(1)   The Harry Potter books are very relevant in our culture.  The Harry Potter books started coming out right at the turn of the century but they are still touching lives of people of all ages today.  They are entertaining stories but they also have many subtle yet valuable lessons to teach its readers.  One of the biggest issues in Harry Potter is acceptance.  From accepting all types of people no matter their origin or magical background to being accepting of yourself and your past.  One example that comes to mind is at the end of Goblet of Fire, Harry is exhausted and feeling lost and is talking to Dumbledore who gives Harry this piece of advice, “Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” This scene on top of many others teaches us to be accepting of our past because it’s our best option.  We can’t change where we come from or what happened yesterday so to move on we must accept the past.  Also reading and learning about the high volume of diversity in Hogwarts and how everyone interacts, teaches us to be more accepting of everyone in our lives.  I feel like the people in our culture, who have read the books especially, are more accepting of all the different types of people in our world today. -Maria Lowe