Can you support trans rights and still watch Harry Potter? I'm pro-trans, I'm angry at JK Rowling, and I don't think the answer is as simple as people say.
Thank you for such a thought-provoking post. I'm GenX and wasn't into the fantasy world of Harry Potter. I did see how it inspired young people to read, which I took as a positive. I also remember the fundamentalist Christian backlash attacking the Harry Potter books as Satanic. It is such a tragedy that Rowling has embraced such hateful bigotry after giving the world the gift of Harry Potter. It is the age-old question of separating the creator from their works.
I'm a huge music fan, and I think about how artists like John Lennon were abusive to women, or how Michael Jackson's unethical (possibly illegal) interactions with children were. Yet, I still listen to and enjoy their music.
Humans are complex creatures living along a spectrum of ethics and morality. The black/white duality claimed by those on the extremes is easy to proclaim but difficult to carry out. Taking the positive from Harry Potter while supporting Trans Rights seems to be the best revenge against the hatefest being promoted by Rowling.
“So what actually moves the needle? Voting. Donating directly to trans advocacy organizations. Show up for the people in your life who are affected by this. Support the politicians who will fight for human rights”. Spot on. Great piece! I agree with you. This is a complicated topic and I’m upset with Rowling. I haven’t purchased anything Potter-related since she came out with her anti-trans views. Bout you’re right: what’s going to change the future is our stepping up and being an active ally to support the LGBTQ+ community.
No you cannot. And I’m trans. JK Rowling literally said that she would use the profits she earns from the HP reboot to fund anti-trans organizations, policies, legislation, etc. and that is where you have to draw the line. You can’t call yourself an trans ally anymore if you do this. And you no longer have an opinion on any and all trans issues if you do this. If a trans person says THIS IS TRANSPHOBIC, that IS THE END OF THE DISCUSSION. Game over. We are in the middle of a trans genocide RIGHT NOW, and the second I see so-called trans allies sacrifice all of us for a “comfort show” that’ll literally fund transphobic violence, we are done. That simple.
Totally understand your point of view. I share a different one on the show and the franchise. But we share the same view about Rowling and her beliefs.
Then show you're an ally, don't watch the show or consume anything that awful woman is a part of. You can't have your cake and eat it too, that's exactly what you're trying to do here because you got called out on this.
If you claim to be an ally then show you're an ally. Nostalgia has nothing to do with being an ally. It's a flimsy excuse and a pretty bad one too. If the producers,etc all lose money because people boycott the show that's on them because they know what kind of person Rowling is and what the outcome would be if they worked on this show.
You could choose to use the platform you have on social media to speak out against people like Rowling and show that you're an ally like you claim but you don't, instead you chose to continue to consume/buy things she is tied to an earns money from and you use that flimsy excuse about nostalgia just so you can go "see, i don't support her or her views" and feel good about yourself instead being the ally you claim to be.
Yeah I speak out all the time about things on my platform. You created this account anonymously just to come on here and attack, so I’m going to move on.
I don't see you speaking out against Rowling and showing that you're an ally. Speak up about the ongoing trans genocide that's going on currently instead of defending your decision to keep giving her money just because of "nostalgia". If you feel attacked then maybe you finally understand just a little about what trans people have to deal with probably daily. Move on and bury your head in the sand instead of using the platform you have to do something good. If you're an ally then act like it man and show you are. If two trans people are calling you out on this then that should be enough for you to rethink your decision and wake up. But whatever man, bury your head in the sand.
Prove you're an ally instead of making excuses. You're literally promoting her hateful views even by talking about the upcoming show. All I see here is excuses and blaming nostalgia for said excuses.
It's disgusting to see so-called allies defend their decision to watch this show and consume or buy anything tied to that awful hate filled transphobic woman. I'm not trans but I'm an ally, I stand in solidarity with those affected by the stuff she does and says. This guy just wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Thank you, John. I’m just tired at this point of my life and I’m almost 38. My partner is almost 38 and they’re trans too. We’re getting married and we’re just… UGH. Trans allies need to do better or stop calling themselves trans allies.
I’m with you in the almost 38, trans, and exhausted camp. At this point watching anything HP is the same as donating your money to anti-trans organizations because that is where it is going, and if people can justify that to themselves, then clearly they don’t actually care about trans people. They are just scared to be called a bigot despite the shoe fitting
I'm sorry you and your partner have to deal with this nonsense spouted from not only Rowling but other hateful people that everything this country is doing or trying to do. Like his excuse for wanting to watch the show is such a flimsy excuse and a pretty bad one
Honestly, that’s problematic in quite a few ways. And there’s a lot of things that even I won’t touch as a non-binary trans woman. While I understand that queer/trans/non-binary writers are trying to create their own witchy universes beyond what I hope is outside of the Harry Potter-verse, they shouldn’t really model much of anything from that world simply based on the fact many of the characters already from that world such as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, etc., were all presenting serious flaws and problematic behaviors to begin with from a seriously transphobic and clearly racist author known as JK Rowling. In fact, there are actually queer/trans/non-binary authors RIGHT NOW writing their OWN ORIGINAL Pagan/Wicca/etc. stories and universes that is NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE to being considered as “Harry Potter fan fiction” because it’s authentic, original and no AI is involved, plus they work really hard to separate themselves from all the fan fic works out there. While I understand the writers trying to do this from a reparative text approach to “save” the franchise, it’s best to let it die and start writing original queer/trans Pagan/Wicca, etc. stories and universes. Look at how Twilight spawned and inspired 50 Shades of Grey - you can see why it’s seriously problematic. Fan fictions can lead down to dangerous roads if literary boundaries are not set up prior to writing such literary tomes. Sorry for my late response - I’ve been busy and needed a few days or so to sit with this and think it out articulately as best as I could, with my AuDHD and all. Hope this was the best answer I could give to you.
Again, I don’t know the whole fan fiction world very well because I don’t write fan fiction at all. So I don’t understand the psychology behind it all. You’re asking the wrong person for this. I may be a queer nonbinary trans woman but I don’t write about anything like that nor do I ever try to attempt the psychology behind why people write this whole fan fiction stuff.
Fan fiction has always been about taking problematic representation—slash fiction takes toxic masculinity and re-engineers it through softness and empathy as a political act. I think you’re right that people use media for a variety of purposes, so using Harry Potter figures in queer fan fiction isn’t about complicity in power—quite the opposite. It’s a political act of authorship.
Okay, now that makes sense to me. Well, maybe later on down the road, I’ll have a better perspective on this. Until then, thanks for at least asking me my thoughts.
Trans person here, if you give JK money, she has publicly stated that every penny goes to groups whose entire purpose is to deny trans people rights to exist in public. Any “ally” who tries to defend giving JK any money is not an ally in my book.
I'm a transwoman myself and I also still watch the Harry Potter movies on my blurays, because they are just beautiful movies. And to all of you guys who hate on Jeff because he is not a real "ally": the lgbt community should really look at itself for all the hate and intolerance that goes OUT OF IT. I can't count anymore how many times I have seen, heard and read hate towards men, heterosexuality etc. And that from a community, that experienced so much of it themselves! "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
How about just letting everybody live the way they want. Especially since you can watch the movies WITHOUT throwing money towards J.K.!!! If you already own the discs, what's the problem with rewatching? What's the problem with buying the discs second hand?
I'm so sick of the community and that it all drift so hard towards fanatism... Just my 2 cents...
Yeah, I'd bury my head in the sand too if I was a fake ally. You refuse to actually respond and feel "attacked" only because you got called out for being a fake ally. If you can't take valid criticism and shown that you're taking the wrong stance then why encourage people to share their thoughts? Do better man.
Never mind the fact that she donates to hate groups who see anyone trans as a threat or less than human and want eradicate them. You watching this show gives her money to donate to said hate groups.
I have to agree with this sentiment. Whenever my wife and I go to Universal Studios, we are financially supporting the parks and licenses for many IPs we love, including Harry Potter. Even if I'm not streaming the movies on HBO Max, I still pay for the service and watch other things on there. I have my original DVD copies of the movies and my original hardback copies of the series when they first released. It's way more than just black and white.
In my head, if what she’s doing really isn't something you stand with, then not supporting her shouldn't be hard, and wasn't she just linked to Epstein? Harry was good but not that good to overlook her actions to watch a show, read a book, or play a game 🤷🏾♂️
I think you can still enjoy Harry Potter and be pro-trans...but to me, those two things can't make sense if you are actively spending money on the media/franchise. If you are reading the books or watching the movies or listening to the audiobooks that you already own, that is fine. But watching the new show or seeing the stage show and actively putting money into new franchise offerings, to me that just doesn't make sense. And I understand that there are thousands of other people involved in these things that aren't like JK Rowling, but speaking as someone who works in film/tv, who has had things I've worked on be thrown out or put on a shelf never to be seen, you are paid what you paid and wether people watch it or not or it even ever sees the light of day makes absolutely no difference to people like me. At the end of the day, I'm less concerned with audiences seeing something I worked on for years as I am with being able to utilize that experience working on something to propel myself to more work. I can't speak for everyone in film and tv, and it definitely does suck when you work on something that gets disregarded or hidden away, but when you work in this business after a few years, you get kind of used to it. Bringing it back to Harry potter, yeah you can justify it as you want to support people like Nick Frost or the new kids or the people who worked on the VFX or whatever is important to you, but at the end of the day, you watching it does absolutely nothing for them on a monetary or even professional level, it only makes a difference for JK Rowling, the higher up producers on the show, and the bean counters and shareholders at WB. It lines her pockets while everyone else below her were already paid (and most certainly underpaid).
Ultimately, it's a personal decision, and I appreciate your thoughtful writing on this subject.
Thanks Jeff. This is a well thought out issue and it's not a new idea. It's also a really complex thing to think about. Many, many artists are flawed and have done things that would be considered hateful or worse. I'm sure many artists in the past did things or held hateful values, but without social media, most people would never know.
As you say, these movies and shows are made by many other artists, and their work is worth celebrating.
I bet that the majority of the art out there might be made by people who have done some bad things or are flawed. In my opinion, the art can still be enjoyed. Maybe not as much, if you know the artist is not a good person, but that is up to each person to decide.
Jeff, you make a great point about trying to take action in other ways. Folks can maybe still get joy in the art, but become mobilized to take action. Through voting (not enough people do that), speaking out (which this discussion is one little way of doing that.. but speaking to those who make laws or where thoughtful conversations happen) or other calls to action.
I'm happy to criticize artists when they take positions that I don't agree with, but think that we can still enjoy the art (if the art doesn't contain the negativity that the artist might be expressing).
Folks are free to make their own decisions on this specific issue, but still enjoying the Harry Potter world does not make them anti-trans (in my opinion). I hate what Rowling has said and the hateful actions she has taken, but I don't think I can completely shut off my enjoyment of the movies and this new show.
Thanks Jeff for engaging your community in important discussions like these. We can hopefully disagree while still respecting each other.
Hey Jeff, I came to your substack from your IG and I’ve really been enjoying you elaborate on your ideas and films in the Substack world.
Ok so, I really enjoyed your take on this topic. I also appreciated the direct links to resources you shared throughout. While I was aware of these events I never truly dove real deep, like reading her essay and all the responses and various perspectives from actors and celebrities alike. The irony is that a few weeks ago I was having a conversation about Charlie Chaplin and whether art and artist should be treated differently. While I believe the line is not only blurred but ever shifting, it also depends on the art, depends on the artist and depends on the individual viewer or consumer of the art.
One of the ideas that resonated with me through that conversation and a conclusion, if I could even call it that, is that art itself seeks for a way to be real and to exist. It just so happens that art will search for vessels that will carry the message.
I remember getting my first copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone while I was in third grade from a friend of mine. I had barely been in America for two years I think at the time and before then I never had the opportunity to own or explore books like this. I was blown away. While it took me sometime to finish them and watch the films, I could never deny those smaller thin that helped me in my younger years.
Art finds a way at to reach those it desires despite the externalities and factors that create it.
Thank you for such a thought-provoking post. I'm GenX and wasn't into the fantasy world of Harry Potter. I did see how it inspired young people to read, which I took as a positive. I also remember the fundamentalist Christian backlash attacking the Harry Potter books as Satanic. It is such a tragedy that Rowling has embraced such hateful bigotry after giving the world the gift of Harry Potter. It is the age-old question of separating the creator from their works.
I'm a huge music fan, and I think about how artists like John Lennon were abusive to women, or how Michael Jackson's unethical (possibly illegal) interactions with children were. Yet, I still listen to and enjoy their music.
Humans are complex creatures living along a spectrum of ethics and morality. The black/white duality claimed by those on the extremes is easy to proclaim but difficult to carry out. Taking the positive from Harry Potter while supporting Trans Rights seems to be the best revenge against the hatefest being promoted by Rowling.
“So what actually moves the needle? Voting. Donating directly to trans advocacy organizations. Show up for the people in your life who are affected by this. Support the politicians who will fight for human rights”. Spot on. Great piece! I agree with you. This is a complicated topic and I’m upset with Rowling. I haven’t purchased anything Potter-related since she came out with her anti-trans views. Bout you’re right: what’s going to change the future is our stepping up and being an active ally to support the LGBTQ+ community.
No you cannot. And I’m trans. JK Rowling literally said that she would use the profits she earns from the HP reboot to fund anti-trans organizations, policies, legislation, etc. and that is where you have to draw the line. You can’t call yourself an trans ally anymore if you do this. And you no longer have an opinion on any and all trans issues if you do this. If a trans person says THIS IS TRANSPHOBIC, that IS THE END OF THE DISCUSSION. Game over. We are in the middle of a trans genocide RIGHT NOW, and the second I see so-called trans allies sacrifice all of us for a “comfort show” that’ll literally fund transphobic violence, we are done. That simple.
Totally understand your point of view. I share a different one on the show and the franchise. But we share the same view about Rowling and her beliefs.
Then show you're an ally, don't watch the show or consume anything that awful woman is a part of. You can't have your cake and eat it too, that's exactly what you're trying to do here because you got called out on this.
I guess I do - but this is how I feel. You’re welcome to feel differently. The show goes on no matter what either of us thinks.
If you claim to be an ally then show you're an ally. Nostalgia has nothing to do with being an ally. It's a flimsy excuse and a pretty bad one too. If the producers,etc all lose money because people boycott the show that's on them because they know what kind of person Rowling is and what the outcome would be if they worked on this show.
You could choose to use the platform you have on social media to speak out against people like Rowling and show that you're an ally like you claim but you don't, instead you chose to continue to consume/buy things she is tied to an earns money from and you use that flimsy excuse about nostalgia just so you can go "see, i don't support her or her views" and feel good about yourself instead being the ally you claim to be.
Yeah I speak out all the time about things on my platform. You created this account anonymously just to come on here and attack, so I’m going to move on.
I don't see you speaking out against Rowling and showing that you're an ally. Speak up about the ongoing trans genocide that's going on currently instead of defending your decision to keep giving her money just because of "nostalgia". If you feel attacked then maybe you finally understand just a little about what trans people have to deal with probably daily. Move on and bury your head in the sand instead of using the platform you have to do something good. If you're an ally then act like it man and show you are. If two trans people are calling you out on this then that should be enough for you to rethink your decision and wake up. But whatever man, bury your head in the sand.
Prove you're an ally instead of making excuses. You're literally promoting her hateful views even by talking about the upcoming show. All I see here is excuses and blaming nostalgia for said excuses.
It's disgusting to see so-called allies defend their decision to watch this show and consume or buy anything tied to that awful hate filled transphobic woman. I'm not trans but I'm an ally, I stand in solidarity with those affected by the stuff she does and says. This guy just wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Thank you, John. I’m just tired at this point of my life and I’m almost 38. My partner is almost 38 and they’re trans too. We’re getting married and we’re just… UGH. Trans allies need to do better or stop calling themselves trans allies.
I’m with you in the almost 38, trans, and exhausted camp. At this point watching anything HP is the same as donating your money to anti-trans organizations because that is where it is going, and if people can justify that to themselves, then clearly they don’t actually care about trans people. They are just scared to be called a bigot despite the shoe fitting
I'm sorry you and your partner have to deal with this nonsense spouted from not only Rowling but other hateful people that everything this country is doing or trying to do. Like his excuse for wanting to watch the show is such a flimsy excuse and a pretty bad one
How do you respond to queer people writing fan fic in the world of Harry Potter?
https://andymight.substack.com/p/harry-potter-was-a-queer-text-the
Honestly, that’s problematic in quite a few ways. And there’s a lot of things that even I won’t touch as a non-binary trans woman. While I understand that queer/trans/non-binary writers are trying to create their own witchy universes beyond what I hope is outside of the Harry Potter-verse, they shouldn’t really model much of anything from that world simply based on the fact many of the characters already from that world such as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, etc., were all presenting serious flaws and problematic behaviors to begin with from a seriously transphobic and clearly racist author known as JK Rowling. In fact, there are actually queer/trans/non-binary authors RIGHT NOW writing their OWN ORIGINAL Pagan/Wicca/etc. stories and universes that is NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE to being considered as “Harry Potter fan fiction” because it’s authentic, original and no AI is involved, plus they work really hard to separate themselves from all the fan fic works out there. While I understand the writers trying to do this from a reparative text approach to “save” the franchise, it’s best to let it die and start writing original queer/trans Pagan/Wicca, etc. stories and universes. Look at how Twilight spawned and inspired 50 Shades of Grey - you can see why it’s seriously problematic. Fan fictions can lead down to dangerous roads if literary boundaries are not set up prior to writing such literary tomes. Sorry for my late response - I’ve been busy and needed a few days or so to sit with this and think it out articulately as best as I could, with my AuDHD and all. Hope this was the best answer I could give to you.
And if they take those figures and queer them isn’t that a political act?
Again, I don’t know the whole fan fiction world very well because I don’t write fan fiction at all. So I don’t understand the psychology behind it all. You’re asking the wrong person for this. I may be a queer nonbinary trans woman but I don’t write about anything like that nor do I ever try to attempt the psychology behind why people write this whole fan fiction stuff.
Fan fiction has always been about taking problematic representation—slash fiction takes toxic masculinity and re-engineers it through softness and empathy as a political act. I think you’re right that people use media for a variety of purposes, so using Harry Potter figures in queer fan fiction isn’t about complicity in power—quite the opposite. It’s a political act of authorship.
Okay, now that makes sense to me. Well, maybe later on down the road, I’ll have a better perspective on this. Until then, thanks for at least asking me my thoughts.
Trans person here, if you give JK money, she has publicly stated that every penny goes to groups whose entire purpose is to deny trans people rights to exist in public. Any “ally” who tries to defend giving JK any money is not an ally in my book.
Funny how he won't respond to this and he feels attacked because I called him out for his flimsy excuse/justification for watching the show,etc.
When the people who have self identified as trans are telling you that you’re being harmful to trans people, it’s probably worth listening to them
Yet he won't respond to you at all. Some ally huh?
He responded to a similar comment above. Look around.
He's a fake ally
I'm a transwoman myself and I also still watch the Harry Potter movies on my blurays, because they are just beautiful movies. And to all of you guys who hate on Jeff because he is not a real "ally": the lgbt community should really look at itself for all the hate and intolerance that goes OUT OF IT. I can't count anymore how many times I have seen, heard and read hate towards men, heterosexuality etc. And that from a community, that experienced so much of it themselves! "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
How about just letting everybody live the way they want. Especially since you can watch the movies WITHOUT throwing money towards J.K.!!! If you already own the discs, what's the problem with rewatching? What's the problem with buying the discs second hand?
I'm so sick of the community and that it all drift so hard towards fanatism... Just my 2 cents...
Yeah, I'd bury my head in the sand too if I was a fake ally. You refuse to actually respond and feel "attacked" only because you got called out for being a fake ally. If you can't take valid criticism and shown that you're taking the wrong stance then why encourage people to share their thoughts? Do better man.
Never mind the fact that she donates to hate groups who see anyone trans as a threat or less than human and want eradicate them. You watching this show gives her money to donate to said hate groups.
I have to agree with this sentiment. Whenever my wife and I go to Universal Studios, we are financially supporting the parks and licenses for many IPs we love, including Harry Potter. Even if I'm not streaming the movies on HBO Max, I still pay for the service and watch other things on there. I have my original DVD copies of the movies and my original hardback copies of the series when they first released. It's way more than just black and white.
No. Becuase those who are working in the production didn’t care enough to speak out either.
That’s totally incorrect. Many of them have.
I’ve only heard people from the movies. From the show Ive only read John defending JK.
I wrote in this article about both Nick Frost and Paapa Essiedu doing the same thing. I’m sure there are others.
In my head, if what she’s doing really isn't something you stand with, then not supporting her shouldn't be hard, and wasn't she just linked to Epstein? Harry was good but not that good to overlook her actions to watch a show, read a book, or play a game 🤷🏾♂️
I think you can still enjoy Harry Potter and be pro-trans...but to me, those two things can't make sense if you are actively spending money on the media/franchise. If you are reading the books or watching the movies or listening to the audiobooks that you already own, that is fine. But watching the new show or seeing the stage show and actively putting money into new franchise offerings, to me that just doesn't make sense. And I understand that there are thousands of other people involved in these things that aren't like JK Rowling, but speaking as someone who works in film/tv, who has had things I've worked on be thrown out or put on a shelf never to be seen, you are paid what you paid and wether people watch it or not or it even ever sees the light of day makes absolutely no difference to people like me. At the end of the day, I'm less concerned with audiences seeing something I worked on for years as I am with being able to utilize that experience working on something to propel myself to more work. I can't speak for everyone in film and tv, and it definitely does suck when you work on something that gets disregarded or hidden away, but when you work in this business after a few years, you get kind of used to it. Bringing it back to Harry potter, yeah you can justify it as you want to support people like Nick Frost or the new kids or the people who worked on the VFX or whatever is important to you, but at the end of the day, you watching it does absolutely nothing for them on a monetary or even professional level, it only makes a difference for JK Rowling, the higher up producers on the show, and the bean counters and shareholders at WB. It lines her pockets while everyone else below her were already paid (and most certainly underpaid).
Ultimately, it's a personal decision, and I appreciate your thoughtful writing on this subject.
I agree. I wrote about how Harry Potter can help us build a political doctrine that’s both liberal and assertive.
https://rotemok.substack.com/p/harry-potter-and-the-political-doctrine?r=73tigt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Nice piece. I have thoughts on how queer people have finished what Rowling started, by looking at fan fic: https://andymight.substack.com/p/harry-potter-was-a-queer-text-the
Thanks Jeff. This is a well thought out issue and it's not a new idea. It's also a really complex thing to think about. Many, many artists are flawed and have done things that would be considered hateful or worse. I'm sure many artists in the past did things or held hateful values, but without social media, most people would never know.
As you say, these movies and shows are made by many other artists, and their work is worth celebrating.
I bet that the majority of the art out there might be made by people who have done some bad things or are flawed. In my opinion, the art can still be enjoyed. Maybe not as much, if you know the artist is not a good person, but that is up to each person to decide.
Jeff, you make a great point about trying to take action in other ways. Folks can maybe still get joy in the art, but become mobilized to take action. Through voting (not enough people do that), speaking out (which this discussion is one little way of doing that.. but speaking to those who make laws or where thoughtful conversations happen) or other calls to action.
I'm happy to criticize artists when they take positions that I don't agree with, but think that we can still enjoy the art (if the art doesn't contain the negativity that the artist might be expressing).
Folks are free to make their own decisions on this specific issue, but still enjoying the Harry Potter world does not make them anti-trans (in my opinion). I hate what Rowling has said and the hateful actions she has taken, but I don't think I can completely shut off my enjoyment of the movies and this new show.
Thanks Jeff for engaging your community in important discussions like these. We can hopefully disagree while still respecting each other.
Hey Jeff, I came to your substack from your IG and I’ve really been enjoying you elaborate on your ideas and films in the Substack world.
Ok so, I really enjoyed your take on this topic. I also appreciated the direct links to resources you shared throughout. While I was aware of these events I never truly dove real deep, like reading her essay and all the responses and various perspectives from actors and celebrities alike. The irony is that a few weeks ago I was having a conversation about Charlie Chaplin and whether art and artist should be treated differently. While I believe the line is not only blurred but ever shifting, it also depends on the art, depends on the artist and depends on the individual viewer or consumer of the art.
One of the ideas that resonated with me through that conversation and a conclusion, if I could even call it that, is that art itself seeks for a way to be real and to exist. It just so happens that art will search for vessels that will carry the message.
I remember getting my first copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone while I was in third grade from a friend of mine. I had barely been in America for two years I think at the time and before then I never had the opportunity to own or explore books like this. I was blown away. While it took me sometime to finish them and watch the films, I could never deny those smaller thin that helped me in my younger years.
Art finds a way at to reach those it desires despite the externalities and factors that create it.