<p>Like many millennials, I grew up with the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> series and was a major fan of the series. I had read the original 7 books and watched their film adaptations. The series was a special interest of mine throughout my early- to mid-teen years. While the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> novels were far from the first books I read, they were the first fantasy novels I read, and the series’ concept of a magical world set in a contemporary setting fascinated teenage me.</p>
<p>However, even during my <cite>Harry Potter</cite> fixation years, there were things from the series that bothered me, from the idea of house elves being a slave race that naturally love being slaves, to Snape’s unconvincing “redemption” arc. As I got older and became more aware of social issues, I started to notice more problems with the series. In addition, reading more books has also made me realise that even on a technical writing level, the Harry Potter series was mediocre at best. As a result, I had stopped becoming a Harry Potter fan even before J.K. Rowling’s transphobia got mainstream attention.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, many adults with nostalgia goggles still refuse to let go of <cite>Harry Potter</cite>, and they believe <cite>Harry Potter</cite> can be separated or “reclaimed” by J.K. Rowling, despite how much Rowling’s world-view and prejudice are inextricably linked to her writing and stories.</p>
<p>Therefore, I am compiling this masterlist by curating various resources that are critical of the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> series and J.K. Rowling. Items are ordered in chronological order. This is far from a comprehensive list of all the pieces that criticise <cite>Harry Potter</cite> and Rowling; this list is my curated list of ones that I have read, watched or listened to, and considered excellent critiques.</p>
<li><ahref="https://alinautrata.medium.com/all-the-things-that-are-fucked-up-about-harry-potter-58267e1bf3ee"target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> by Alina Utrata</li>
<li><ahref="https://katymontgomerie.medium.com/addressing-the-claims-in-jk-rowlings-justification-for-transphobia-7b6f761e8f8f"target="_blank">Addressing The Claims In JK Rowling’s Justification For Transphobia</a> by Katy Montgomerie</li>
<li><ahref="https://www.themarysue.com/is-hogwarts-legacy-anti-semitic-hogwarts-legacy-anti-semitic-allegations-explained/"target="_blank">The Antisemitism of ‘Harry Potter’ Returns in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’</a> by Jack Doyle</li>
<li><ahref="https://www.vox.com/culture/23622610/jk-rowling-transphobic-statements-timeline-history-controversy"target="_blank">Is J.K. Rowling transphobic? Let’s let her speak for herself.</a> by Aja Romano</li>
<li><ahref="https://soundcloud.com/shriekingshack"target="_blank">The Shrieking Shack</a> — A book reading podcast hosted by Xeecee and Liz. Originally a <cite>Harry Potter</cite> reread podcast made by and for lapsed fans that goes through every chapter of the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> books and their film adaptations and analyses the writing and politics of the series and J.K. Rowling.</li>
