The Wizard Behind Harry Potter

We all know Joanne Kathleen Rowling or J.K Rowling as the very famous Harry Potter
creator. But do we all know that behind all this money, riches and publicity lies a very simple, strong and determined woman. Reading J.K Rowling--The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Marc Shapiro was an eye opener. It exposed me to side of the world famous author that I had never known. Though whenever one talks about J.K Rowling the conversation automatically veers towards Harry Potter. But after reading this book I realised there was more to her than just Harry Potter. The book talks about Joanne's life right from her childhood right uptil the release of the last Harry Potter book--Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. It elaborates on her ups and down in life, her struggles, her inability at first to cope with her new found success and much more. She has experienced two extremes-- being extremely poor and taking government support which as she says herself "was a humiliating and embarassing experience for her and, on the other hand having so much wealth that she had not even dreamed of. However she admitted herself that she didnt let this wealth go to her head and remained down to earth indulging herself occasionally. For me this book proved to be as interesting as the Harry Potter series themselves. I would strongly recommend this book to all fans of Harry Potter who would love to know more about their favourite author.
A particular line which touched me was when Joanne was very young and had two close friends--Ian and Vikki Potter. Later, in an interview Joanne recalled "Their surname was Potter. I always liked that name."