As the autumn wind howled outside, a portion of Abilene Christian University’s Brown Library became a place of magic with readers queued up for Cover2Cover, this year featuring a live read through of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Taking turns of about 15 minutes each, readers shared sequential portions of the first adventure of the boy wizard, who has a powerful magical pedigree.
Throughout the seven-book series, Harry makes fast friendships, solves mysteries and finds his destiny at the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Fifth time’s the charm
Todd Womble, assistant professor in ACU’s department of language and literature, said Thursday’s event was the fifth Cover2Cover marathon reading, taking inspiration from similar activities at other libraries and universities.
It’s not an attempt to break a record, he said, but give participants a chance to read and enjoy others reading to them.
“(It’s) a chance for us to celebrate literature in a unique way in our library,” Womble said. “It’s also a chance to get various people from around campus involved.”
Readers in the library’s Nancy and Ray Hansen Reading Commons consisted of students, faculty, staff and administrators, from first-year students to deans and department chairs, he said.
Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” and Homer’s “The Odyssey” were previous selections, but the “Harry Potter” books have been chosen every other year, Womble said.
The book series is attractive for a number of reasons, he said, from length and readability to the enduring popularity of the series.
“For us to get student engagement, it helps to choose a book students know and love,” Womble said. “‘Harry Potter’ fits that bill more than most.”
Something for everyone
Regal in professorial robes, Paul Roggendorff read a segment in Spanish, words familiar to avid fans — such as Muggle, describing nonmagical persons — percolating up and out to tickle the ears of passersby.
Roggendorff, who teaches Spanish, said he also has read the books in English.
The issue of translation is fascinating, he said, especially when dealing with a magical milieu with so many new, interesting words, practically its own vocabulary.
“There’s always all sorts of interesting discussions, such as wordplay,” he said. “Does it translate into the other language? Or these particular terms? … This story does present some interesting challenges for the translator.”
Most readers stuck to the English text, though even that required some shift, or at least early marketers of the work assumed, for American audiences.
The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 in the United Kingdom as “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
Its title changed slightly, to “Sorcerer’s Stone,” when it was published in the United States.
A trip back
While most participants read expressively, others, such as English junior major Makenzie Morrison, gave it their all, bringing more than a bit of performative spark to the narrative.
“I have several siblings, and we all grew up reading them,” she said. “That was sort of a bonding thing for all of us. And so it’s just a lot of fun to return to (it).”
Many of Thursday’s readers and observers said they grew up with the series.
Revisiting the story as an avid listener was both nostalgic and fun for Caroline Kennemer, a sophomore child and family services student.
She began reading the books in fourth grade and has read the whole series eight times.
“Sorcerer’s Stone” is a favorite, Kennemer said, because of it’s an origin story, providing readers a sense of discovering the “wizarding world” along with Harry himself.
“But to me, there’s just so much meaning beyond just the surface-level story about children,” she said. “There’s so much Christian allegory, and you really grow to know the characters. You see (also) a lot of reflection of older English literature.”
Selayah Auston, who listened in obvious, rapt attention, said that she was in an accelerated reading program when she was young — and the “Potter” saga stands tall among the first books she read and fell in love with.
“I thought they were enchanting,” recalled the junior nutrition major. “It’s so mesmerizing.”
Downright magical, she said, was hearing the story read aloud, which she found an “all-encompassing” experience.
“If I read in my head, I get distracted by roommates and whatnot,” she said. “It’s like an audio book, that’s what I like about it.”
Bill Carroll, who teaches English in the language and literature department, said the event is something he looks forward to each year, and he knows students do too.
“Even college students like to be read to,” he said.
Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.