(or, how soon can we can expect to hear conservatives lambasting JKR once they actually have read her latest book?)
The poor right wing. They can't catch a break. Not only is the cabal of Hollwood traitors comprised of the likes of Oliver Stone and Steven Spielberg determined to criticize our fearless leader, but from across the pond, JKR jumps on the bandwagon!
How dare she! She's in league with terrorists! But then, what can you expect of someone who writes about magic? Clearly, she's morally suspect. And in league with Satan.
I ask you, why does JK Rowling hate America? Haven't we given her enough money? That's what I call biting the hand that feeds you...
(Warning: Hereafter be SPOILERS for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
I was an avid reader of middle grade fiction, particularly fantasy, as a kid and for my money, middle grade and YA fantasy still gives the best ratio of literary quality to good storytelling (as compared to adult fantasy).
When Harry Potter came out, I wasn't terribly impressed. For whatever reason, though, the books caught the popular imagination, and I read them, partly out of curiosity (basically, I was wondering why they were so popular, but I did also enjoy discussing them with my nieces).
After the 4th book, though, my opinion changed and I began to admire JKR's ability not to world-build, per se, but to create a complex moral universe. And in some ways, she's deepened and extended that in her latest books (in ways that make me very happy) and in other ways, that deepening -- and it's relevance to the situation we, as a country, find ourselves in -- is overshadowed by the death of a certain character (yes, the character most of us were expecting to buy it in this book).
(The moral universe sub-themes are also overshadowed by an annoying and extremely protracted triangle between Ron, Hermione, and a third character, the identity of whom I'll let you discover for yourself.)
Throughout the books, we've seen that the Ministry, and the Minister, Fudge, are at best, incompetent, and at worst, both spineless and corrupt. Harry quickly learns to distrust the ministry, and with good reason.
The wizarding world's government and population are deeply in denial about Voldemort's return -- until they can't be any more. And Fudge is sacked.
When we first meet the new Prime Minister, there is a general sense of "ah, the government's house is being cleaned at last." The new PM, Scrimgeour, is portrayed as active, straightforward, intelligent, competent.
Isn't that a relief?
But, thank you JKR, that's not where it ends.
We begin to see that Scrimgeour is effective, but perhaps only at giving the appearance of effectiveness. Scrimgeour pays Harry a visit at Christmas-time and it turns out that what he wants is for Harry to be seen visiting the ministry on a regular bais, so that the Chosen One is not just visible to a nervous populace, but so that it appears their hero/future savior actively supports the Ministry's actions. All of them.
Well, not so bad. Just a PR campaign? As Scrimgeour says to Harry "...it's all perception. It's what people believe that's important."
But Scrimgeour's tactics don't just encompass PR, they include arresting suspected Death Eaters. Including, to those of you familiar with the books (or the movies) Stan Shunpike, the loquacious -- and exaggeration-prone -- conductor of the Knight Bus.
Stan, along with at least two others incarcerated, are portrayed as innocent of anything other than either being a) almost so stupid as to lack any instinct for self-preservation or b) being in the wrong place at the wrong time or possibly c) being related to the wrong person.
I can't find the exact quote, but someone says "Three arrests is much more impressive than three arrests with subsequent releases for lack of evidence."
And, at the end of the book, after the funeral of, er, PivotalCharacter, Scrimgeour appears again. With the death of the PivotalCharacter comes the implication that, surely, it's time for past differences to be set aside and for the young Harry to listen to his elders, do the right thing, and stand together with the Ministry to unite the wizarding world?
"So," said Scrimgeour, his voice cold now, "the request I made you at Christmas."
"What request? Oh, yeah... the one where I tell the world what a great job you're doing in exchange for -- "
"-- for raising everyone's moral!" snapped Scrimgeour.
Harry considered for a moment.
"Released Stan Shunpike yet?"
So, stand back everyone, and wait to see how long it takes before the first shots are fired at JKR.
[Note: I've avoided blatant spoilers but that doesn't mean you all have to.]