discipline behind the books. It highlights Rowling’s fascination with love, death, poverty, prejudice, courage, memory, loneliness, and moral choice — themes that were not invented in abstraction, but forged out of her lived experience. The result is a biography that will be especially meaningful to writers, artists, and anyone who has ever carried a private dream long before the world recognized it.

One of the most moving elements of the book is how it presents Rowling’s suffering without making suffering the whole story. Schmidt lets the darkness be dark. He does not rush past pain, nor does he turn it into a simple inspirational lesson. Yet he also refuses to allow hardship to have the final word. Her imagination becomes not an escape from reality, but a way of surviving and interpreting it. Her writing is portrayed as refuge, discipline, vocation, and act of defiance. There is something deeply inspiring about seeing a person move through abandonment, loss, fear, single motherhood, financial insecurity, rejection, fame, scrutiny, and controversy while continuing to build a world that would eventually give millions of readers language for their own loneliness, courage, and hope.

The structure of the biography is elegant and meaningful. The movement from brokenness to refinement to blazing influence gives the book the shape of a life tested and transformed. That structure also prevents the biography from becoming a simple rise-to-fame story. Rowling’s life is not presented as a straight ascent. It is a life of fractures, transformations, triumphs, controversies, griefs, loyalties, and convictions. Schmidt allows the complexity to remain. He portrays Rowling as brilliant, wounded, funny, stubborn, generous, controversial, courageous, imperfect, and immensely consequential. In doing so, he gives readers something far more valuable than a flat tribute: he gives them a person.

I also appreciated the book’s attention to the relationship between Rowling’s life and her fiction. Schmidt draws thoughtful connections between her experiences and the emotional architecture of her stories without reducing the novels to autobiography. The Harry Potter books become, in this biography, not just a publishing success but a moral and imaginative universe shaped by Rowling’s encounters with loss, exclusion, injustice, death, friendship, bureaucracy, cruelty, and love. Readers who grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione will find themselves seeing familiar scenes with new depth. Readers less familiar with the novels will still understand why these books mattered so profoundly to so many people.

Another remarkable feature is Schmidt’s research. The book feels deeply sourced and carefully assembled. The inclusion of family history, maps, photographs, bibliography, source notes, and contextual detail gives the biography a seriousness that invites trust. Yet it never reads like a dry archive. Schmidt has clearly done the labor of research, but he has also done the harder work of shaping that research into a compelling human story. The result is a biography that feels expansive without losing emotional focus. It is richly researched, but also readable; detailed, but never lifeless; ambitious, but always grounded in the human being at the center of the story.

The later portions of the book are particularly impressive because they do not stop at the moment of fame. Many biographies of wildly successful people lose energy once the subject becomes famous; Schmidt’s does not. He follows Rowling into the strange burden of global recognition, the pressure of expectation, the expansion of the Wizarding World, her philanthropic commitments, her public voice, and the controversies that have made her one of the most discussed literary figures of our time. Whether readers come to the book as devoted fans, curious observers, aspiring writers, or people interested in modern cultural history, they will find a portrait that refuses to be simplistic.

What makes A Pen to Change the World so compelling is that it understands the symbolic power of its own title. Rowling’s pen did change the world — not only through sales figures, film franchises, or cultural dominance, but through the way her stories shaped imaginations. Her work taught generations of readers to think about courage, loyalty, grief, sacrifice, tyranny, friendship, and the possibility of light in dark places. Schmidt’s biography honors that impact while also showing the cost, labor, vulnerability, and humanity behind it.

This is an extraordinary book: absorbing, intricate, compassionate, ambitious, and beautifully composed. It is a biography for Harry Potter fans, certainly, but it is also for anyone interested in creativity, resilience, literature, cultural influence, and the mysterious way a private story can become a global inheritance. Solomon Schmidt has written a book worthy of its subject — thoughtful enough for serious readers, engaging enough to be difficult to put down, and inspiring enough to linger long after the final page.

A Pen to Change the World reminded me that lives are not defined only by their wounds, their losses, their mistakes, or their controversies. Lives are also defined by what people do with what they have survived. In Rowling’s case, the pen became the place where pain, imagination, discipline, memory, and moral vision met. Schmidt captures that beautifully.

A remarkable achievement. Five stars without hesitation.

[Lorraine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is badly written, badly structured, and largely unenlightening. I found it boring for the most part, despite the potentially interesting subject matter. I can’t recommend it to anyone.

This is an unauthorised biography of JK Rowling, famous for writing the Harry Potter novels. As you’d expect from a biography, it provides an overview of her life and her work. To me, there was little new information here. This seems to be largely a rehash of information already in the public domain.

Claims that Rowling tried to impede the biography and that the author “uncovered bombshell revelations” appear unfounded. Rowlings’ lawyers specifically acknowledged his right to conduct research, but objected to his unsolicited approaches to people at their private homes, and asked him to desist from these visits. He includes the actual letter from them. (While the author defends himself by claiming he only turned up on the doorsteps of people for whom he couldn’t find an email address or phone number, it’s not clear why he didn’t take the less invasive approach of writing a letter.) And if there’s a revelation of any kind – much less a “bombshell” – I couldn’t detect it.

The structure of the biography is curious. The first section ricochets between Rowling and assorted ancestors without a sensible chronology or apparent reason. It includes long digressions that appear largely irrelevant – for example, when talking about the train journey on which Rowlings’ parents met, there are lengthy descriptions of writers who were connected to places the train passed. This appears to have nothing to do with Rowling, or her parents, who merely rattled past unaware.

Similarly, there are lengthy descriptions of the plot of classics like Black Beauty and The Wind in the Willows, which seem entirely unnecessary. When it gets to Rowlings’ own work, there are pages long summaries of each novel, but no real analysis of them. They add nothing to the biography. If you’re a Potter fan, you already know. If you’re not, well, Schmidt has totally spoiled the novels for you now by sharing all the major plot points.

The writing is uninspired, and includes many misused words. I was particularly annoyed by the repeated misuse of “donned”. For some reason he uses this word repeatedly – and always incorrectly. I almost cheered when, in the last pages of the book, he finally used it correctly. I acknowledge this was a small thing, but it was so irritating that it distracted me every single time, and underlined how badly written the book is.

The writing is repetitive. Information is repeated, usually without an acknowledgement that it’s already been shared. It’s pretty clear early on that Schmidt hasn’t spoken to Rowling, or indeed to anyone particularly close to her. There’s very little insight here, and not a lot of information which is new. Some of it is blatant guesses, as for example when he says her father “probably” cut her hair when she was a child. It’s slightly concerning that he couldn’t even find someone to confirm such an innocuous detail. In fact, many more significant stories feel incomplete, with important information missing.

There is little attempt to weigh or analyse anything, such as the quality of her work or where it sits in the broader literary world. Schmidt details comments Rowling has made about transsexual people, and the resulting controversy. He makes little effort to assess the background which led her to make those comments, or the impact the response had on her personally.

This is a shallow biography with little to recommend it. It’s not very well written, and contains little new information. It is neither entertaining or informative.

[Victoria Gilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K. Rowling is an ambitious and deeply researched biography that seeks to examine not only the extraordinary rise of J.K. Rowling, but also the personal experiences, relationships, creative influences, and controversies that have shaped her public life.

One of the book's most compelling elements is the contrast between Rowling's difficult early circumstances and her eventual transformation into one of the world's most recognizable authors. The journey from financial hardship and single motherhood to the creation of the Harry Potter phenomenon provides a remarkable portrait of ambition, perseverance, and literary imagination.

I particularly appreciated the breadth of research described in the book. The inclusion of interviews with relatives, previously unpublished photographs, maps, a family tree, and extensive examination of Rowling's writings gives the biography a documentary quality that should appeal to readers interested in understanding the person behind the global literary phenomenon.

The exploration of Rowling's creative process is especially fascinating. By examining the origins of her characters, the development of the seven-book narrative, and possible autobiographical influences within her fiction, Solomon Schmidt encourages readers to reconsider familiar elements of the Harry Potter books through the experiences that may have informed them.

The biography also provides substantial attention to the difficult periods of Rowling's life, including family relationships, personal hardship, grief, and the challenges she encountered before achieving literary success. These experiences help place her later accomplishments within a broader human context rather than presenting success as something that happened overnight.

Another significant aspect is the examination of Rowling's increasingly controversial public positions and the cultural debates surrounding her. Whatever readers may think of those controversies, their inclusion provides important context for understanding how her relationship with the public, media, political figures, actors, and portions of the Harry Potter fan community has changed over time.

The book will particularly appeal to readers interested in J.K. Rowling, literary biographies, the history of Harry Potter, popular culture, publishing, celebrity, creative writing, and the personal stories behind influential works of fiction.

An expansive biography that combines personal history, literary analysis, research, and cultural context to offer readers a deeper look at the woman behind one of the most influential literary franchises of the modern era.

[Pamela White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the appeal of J.K. Rowling’s life is that her rags-to-riches story reads like a novel in itself. Solomon Schmidt’s biography explores the nuances of Rowling’s own character arc in a thoroughly engaging and readable narrative.

For fans of the Harry Potter series, as well as Rowling’s detective series, Schmidt connects many pieces of Rowling’s own life to her fictional themes of being a misfit or being marginalized, of loss, abandonment, isolation, bullying, death, and heroism. For instance, the death of Rowling’s beloved mother at age forty-five fueled Harry’s poignant longing to see his parents and the seductive attraction of the Mirror of Erised.

Richly researched, A Pen to Change the World helps one appreciate Rowling’s passion for her stories and her dedication to the craft of developing characters and plots. To offer one illustration, in order to create more believable characters, Rowling imagined elaborate backstories for them, even for minor characters, the details of which never entered her books but helped her develop them as three-dimensional. These details also helped her guide the movie productions of her novels, in which she was actively engaged.

The latter part of Schmidt’s biography focuses on Rowling’s extensive philanthropic work, especially in helping women and children escape oppression, and on the controversy surrounding her use of the pen to oppose transwomen entering biological women’s spaces (prisons, bathrooms, athletic competitions). Although this was a battle Rowling never wanted to fight, Schmidt shows why she felt compelled to enter the conversation, to wield her pen for the sake of women’s safety and for the sake of the unique identity of biological females.

Schmidt writes with the dispassionate eye of a true reporter. While he portrays Rowling and the people in her life sympathetically, he respects the reader enough to tell her story without bias, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. An engrossing biography, A Pen to Change the World is as compelling as the fiction Rowling writes.

[Vanessa]

Cancel me if I am wrong. As a 46-year-old fantasy author, I found the existence and publishing of this book an artifact.
No stars because I did not read it.
I saw when I got the book (Goodreads giveaway) that the author was younger than the Harry Potter actor; the acknowledgements at the end confess that Rowling did not approve this one (info that should be displayed on the cover, and the red sticker on the cover says not to be sold outside the USA.
So... why did a 22-year-old "prodigy" write a huge bio on one of the most hated author's of modern times?....

....Exactly.

I presume (i may be wrong this is the first time I review a book without reading it) it will have a lot of sensationalism, drama, tracking obscure interviews. I am thinking... Studio 60 when Jordan's husband comes forward to tell his side of the story, that kind of drama. And will have very little of what her work, her journey means to me.

She wrote some of Harry Potter in Sintra, near my birth, home, Portugal. I was a young author wanna be/ teen in line to get my copy of this new magical book signed. I never cared about the person behind the books. I cared about the magic, about making us kids read more fantasy again, especially in my country where fantasy literature is seen as childish and nonsense. Will I find that kind of magic in these pages?
Feels like a classic commercial play—an opportunistic attempt to monetize friction, drama, and modern culture-war headlines.

​I’m keeping this volume on my shelf, but purely as a strange, physical artifact of 2020s publishing American culture. I am already playing the game by buzzing about it, but this time I won't review past Goodreads. It will remain only here. And the book on my collector's shelf as a stone thrown into a capitalist lake.

[Ellen Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Rowling and Potter fans. I loved reading this book. I felt we were behind the scenes of the movie sets, but especially, of J.K.’s life. For example: Schmidt revealed how the schools and personalities of Joanne’s teachers affected her life. One could see how they became faculty at Hogwarts. He takes you to the edge and lets you make the leap. (Her Chemistry teacher had to be Professor Snape, right?) Loved reading Schmidt’s descriptions of pictures from her life, and then finding them IN THE BOOK. How did he track down all those great photographs?

I think, in our adult minds, we have let go of a great deal of reality we walked through as children. We have cast out the existence of evil, and the power of good. We don’t remember how the bonds of friendship, love, and belonging relieve real pain, and make a better world. We choose to be nice and call that “good”, when really, there is a battle going on. As children, we saw it. When we read Rowling’s Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in our empathy, we relive the rights and wrongs of our own lives and see it all again. Rowling has shown us in her life and in her characters that our dreams count, that good counts, and the adventure is real. And all good children, no matter how old, are magical.

Thank you Solomon Schmidt. You have awakened my adventure. By E. S. Marks

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Potter books for as long as I can remember. (Actually, I inadvertently read the second one first for AR points, awful things, and then loved it so much that I went back to go and get the rest of the series.)
There were parts of this book that I LOVED. Much of it read smoothly and quickly, even to someone like me who doesn’t much enjoy biographies. However, the author took a lot of scenic routes in early chapters, giving great details of thoughts, positions, and standings of other people in Jo’s life that really felt like they could have been cut, as mentioning the person was fine, but all of the asides made me feel like I was going down the wrong street. The author particularly loves referencing “her great-great Grandmother Solome (sp.? Sorry, I did the audiobook!) who lived in Paris a century before. It became a little repetitive at times.

And the last 3 hours could have been condensed down to maybe an hour. It was a LOT.

There were only blips of mentions of things like Hogwarts Legacy, the theme park at Universal, and the upcoming tv series due to be released this winter/fall. I feel like the author’s time might have been better spent fleshing those things out.

It was a struggle to get through listening with my kid too…much more language and anger than I would have been expecting.

[Donna Visone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books entertain. Some books inform. And every once in a while, a book comes along that causes you to pause and think more deeply about the impact one life can have on another.

Pen to Change the World is already doing that for me.

As I begin reading, I'm struck by the simple yet profound idea that God often uses the things we consider ordinary—our words, our stories, our experiences—to accomplish extraordinary purposes. Solomon Schmidt has a way of communicating that feels both genuine and inspiring, encouraging readers to look beyond their limitations and consider what might be possible when faith, purpose, and action come together.

What I appreciate most is that the message feels hopeful. It reminds us that no act of kindness is wasted, no story is insignificant, and no person is beyond being used by God to make a difference.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book, but if the opening chapters are any indication, this is a message worth sharing and a book worth reading.

Highly recommended.

[Ramarks · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a Harry Potter fan to any degree, you'll love A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K. Rowling. I would definitely rate this a 5-star biography. Harry Potter fans and aspiring writers alike will enjoy this book.

I enjoyed learning about Rowling's early years, but the book became truly hard to put down once it reached the creation of the Harry Potter series. I found myself eager to see what happened next. Watching Rowling grow as a writer alongside Harry's journey through the novels adds a deeper dimension to both the series and its creator.

Seeing how Rowling's experiences shaped her writing—and how "meeting" Harry Potter changed her life—gives readers a new appreciation for both the author and her beloved character. Solomon's biography has given me an even greater appreciation for Rowling's achievement and has made me want to reread the entire Harry Potter series. In many ways, Rowling's own story is every bit as magical as Harry's.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m only a few chapters into Pen to Change the World, but I already know this is a special book. Solomon Schmidt writes with wisdom, authenticity, and a genuine desire to inspire others to make a difference. His message is both encouraging and challenging, reminding readers that our words, ideas, and actions have the power to impact the world around us.

What I appreciate most so far is how approachable and engaging the writing is. The book feels less like a lecture and more like a conversation with someone who truly believes that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they use their gifts with purpose.

I’m looking forward to continuing the journey through these pages and discovering the lessons still ahead. If the rest of the book is anything like the beginning, it will be a meaningful and inspiring read for anyone who wants to live with greater purpose and influence.

[Carolyn Lattimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Pen to Change the World: The Life of J.K.Rowling was an unexpected read.
I say this because I rarely find myself reading Memoirs or Biographies, however this biography had me thoroughly engaged.

Author, Solomon Schmidt creatively weaves such a thorough background of people and places that impacted the life of J.K.Rowling. We consistently see, that from an early age, Joanne Rowling was drawn to become a writer one day.

As the reader, we got to vicariously watch her life unfold through both her trials and her triumphs, into the amazing and talented author whose creative mind is known world-wide.

I see this book as such an encouragement to those out there with a dream or creative pursuit.
J.K Rowling believed & persevered and followed her dream.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, not only wanting to know about the life of J.K. Rowling, but also for anyone aspiring to become a writer or aspiring to pursue the creative arts.
I learned so much from this book, and look forward with anticipation, to the next work by Solomon Schmidt.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good; it was nice to win a copy of it in a Goodreads Giveaway. It covered a lot—probably too much at times—but super fans of Harry Potter and/or J.K. Rowling will surely enjoy all of the details. I learned some new things, yet I’m not positive I couldn’t have learned them elsewhere (aside from the exclusive interviews, etc). In that sense, it felt like watching a documentary, in that all of the information that I’d have to seek out on my own was helpfully compiled for me in one place, which I enjoyed. On the other hand, however folks feel about it aside, J. K. has become a controversial figure, and I think that should have been discussed more as it is now absolutely part of her legacy and impacts the Harry Potter series. Glad I read this one and would recommend to others keen to know more about her, with the caveat that this book only presents so much, and more research is warranted.

[Lori Hooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written biography which deals directly with the life and influences of J.K. Rowling. It follows her story from her parents, even some reference to her grandparents where appropriate. It is an engaging story and Schmidt ties the influences together well. There are plenty of quotes to show that the Schmidt did a great deal of research. It is put together well and is one of the better current biographies I have read. If you are interested in the author of Harry Potter and how her story came together, you will thoroughly enjoy this biography.

Do be aware that the content is true to life and includes things that parents may want to preview before handing this to younger teens.

I received an ebook of this title from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Bo Terrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.


This in-depth look at the infamous J.K. Rowling is the ultimate behind the scenes look at the Boy Who Lived. The work that went into developing this voluble tome is undeniable. We learnt how she drew from her fascination with alchemy to develop the magical system "rules" in the world of Harry Potter - each house representing a different element. Through the development of each character, she was exploring and discovering deep emotions and feelings about her own self. By holding on to a Boy - coming to life on a page - it's admirable how she came though the other side on top. Love her, or hate her, how different would the world be without the impact of one woman's imagination?

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people call her one of the most controversial authors of our time. Yet there is nothing controversial about an author who has sold more than 600 million books so far. She is an extraordinary writer and an extraordinary human being.

The author of this biography is equally remarkable. In his research, Solomon Schmidt finds a way to tell the full story of a person without a hint of bias. You will never be able to guess what he personally thinks of J. K. Rowling—he simply tells her story. He leaves it to the reader to form their own opinion about J. K. Rowling.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Pen to Change the World contains more information than any current book on JK Rowling. Solomon Schmidt has done extremely fine research on this author. Writers and Readers will find this brilliant book interesting even if they are not a fan of Rowling. The author takes the reader step by step through her life. He also gives readers a glimpse of how Rowling’s life experiences influenced her development of her characters. For writers, Schmidt provides an inside view on how the Harry Potter books came to be. Excellent. Highly recommend! Terrific writer.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book today and it was very well written and informative. I have read other books about the amazing JK Rowling, but never one so insightful. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter and I have read every book she has ever written. It was fascination to find out how JKR came up with the plot and characters for her writings. What an extraordinary imagination she has! Salomon Schmidt found a talented and powerful way to give us a glimpse into her mind-blowing mind and astonishing background.

[Dave]

We are only a few chapters into the book. The author is a prodigy. He is 22; he wrote his first book at age 12 and has written 10 books. At 13 is was considered "the youngest child historian in America". He has received the highest praise from the likes of News Network celebrities, prominent legislators (including Trump), and others.
However... his style is somewhat annoying. He gives very detailed accounts that sound like he is reading from his note cards that he made for a college theme assignment. Too, too much detail about almost a day-to-day experience of J.K. Rawlings.

[Richard Xiao · Rating 4 out of 5]

My comments on the book are very divided. In the first a few chapters, the author seems to research and write down a lot about Rowling’s unveiled stories. They were very attractive and fascinating,especially, when he talked about Rowling’s story of writing Harry Potter. It showed the limitless of what one’s life can be. However, the last a few chapters focused on Rowling’s controversial speaking of trans gender people, which were long and quite daunting. Overall, considering the age of the author, it was a good one.

[Cecelia Bader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solomon is an amazing author, who has years of prolific experience. This book reads as an engaging and entertaining epic, the furthest thing from a boring biographical biopsy. Rowling’s life is full of the courageous and controversial, the trials and triumphs. I challenge anyone to read this book and not walk away with their eyes enlightened and hearts stirred by this woman’s incredible life story!

[Dennis Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, insightful look into JK Rowling’s life. Solomon Schmidt blends his arduous research with gifted story telling. I was blessed to receive a signed pre-release copy. This biography is definitely a compelling read that leads you on the fascinating journey through the life of JK Rowling. I might add that you don’t need to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy this great read.

[Valerie Littleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best biography I have ever read! The author keeps very neutral and stays with only facts that he clearly has taken years to research.
I highly recommend this book. It is written eloquently and will take you on a journey of not only JK Rowling’s life, but insights into her creation of the best book series of my lifetime.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is incredibly well written. It’s obviously Solomon took a lot of time and did detailed research on the author. If you are a Potter fan you would be interested in how and why the books came about. Great read!!

[Olga Lukashina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an incredible read! I couldn’t put it down. Solomon’s writing is engaging, heartfelt, and full of insight from start to finish, and it’s clear he is an incredible author! What a fascinating, beautifully told story of an extraordinary, resilient woman.