The Binge Watcher’s Guide to the Harry Potter Films (An Unofficial Companion) is available in ebook and paperback (and I think a hardcover edition might even still be for sale via Riverdale Avenue Books).
- Goodreads
- Riverdale Avenue Books
- Buy at Bookshop.org
- Indiebound local bookstore search
- Barnes & Noble
- Amazon
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Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62601-555-5
Ebook: $9.99
Paperback: $16.99
A fun, fan-centric guide to re-living the magic of all eight original HP movies, whether you binge watch or just read the book!
It’s hard to believe, but 20 years have passed since a baby-faced Daniel Radcliffe took the screen test that would lead to him becoming Harry Potter for an entire generation of movie-goers. And now it’s time to introduce a new generation to the magic that is the Harry Potter films.
Join Cecilia Tan, a writer, editor, and devoted Harry Potter fan, as she takes you back to Hogwarts, through a fan-centric guided tour of all eight movies in THE BINGE WATCHER’S GUIDE TO THE HARRY POTTER FILMS where you can re-live all the excitement and wonder of seeing Harry hop on his broom for the very first time. Tan will guide you through loving, fun–yet occasionally snarky–recaps of each film, as well slather on many behind-the-scenes facts and stories about how the films were made. Casting decisions, near misses, movie artistry: she’ll cover it all, and more, as well as critical analysis of the films’ significance in pop culture, filmmaking, and history.
Not only that, since this is a Binge Watcher’s Guide, Tan shares actual tips for binge watching, including recipes and suggestions for hosting your own Harry Potter themed binge-watching party.
The Binge Watcher’s Guide to the Harry Potter Films was produced with support from backers on Kickstarter.
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Statement regarding J.K. Rowling’s views on trans people
At the time of the Kickstarter for the The Binge Watcher’s Guide to the Harry Potter Films, most of the team involved with the book were only peripherally aware that J.K. Rowling had been making increasingly transphobic statements in recent years, and those of us who had heard some of it had hoped that someone who held herself up as a beacon of tolerance and liberal values like J.K. Rowling was merely speaking from a place of ignorance and would be willing to be enlightened. Shortly after the book was published, we learned otherwise, though. J.K. Rowling doubled-down on her statements, publishing a pair of essays on her own website and pushing them to millions of Twitter followers, proving that her views on trans people and trans rights come from a deeply entrenched point of view that she has developed over the years with the input of various trans-exclusive radical feminists who hold particular sway, apparently, in the U.K.
I personally do not support J.K. Rowling’s views on trans people and find them harmful to myself, my friends, and my community. I have made a personal choice not to buy or purchase any product that pays a royalty or fee to J.K. Rowling. But I am still supporting fan-made art and fan artisans that I have come to know through Harry Potter fandom. And fortunately for me and other fans of the Harry Potter films, the cast and crew have universally and unanimously denounced J.K. Rowling’s stance and the vast majority of them have made public statements of support for trans rights and transfolk in an attempt to counteract her harmful message.
Daniel Radcliffe had an excellent response. His repudiation of Rowling’s stance appears on the website for The Trevor Project, a charity and advocacy organization for queer and trans youth that he has supported for well over a decade. Find the full statement here: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/06/08/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-j-k-rowlings-tweets-on-gender-identity/
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people,” he writes. “To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you…. If you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.”
By “these comments” he means his own comments, but the sentiment clearly applies to Rowling’s comments as well. Dan also points out the thick irony that Rowling’s stories are the ones that teach that “love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything… that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups.”
Emma Watson weighed in via Twitter, writing “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are,” and “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”
Even Rupert Grint, who mostly stays out of the spotlight these days, gave a statement to The Times UK in support of trans folk, the star of Fantastic Beasts Eddie Remayne issued one to Variety, Katie Leung masterfully trolled Twitter with a tweet that read: “So you want my thoughts on Cho Chang? Here goes: (thread)” (and then proceeded to list links where people could support Black transfolk in particular).
Rowling’s comments were also denounced by screenwriter Steve Kloves, who wrote 7 of the 8 Harry Potter film screenplays, and who was brought in to try to rescue the Fantastic Beasts film franchise after the second movie–which Rowling wrote the screenplay for herself–bombed with critics and many Potter-fans alike.
“Our diversity is our strength,” Kloves told Variety. “In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that transgender women and men, and people who are non-binary, feel safe and accepted for who they are. It seems very little to ask.”