| Title | : | Harry Potter and the Problematic Author |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | stapled zine |
| Number of Pages | : | 20 |
| Publication | : | First published July 1, 2019 |
Harry Potter and the Problematic Author Reviews
-
Someone (speak up) keeps adding my zines to Goodreads... so I guess I should review them! This work seeks to reconcile my feelings for the Harry Potter series with my frustration over some of JK Rowling's recent actions and the direction of the continuing cannon. The three main focuses are the "Magic in North America" stories from Pottermore, JKR's liking of several transphobic tweets on twitter and the valuable life lessons I learned from the series. This zine isn't an attack on the books, it is a deeply affectionate critique, and a meditation on loving flawed media. This zine was written in July 2019, and so does not react to JKR's mid-2020 bullshit. You can read this zine for free on my tumblr, patreon or instagram, or buy a physical copy or PDF copy on etsy. I donate 50% of the proceeds to the Native American Rights Fund.
-
couldn’t have said it better! there is no need to hate the Harry Potter franchise because one terf misuses her platform. we all know that JKR is horrid and there is such a large cognitive dissonance for her to have written a book about acceptance and still act the way she does. i will always love Harry Potter, and i will more than happily learn from JKR’s mistakes. trans lives will always matter and their experiences are unique and valid.
-
WHY IS JK ROWLING LIKE THIS. "My experience was shaped by being a woman"?? Yeah, Joanne, so was a trans woman's experience, it was just a way different and no less valid and no less female experience than yours?????? Anyway, I'm mad and I feel like I don't even remember what it's like to be anything other than mad and I'm going to go eat a cookie and also I give this a billion stars.
-
As a kid who grew up in a boarding school, it was very easy for me to get sucked into the world and pretend she was in Hogwarts. In fact, it was my coping mechanism. But as I grew up, I got to hear and read many criticisms against it, many call outs of plagiarism, and most importantly JKR's own transphobic tweets and the infamous article and I decided I was over her. But how was I supposed to let go of this world? I still listen to the audio books (specifically the third book because it deals with dementors and I get to say Expecto Patronum) and I read my favourite chapters every once in a while.
Maia Kobabe has discussed this very same question of mine and I couldn't agree more. I am weaning myself from this obsession. But I may go back to certain portions of the book.
To quote Maia Kobabe, Harry Potter taught me that the revolution must be diverse, and intersectional; The weapon we have is love. ❤️ -
A portion of this zine discusses "Magic in North America" stories from Pottermore. I never read them so I can't comment.
There is a line about being mad Johnny Depp was cast in Fantastic Beasts (I loathe those movies). I don't know why this is something to get bent out of shape about, seems like a petty complaint.
Another portion discusses Rowling liking tweets to articles with lines that are objectionable to Kobabe. It is weird to me that people who claim to be against fascism are the same people who cannot fathom that other people have opinions different from their own.
Kobabe categorizes HP books as sacred texts...this is slightly disturbing to me. I have HP tattoos for goodness sake, but HP isn't my entire identity...maybe this explains why Rowling having an opposing viewpoint is such a big deal for this author? -
Short zine that you can read here:
https://redgoldsparkspress.com/projec...
I was interested in how one of the most well-known nonbinary authors — who created the much-banned "
Gender Queer: A Memoir" — felt about J.K. Rowling, given Kobabe's love of the Harry Potter series.
It's a tight, quick read. One of Kobabe's critiques regards Rowling's cultural appropriation of Native American beliefs that flatten the richness of their many and varied cultures while misunderstanding them, too. Another critique looks at Rowling's comments about trans women being a danger to society rather than them being far more likely to be the subjects of violence. The bulk of the book, though, concerns the author's love of Harry Potter and the books' influence on Kobabe's own life.
This wasn't supposed to be a deep analysis of the subject, but a quickie fundraiser. It's solid on that level. One thing I'll have to spend more time pondering is the treatment of the Harry Potter books as "sacred texts."
My ratings of other Kobabe works:
* 4 stars:
Gender Queer: A Memoir
* 4 stars:
The Nonbinary Bunny -
I hate JKR's mean tweets, but I don't like this book's suggestion that she should be separated and excluded from her books as if her fans have somehow claimed them beyond her power. Harry Potter will always be JKR's and you can't sever the two. You can dislike her as a person, but you can't forget her as the author or pretend she doesn't exist.
-
Welp. This bite-sized comic reflection on what the Harry Potter books can still mean to us even after their creator has decided to double down on her hurtful anti-trans statement, leaving all of her readers to wonder if they made a mistake in loving her stories all these many, many years, is sadly all too relevant right now. Should we get rid of all our HP books, try to forget how they changed us? The short answer is no, her statements shouldn't take away a world and characters that have meant so many different, life-changing things to all of us. The longer answer is one that we're all going to work through in different ways including this lovely short comic memoir of the artist's discovery of the Harry Potter books and how they found comfort and community from them, even inspiration like so many of us. And do we now tear away that part of ourselves now that it's clear the author doesn't care about the pain her words inflict? No, Kobabe says, you can keep what you love because the books are now in our hearts and are part of our stories. We're allowed to love what we love and keep ourselves whole, while throwing the hate and irrelevant blather out with the trash.
-
Given recent events, I came across this short zine and curiosity won.
Maia is the author of the graphic memoir
Gender Queer and here e gives eir opinion on JKR's problematic (mainly transphobic, but also fatphobic, culturally appropriating, white feminist, etc.) views and how it affects em as a Harry Potter fan and non-binary person.
Read from Maia Kobabe's
tumblr. -
In this short comic zine, Gender Queer graphic novelist Maia Kobabe explores her love or Harry Potter and how it relates to some of JK Rowling's problematic behavior re: trans people and more.
You can read this short non-fiction graphic novel here:
https://redgoldsparks.tumblr.com/post... -
It's an interesting comic. It's only a couple panels long so doesn't have a lot of time to delve deeply into the subject, but it does recommend some great podcasts!
-
HP FANS: This is an important, quick read! It perfectly summed up some of my struggles with LOVING Harry Potter but demanding better from Rowling. Plus, it gave me some podcast recs. It will take you 5-10 minutes to read. Do it.
-
A thoughtful look at finding out a book you love was written by a problematic author. Includes references for further research. I was familiar with some of the problems, but not all of them, and appreciated the chance to learn.
-
YES YES YES what a fab zine. I love Maia Kobabe so much!!!!
-
This comic contains a couple of nicely illustrated, very well summarized pages about the problematic aspects of jk rowlings behaviour not only but also towards trans women. it contains essential information for people that haven't been aware of how this author is now viewed very problematic. it also names further literature, articels and podcasts that practise a critical analysis of work and creator while, just as this informational comic does, stating the harry potter books as an emotionally valuable and cultural relevant piece of media, that has, beyond the discrimination of the author, sparked community and respect.
-
Read online.
Exceptionally insightful and written by a longtime HP fan. Provides honest and well-researched critiques and, yes, even praise for the material. Advocates fans to question and critique, all the while encouraging them to separate the art from the artist (or the author from the story), which is something that I, as a librarian, have often told patrons. Lets fans know it's OK to still love a story even if the author is a problem.
A worthwhile read! -
A beautifully drawn and paced zine, although readers should note that this was written before 2020, and as such doesn't account for JKR's blatant, violent transphobia so much as her implied and accidental gaffes. As a Harry Potter fan who's devastated by the author's transphobia, racism, etc I appreciated this zine's nuanced perspective about critiquing work out of love.
