I've been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks at work for the last couple of weeks. I'm almost done with the series. First time going back through the books since the initial reading years ago. There are two important thoughts I have thus far:
1. JK Rowling had an exceptional vast world already built for the first book, including major series plot developments. I respect her much more as an author now than I did before (she was always a good story teller). I'm goingto have to read The Casual Vacancy now.
2. Despite the major themes of racial acceptance and valuing people for their worth JK Rowling is remarkably prejudice against "Slytherin House." She groups all of them together into a stereotype and never takes time to elaborate on individuals beyond the demonizing (or Death-Eater-izing) of all Slytherins. Slughorn fights on the right side in the end and Snape has an empathic and redemptive backstory but no one else from Slytherin House is ever spoken of positively. Even "he-who-must-not-be-named" is elaborated upon in a way that does create some empathy for his situation with vast explorations into his childhood. JK Rowling surprises me with this in view of her extensive work on valuing and loving people in the books.
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