J. K. Rowling's popular series of books about the boy wizard Harry Potter has captivated readers of all ages around the world. Selling more than 400 million copies, and adapted into highly successful feature films, the stories have attracted both critical acclaim and controversy. In this collection of brand new essays, an international team of contributors examines the complete Harry Potter series from a variety of critical angles and approaches. There are discussions on topics ranging from fairytale, race and gender, through to food, medicine, queer theory and the occult. The volume also includes coverage of the films and the afterlife of the series with the opening of Rowling's 'Pottermore' website. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Harry Potter phenomenon, this exciting resource provides thoughtful new ways of exploring the issues and concepts found within Rowling's world.

J. K. Rowling's popular series of books about the boy wizard Harry Potter has captivated readers of all ages around the world. Selling more than 400 million copies, and adapted into highly successful feature films, the stories have attracted both critical acclaim and controversy. In this collection of brand new essays, an international team of contributors examines the complete Harry Potter series from a variety of critical angles and approaches. There are discussions on topics ranging from fairytale, race and gender, through to food, medicine, queer theory and the occult. The volume also includes coverage of the films and the afterlife of the series with the opening of Rowling's 'Pottermore' website. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Harry Potter phenomenon, this exciting resource provides thoughtful new ways of exploring the issues and concepts found within Rowling's world.

A spiritual quest typically begins with a critical shock or loss, one that casts us back upon ourselves to question the meaning of life. Should our suffering affect us deeply enough, it will plummet us into our hearts, where the hidden treasures of life are to be found. Should we happen to fully let go, we will let go into what IS; and thus, adversity and pain fulfill their natural roles. From that point onward, our emphasis and priorities change. But discovering our truth and living by it are entirely different things. Obstacles frequently beset our path, some without, the greater part within. Everything is Useful identifies such obstacles. It offers strategies for overcoming them by seeing them as what they are, cosmic strength-building exercises that empower us to learn, to grow, and, ultimately, to transcend; for like the pain that sparked our quest, the obstacles in our way, double as a means to enlightenment.

Humanity now stands at a crossroads between a world of unimaginable wonders and one of unprecedented terrors. The choices we make now will determine not only the shape of our future, but whether there will be, for us as a species, a future at all. But, if we are at such a crossroads, are we even properly aware of it? Governed by instincts rooted in the past, are we prepared to see what we need to see, to do what we need to do? As technology evolves, so must we; but how and in what direction? Are we unavoidably fated to trade liberty for security in ridding the world of terror and war? Humanity at the Crossroads attempts to answer all of these critical questions, while opening the dialogue for further debate. It arrives, in the process, at the startling conclusion that the very technology which threatens to destroy us, not merely its more favorable offshoots, is itself the catalyst for that better world we may yet hope to inhabit.