I’m a millennial, and part of the Harry Potter generation: Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the US when I was seven, and the final film came out the summer before my final year in college. It’s a series that’s always been part of my life – and recently I realized I don’t need them anymore.
The situation frames me as the sort of person that this series would never leave, and for a long time, I thought these books would hold the top place in my heart forever. In my adopted city of Philadelphia, the annual Harry Potter Festival that takes place each year in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood has gained national attention. Many of the people I’ve met in Philadelphia are pretty involved with the festival, or with other Harry Potter-themed events; I’ve even helped organize a few of these events myself.
But I’ve been growing away from Harry Potter since I moved here in 2012. There are a lot of reasons, which mainly boil down to one simple fact: my needs have far outgrown what the Harry Potter series is able to provide.
You can read the essay in full at Unbound Worlds.
Feliza Casano 