Editorial Review
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Leading psychologists delve into the world and characters of Harry Potter in this revealing look at J. K. Rowling's constructed universe, using the characters and their puzzling situations to offer insight into real-world psychology. Designed to appeal to both fans of pop culture and students of psychology, this unique blend of scholarship and contemporary criticism consists of essays by professional psychologists hailing from schools and clinical practices throughout the world. Every major area of psychology is covered as the contributors tackle such heady questions as Is Harry a cranky adolescent or suffering from real post-traumatic-stress disorder? Is Voldemort evil incarnate or a misguided boy now twisted beyond recognition? and Is Snape treacherous or struggling for redemption?, revealing the fictional world's complex psychological brew.
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Customer Reviews
Great cover; bad book 
2008-05-11
I bought this book, started reading it, then put it down for 6 months because it was so uninteresting.
"An Examination of the Boy who Lived"? Not really. It's a collection of essay about psychology that mention aspects of the Harry Potter series. Maybe one or two essay actually discuss Harry's psyche, and even there the essays are open-ended, non-conclusive, and not wholly correct.
Worst of all, it reads like a pile of essays handed in by psychology students.
If you want to read it, get it from the library so that you can return it once you realize how terrible it is.
interesting, not great 
2007-08-18
I want to admit up front that I haven't finished reading this book yet... which is because it's a very slow, difficult read. What I HAVE read is interesting, and the titles of the (currently unread) chapters look intriguing. But this is NOT a casual read -- definitely not for teen & younger readers -- because of the complexity of the issues discussed. I've had a college-level psychology course, which helps with the comprehension, but is still not enough to allow me to understand everything they're talking about. Still, I will plow my way through the rest of the book eventually -- but am not going to finish it in 24 hours, like I did with "Deathly Hallows"!
An interesting read 
2007-07-17
Not too full of psychobabble. Suitable for beginners or those with an interest in psychology, because we already "know" the characters. This book provides an intersting insight into how JKR has structured her world, and as such how we as people interact.
A good read.
A solid collection of psychology essays 
2007-05-01
This is a nice compendium of essays associating Harry Potter with a range of topics in psychology. It stacks up well to other collections of critical essays and applications that take the Harry Potter books as their starting point.
The book is actually 326 pages and has an introduction and 22 chapters. Since the Table of Contents isn't available above, here are the chapters:
Introduction
Neil Mulholland, Ph.D.
What Do Students Learn from Hogwarts Classes?
Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Harry's Curiosity
Susan Engel with Sam Levin
Intergroup Conflict in the World of Harry Potter
Kevin J. Apple and Melissa J. Beers
"Have You Got What it Takes to Train Security Trolls?": Career Counseling for Wizards
Shoshana D. Kerewsky, Psy.D., and Lissa Joy Geiken, M.Ed.
Hogwarts Academy: Common Sense and Magic
Charles W. Kalish and Emma C. Kalish
Attachment Styles at Hogwarts: From Infancy to Adulthood
Wind Goodfriend, Ph.D.
What Harry and Fawkes Have in Common: The Transformative Power of Grief
Misty Hook
Harry Potter and the Resilience to Adversity
Richard E. Heyman and Danielle M. Provenzano
Discovering Magic
Karl S. Rosengren and Emily C. Rosengren
The Magical World of Muggles
Carol Nemeroff
Time and Time Again: Muggle's Watch, the Wizard's Clock
Peter A. Hancock and Michelle K. Gardner
The Social Dynamics of Power and Cooperation in the Wizarding World
Nancy Franklin
Mental Illness in the World of Wizardry
Jessica Leigh Murakami
"Dobby Had to Iron His Hands, Sir!": Self-Inflicted Cuts, Burns, and Bruises in Harry Potter
E. David Klonsky, Ph.D., and Rebecca Laptook, M.A.
The Werewolf in the Wardrobe
Siamak Tundra Naficy
Exploring the Dark Side: Harry Potter and the Psychology of Evil
Christopher J. Patrick and Sarah K. Patrick
Harry Potter and the Word That Shall Not Be Named
Mikhail Lyubansky
Evolution, Development, and the Magic of Harry Potter
David H. Rakison and Caroline Simard
Using Psychological Treatment with Harry
Neil Mulholland, Ph.D.
Defense Against the Real Dark Arts
Patricia A. Rippetoe
Resisting Social Influence: Lessons from Harry Potter
Melanie C. Green
Harry Potter and the Magic of Transformation
Laurie J. Pahel
