The Skill of a Seeker: Rowling, Religion, and Gen 9/11

Those who were children in 2001 form a particular cohort that faces stark challenges when pondering religious and spiritual themes.

But they also have an unexpected, nonviolent hero, whose greatest power is love, who grew up along with them and dealt with the same challenges. Gen 9/11 is also Gen HP, the people who grew up with Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s series provides them with an easy entry into the world of Big Questions; this book shows some of her answers and how they resonate with all her readers.

“This is a book for everyone: the 9/11 generation, who view their lives through the prism of Harry Potter’s experiences, and their elders who seek to understand them. It has much to say to those who have never read the series but struggle as Harry Potter does to accept death and achieve integrity.”

 -Debra Campbell, Professor of Religious Studies, Colby College

“Marilyn R. Pukkila has delved deep into the world of the spirit and the world of J.K. Rowling. Like Hermione Granger, she brings intelligence and research to bear on her subject, but like Harry himself she also brings a deep love, both for stories and for spirit, teasing out the threads of Rowling’s moral and ethical framework, and suggesting ways that framework may influence millions of young readers and viewers in an increasingly secular age.”

-Jane Raeburn, author, Celtic Wicca

About the Author

Marilyn R. Pukkila is Scholarly Resources and Services Librarian for Social Sciences and Humanities at Colby College, where she also teaches courses on Tolkien, women in myth and fairy tale, the religion of contemporary Witchcraft, and (of course) Harry Potter. She has lived in Wales and in England and traveled to five of the six continents (she hasn’t seen Antarctica yet). Good conversation, good food, gardening, and most especially good stories are among her greatest joys, and she’ll happily wander in the woods or along a beach in almost any season.

• Perfect Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Polar Bear & Company; First edition (March 5, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882190319
• ISBN-13: 978-1882190317