When the country went on lockdown and I found myself without access to my store's bestsellers, I looked for other ways to keep things interesting here at Furthermore. Dabbling in TV and... whatever 50 Shades of Grey was, I decided it was time to go back to something more comforting. Something nostalgic. A part of shared childhoods across the world. 


Then, as so many things are so likely to do nowadays, this episode got harder. 


The intention was to start a Harry Potter retrospective, where myself and 7 other guests read the first 50 pages of each book in the series, decide if we would shelve it or delve in, and find a small piece of a book series that meant so much to us. 


J.K. Rowling then went ahead and made some transphobic comments, something she's done before. Jess, a previous guest on this episode and all around insightful and kind human being, reached out me. We decided to have a conversation about how damaging Ms. Rowling's comments are. It's nothing new from her but still disappointing. Trans people across the world deserve to be recognized for who they are. 


Harry Potter is bigger than all of us. I still believe that reliving the first 50 pages of these books Furthermore style can bring some joy into what has become a confusing and frustrating year in so many ways. Please enjoy the first in our Harry Potter retrospective!


Thanks so much for listening to Furthermore. Find us on instagram at @Furthermorepodcast. What Hogwarts house are you?? Let us know there and remember:


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