Musings on Harry Potter

I ran into a friend's family at the parking lot of our local library on Saturday and they proudly told me that they came to pick up the latest Harry Potter book and encouraged me to pick up a copy too, because our library system has ordered two thousand copies of the book, so there is plenty to go around. Even though I don't watch TV, I have been been hearing snatches of radio reports on the latest Harry Potter book, its promotion, record sales and all; about how fans, both adults and children waited in line at midnight to score it. As a book lover, I am thrilled that there is such a big reception to a printed book. But I have a confession to make: I have not read a single Harry Potter book. I might have nodded intelligently when other people were talking about it, a number of my friends are big fans. Not that my not reading it bears any reflection of the quality of the book, I am sure it is a fabulous series and that is perhaps why even the non-book-loving American public flock to pick up the newest in line. My not getting around to reading it has to do with me and my neurotic avoidance of anything that everybody else does. I don't know if growing up in a culture which values conformity has heightened my need to claim my space, my taste, even if it means not partaking in some of the stuff that the rest of the world seems to enjoy or perhaps the commericalization puts me off even good stuff. Either way, Harry Potter is one such case in point. And the Niagara Falls is another. I live about four and half hours away from the greatest falls in the world, and I have actively avoided it. I could have easily stopped at the Niagara on my way to or from Toronto, but I did not. When I still lived in India, a number of Indian friends had moved to the US, and on their first visit back, everyone, almost everyone brought back pictures of themselves at the Niagara. So I just couldn't make myself go to the Niagara Falls. I know it is probably foolish, the loss is mine. What can I say? Just my little quirk.