A new book edited by Associate Professor Sarah Park Dahlen and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor in the University of Michigan's School of Education, has received a starred review from School Library Journal. In Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World (University Press of Mississippi, 2022), Dahlen and Thomas examine how the original Wizarding World in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series depicts diverse identities, social subjectivities, and communities.
"This book is important for both scholars and lay readers because each chapter helps us to think differently about various aspects of the wizarding world, especially in terms of race and justice," said Dahlen. "Many people think the Harry Potter series encourages readers to be less prejudiced—and that may be true—but it is still incredibly flawed, and we must address those flaws too."
The collection is also included in the Professional Reading section of School Library Journal's "34 Standout Titles, Including Books in Translation and the Latest by Malinda Lo & Aida Salazar."
Dahlen's research addresses transracially adopted Koreans in youth literature, Asian American youth literature, and diversity in children’s literature and library education. She is cofounder of the open access journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, with Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez. Dahlen received her PhD in library and information science from the iSchool at Illinois.