Jill Kolongowski
Life Lessons Harry Potter Taught Me
(Ulysses Press, October 2017)
An approachable and inspiring series of short essays that examines the greatest YA series ever with a combination of adult literary criticism and childhood curiosity
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first published in the U.S. over two decades ago, but the groundbreaking series continues to appeal to new and existing fans alike. The Harry Potter novels played a significant role in the childhoods of millions of adults who continue to return to the series again and again, like visiting old friends. Beyond just pure entertainment, the series acts as a source of comfort, guidance and wisdom to these adult fans.
Life Lessons Harry Potter Taught Me takes a deeper look at the wisdom of the seven novels. Through a combination of literary criticism, analysis and, at times, personal experience, the author explores the important themes running throughout the series and the life lessons everyone can learn from Harry and his gang. Readers will love rediscovering their favorite characters, reexamining the series through the lens of experience, and revisiting the nostalgia of childhood.
From light to dark, Albus to Voldemort, the essays in this book discuss girl power, the importance of words, fate vs. free will, the lines between good and evil, and, above all, the magic and power of love.
Jill Kolongowski is a Hufflepuff who teaches writing and literature at the College of San Mateo. She is also the managing editor at YesYes Books. Her essays have won Sundog Lit’s First Annual Contest series and the Diana Woods Memorial Prize in Creative Nonfiction at Lunch Ticket magazine. Other essays are published in Profane, Sweet: A Literary Confection, Southern Indiana Review, Fugue, and elsewhere. She lives in California, and her Patronus is a tortoiseshell cat.