Harry Potter and the Chromosomes of Peril

Millennials are trying to make J.K. Rowling disappear

I’m old enough to remember when the Harry Potter phenomenon was just getting started in the late ‘90s. There were these weird children’s books coming out of England, and kids couldn’t get enough of ‘em. It was the biggest publishing success story in years, at a time when TV and the internet were cutting into book sales. I was working in book publishing at the time, so it was a big topic of discussion. Even if the subject matter wasn’t your thing, you couldn’t argue with J.K. Rowling’s success.

I remember thinking at the time: Hey, at least these kids are reading something. That’s good, right?

What an idiot!