Full Review:

J. K. Rowling has been very quiet about her own inner thinking about how the HP stories work out and how to think about their themes and messages except to insist that they are "very moral" and are "about good and evil." Her silence may have preserved suspense in readers - to their delight and frustration. Fans (and skeptics) about HP will find a lot of helpful information in Granger's volumes. He presents lots of facts, diagrams, and tables of parallels about names and words used in the books, and builds a very strong case that Rowling has carefully crafted a Christian symbology as the basis for her septology.

If would-be Christian censors would consider just a few striking and undeniable symbols employed, they would surely blush that they ever trashed the books as "satanic" or "un-Christian." A couple obvious examples: the Malfoy step-parents, Lucius & Narcissa. Narcissa is an overt feminization of the unflattering "Narcissus", encouraging the reader to see that Rowling has used "Lucius" to suggest (if not stand for) Lucifer [ which would be way too heavy-handed ]. Then consider that "Malfoy" would mean "bad faith" in French. And "Draco"?: Latin for dragon or serpent.

As soon as Granger got me asking about what names meant, one look at "Harry Potter" made it obvious where he would go. Potter -- molder of clay, right? Granger helpfully cites Biblical passages specifically referring to God as the potter who create humanity.

CAUTION ONE: I have to take Granger's conclusions as *starting points* rather than accept them as revelations. Consider, for example his explanation of "Why 'Harry' "? He acknowledges "Harry" as a nickname for Henry or Harold, but goes instead to a big stretch based on the silence of the "h" for Brits to say Harry -> 'airy' -> "heir-y" -> son of... With the idea that "Harry Potter" is supposed to mean "son of God" (though not with a capital "s". That's too big a leap. So much simpler is to see that Harry -> Harold -> herald: suggesting that HP is to be at least the "herald of God" or spokesman for Good.

CAUTION TWO: Although the books is reader-friendly and very casual and chattily written, the very casualness of its self-publication has left some weaknesses that leave me feeling that I would need double-check any of Granger's information before relying on it. Glaring example, although Granger is said to have a degree in Classics from Univ Chicago, his reliance on memory (and no literary editor, I guess) to say, "More than one Shakespeare play is about 'Harry Hotspur' (the Prince of Wales). Well: no! Harry, Prince of Wales (future Henry V) was *opposed* by another "Harry Hotspur" (slew him, in fact). Rowling takes a lot more care in researching and planning her names than Granger does, apparently. Unfortunately, Granger's book needs to be used as a *source of ideas* - not a basis for facts.

OFFENDNG HIS READERS: Maybe it's just my pet peeve, but doesn't a writer/publisher compromise self by including list of recommended reading on Rowling/HP (Appendix B) and then presenting own glowing review of this very book!? That is not necessary. It is certainly not the sort of shenanigan that an established publisher would permit.

Keeping these caveats in mind, Granger does pull together a good armload of ammunition for how to think about Harry and his author in positive Christian terms.