Parenting magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary in their May 2007 issue. They included an article, "The biggest changes in the past 20 years: The advances and trends that have shaped family life, for better and worse". The list includes things like the reduced rate of SIDS, a resurgence of breastfeeding, the internet and... Harry Potter?
That's right, Pottermania has its place among the biggest changes and trends in family life in the past 20 years. No other book or movie (though Disney animation in general is included) graces the list.
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Originally Posted by Parenting
Potter casts his spell
In 1997, J.K. Rowling, a single mom formerly on welfare, starts churning out novels about a young English wizard and proves that even 10-year-old boys will read 300-800 page tomes if they're actually fun. Pottermania becomes a global pheomenon, with more than 325 million copies sold of the six books that are out so far. Although the seventh and final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows doesn't go on sale until July, as early as December 2006 it is the number one book on Amazon.com based on preorders alone.
Source:
Parenting Magazine