Cashen Stark
Stefanski
Gifted English II
3 September 2014
The Remarkable Writing and Career of Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, also popularly known by her pen name J.K. Rowling, was the first-born daughter of James and Anne Rowling, born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England on July 31, 1965. Ever since she was a child, Rowling knew her dream was to become a writer; when she was only six years old, she wrote her first short book Rabbit. However, Rowling says that she remembers wanting to read "'absolutely anything,'" and due to this, she aimed to create fun and interesting books that young children could enjoy (Think Jam). Through her most popular series Harry Potter, she was able to spark the imagination of millions of kids, like herself, around the world, influencing them to read. In fact, a survey done by Scholastic, Rowling publishing company, in 2008 showed that "three out of four kids said that reading a Harry Potter book has made them interested in reading other books, too" (Friedman).
English: J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and ...
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
Author J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and th...To this day, Rowling continues to write, focusing on making creative and amusing books that will not only grab children's attention and provoke them to read, but will also to motivate them to write.
Among Rowling's many influences, she says that Jessica Mitford "has been my heroine since I was 14 years old"; Rowling admired that she was "rebellious, brave, adventurous, funny and irreverent" ("The First It Girl"). Rowling's mother also played a significant role in her writing. In 1980, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and eventually died, devastating both Rowling and her family. Not only did this affect Rowling, but it also affected her story of a boy who would lose his parents at an early age, too-Harry Potter (Think Jam). Rowling said, "the...