Editorial
Reading as a cultural experience?

Why did more than 3,000 area residents wait in line on Friday night for the strike of midnight announcing Saturday morning?

They wanted to ensure they received a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," which is the seventh and last book in a series by J. K. Rowling.

And why did they want to have that book at midnight?

Yes, partly, because of a marketing upset which brought unprecedented book sales in both the United States and across the globe.

Yes, partly, because the books are well written and interesting to all ages.

But more importantly because readers didn't want to have the final story spoiled when they talked about it with their friends.

Over the course of the last 10 years Harry Potter has brought an excitement to reading that hasn't been seen over any other book. It is an excitement that is usually reserved to other pop cultural aspects such as movies.

"The Deathly Hallows," made more money in one weekend then the recently released Harry Potter, which marks the fifth in that series.

Events were held from London to Westminster and from Ashburnham to New Zealand. And both local libraries should be praised that despite limited budgets for programming and staff, the staffs put together local events for area residents to attend.

In Westminster more than 50 local residents joined in buying some of the more than 8.3 million copies sold in the first 24 hours in the United States. Ashburnham's Steven's Memorial Library also gathered a crowd of readers for the midnight release.

A group of 14-year-olds from Ashburnham and Westminster even gathered together at Forbush Memorial Library, where they planned to read the book throughout the night. This event is probably one of the rare times these readers will get to "sleepover" at the library.

Maybe it is time that we look at reading as a cultural event and a cultural interest. Let's start making reading an experience that can be discussed, an experienced that can be shared and an experience with more than one dimension.