Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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"I idolized her for a really long time. She was a great feminist icon," Rowling says of Harry Potter's author. "She became something of a moral authority in their lives, giving them this series to grow up with and being this figure that they could look up to" In 2008 commencement address at Harvard she extoled the crucial importance of imagination.

The early days of the internet collide with the feverish fandom of “Harry Potter,” and a sprawling, global community emerges. But the hopefulness of this new technology brings with it the darker impulses of human nature.

Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.

This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org.