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Why Harry Potter Fans Should Read Ayn Rand (9/1/08) Harry Potter's Lessons for Muggle Politicians (9/14/08) J. K. Rowling's Magical World of Values (9/30/08) Beedle the Bard Expands Rowling's Moral Themes (5/30/09) Love in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/9/09) Movie Does Justice to Half-Blood Prince (7/15/09) Have a Harry Potter Christmas (12/7/09) Harry Potter Series Maligned by Media Article (7/21/10) Updates New Essay: Harry Potter and Journalism Ari Armstrong, author of Values of Harry Potter, has written a new article replying to a 2008 piece published by the American Communication Journal titled, "Harry Potter and Children's Perceptions of the News Media." Armstrong argues that the article, by lead author Amanda Sturgill and two coauthors, omits important context about the novels' plot as well as explicit statements from the novel about journalism. As a result, Armstrong concludes, Sturgill's paper wrongly maligns the novels' treatment of journalism, which is much richer than the paper recognizes. Read the entire reply, "Harry Potter Series Maligned by Media Article." iVoices Podcast on Values of Harry Potter Penn Pfiffner, Director of the Independence Institute's Fiscal Policy Center, interviewed Ari Armstrong on February 18 about the Harry Potter novels and Ari's book. Penn an Ari discussed the theme of the heroic valuer, the virtue of independence, and the significance of the Unforgivable Curses, among other topics. Penn also offered a nice endorsement of the book: "It's a great read. It's a fascinating, thoughtful read. I think people who want to do a little bit of introspective consideration of what is really a great fantasy series, but get some much better meaning and depth out of it, ought to pick up this book." Grand Junction Free Press Publishes "Have a Harry Potter Christmas" On December 7, Grand Junction's Free Press published "Have a Harry Potter Christmas," by Ari and Linn Armstrong. Read also the longer version of the essay on this web page. Armstrong Discusses Potter on Radio with Bob Glass Earlier this year (July 17), Ari Armstrong appeared on the Bob Glass radio show to discuss Harry Potter. Now the conversation has been edited and posted online. Listen to the 45-minute mp3 of the radio discussion. Movie Released! Read the review of the new film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! New Essay Highlights Love in Half-Blood Prince In a new essay, Ari Armstrong, author of Values of Harry Potter, reviews the crucial themes of love in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Read the essay in anticipation of the release of the new movie! Beedle the Bard Review Now Available Ari Armstrong, author of Values of Harry Potter, has written a review of J. K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Armstrong summarizes the positive moral themes of each story, though he finds that the first tale fails to develop its mixed themes well. Read the entire review! Barbera Reviews Values of Harry Potter Kirk Barbera reviewed Values of Harry Potter in an April 18, 2009, article republished at his Cedrac blog. Barbera writes that the book shows "the morality of the Potter series does not promote sacrificing life on earth, but instead supports the notion of living life fully." He concludes, "Most importantly the [Harry Potter] books can teach us how to attain the values best suited to each and every one of our lives. Ari Armstrong shows us that, through Harry, we can learn life isn't just what is; but what can and ought to be." Westword Publishes Interview on Values of Harry Potter Joel Warner of Westword, Colorado's largest independent weekly newspaper, interviewed Ari Armstrong about his book, Values of Harry Potter. The interview appeared online on October 28. Warner writes, "Lately Armstrong's objectivist scrutiny has been focused on a subject even thornier than politics: the contentious and complicated world of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. In his new book, Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles, Armstrong, true to form, challenges Harry Potter theorists of all stripes. While some call the Harry Potter books anti-Christian, and others suggest they celebrate Christian principles, Armstrong argues persuasively that Harry Potter neither promotes nor rebukes Christianity, but instead advances more universal, and thought-provoking, human themes. Here are some insights gleaned from a recent conversation with Armstrong on Ayn Rand, electoral politics and Avada Kedavra..." As a follow-up to the interview, Ari posted additional notes to his blog. Armstrong Releases New Potter Essay October 1 marks the official publication date of Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles. In anticipation of the occasion, Ari Armstrong, the book's author, released a new essay today titled, "J. K. Rowling's Magical World of Values." The essay briefly explores an important difference between the magic of Rowling and that of fantasy writers J. R. R. Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander. Over the coming weeks, Armstrong hopes to release longer essays that explore the psychology of Harry Potter and the themes of liberty within Rowling's books. 9News Broadcasts Values of Harry Potter Segment On Sunday, September 28, 9News broadcast a segment featuring a commentary by Ari Armstrong, author of Values of Harry Potter, about the books' political lessons. The commentary was based on an article published by the Rocky Mountain News.
Harry Potter's Political Lessons Today the Rocky Mountain News published Ari Armstrong's article, "Lessons for U.S. politicians from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." New Article Discusses Rowling and Rand A new essay by Linn and Ari Armstrong, titled, "Why Harry Potter Fans Should Read Ayn Rand," discusses the similarities of approach and theme between J. K. Rowling and Ayn Rand. Read the article. Media Release for Values of Harry Potter Ember Publishing distributed the following media release about Ari Armstrong's Values of Harry Potter: Author Explores Values of Harry Potter Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles
As young wizards and Muggles alike prepare for the new school year and their parents focus on education, Values of Harry Potter, a new book of literary criticism by Ari Armstrong, translates the values of J. K. Rowling's magical novels for the non-magical world. As Armstrong reviews, the central theme of the stories is the heroic fight for life-promoting values. Harry Potter and his allies fight valiantly against the forces of Voldemort to protect their lives, their loved ones and allies, their futures, and their liberty. Armstrong then devotes chapters to the virtue of independence and the reality of free will, each essential to the hero. In the final two chapters, Armstrong argues that the Christian themes of Rowling's novels relating to self-sacrifice and immortality clash with the central theme of the heroic valuer. Armstrong thus proposes a third alternative to the debate among Christians over the books. While some Christians denounce the stories for their allegedly anti-Christian elements, others praise them for their religious themes. Armstrong argues that the Christian themes are present but of peripheral importance. On the issue of self-sacrifice, Armstrong relies heavily on the views of Aristotle and Ayn Rand. In the final chapter on immortality, Armstrong discusses the nature of Voldemort's Horcrux and its relationship to crass materialism, the abuse of others, and a pathological fear of death. The book is intended for readers at least 16 years of age who are familiar with the Harry Potter novels. The introduction may be read online at www.ValuesOfHarryPotter.com. Ari Armstrong is a Colorado writer whose articles have appeared in various regional newspapers and on his web page at www.FreeColorado.com. Values of Harry Potter is his first book. Paperbacks Now Shipping The beautiful, 112-page paperback arrived today, and the first shipments have been mailed out. Sampler PDF Offers Preview Read the pdf sampler, containing the front and back covers, introduction, select pages from each chapter, select notes, and the index! Values of Harry Potter Now Available The book by Ari Armstrong is currently available in paperback and e-book format. The paperback is expected to ship before August 15. Click the buy now link below. |
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This book is a work of literary criticism. It has not been prepared, authorized, or endorsed
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