The Essence of Belonging

     J.K. Rowling a British novelist best known as the author of the Harry Potter series.  Has gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies of her books. They have become the best-selling series in history, and been the basis for the inspiration for other writer's and their novels. Through her continuous perseverance she has overcome many obstacles in her life, and has become the epidomy of "rags to riches." J.K. Rowling was born July 31, 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry "came fully formed" into her mind. Later that year, Rowling's mother Anne died. Rowling was writing Harry Potter at the time and had never told her mother about it. Her death heavily affected Rowling's writing and she introduced much more detail about Harry's loss in the first book, as she found a way she could connect to her character emotionally.

     One of J.K. Rowling's quotes about writing was, "The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." I personally feel a sense of enjoyment from this quote, because I have immersed myself for countless hours as I read all of the Harry Potter books and I always felt so engaged in the setting, the characters and the plot. Most of us have one book or several books that we have a feeling of belonging, how no matter who you are you feel connected to a character or piece of the overall story that draws your attention. The books we read clearly depict either who we once were or who we are today, and no matter what walk of life you follow it will always be there. An essence of you, to turn to whenever you wish to go home or to the place you consider to be home if that be a book. I believe this is what J.K. Rowling was trying to convey with her quote, that what we read or our history will always be attached to us like our own shadow.