BIOGRAPHY of the Year College Scholarship Challenge

It is not because she held the top three spots on the New York Times bestsellers list that Americans so love J.K. Rowling. It is not because of the fact that she achieved her fame despite being a single mom, or even because of the predicted success of her upcoming movie that we are so profoundly moved by her. Rowling is most admired because of the prodigious hope she offers us.

Since 1999, Rowling has been esteemed for her delightfully blithe books about a boy wizard named Harry Potter. No one could miss the vast praise bestowed on her by children and adults alike. But in light of the abhorrent events of September 11th, her tales have become more than just another well-written book series. Here work has become the needed escape, the release that will help save our national sanity. We should all be grateful for that day in 1990, when the plot idea reportedly came to her fully formed, while she rode on a train from Manchester to London. For two years I've listened to kids tell me that they want to be a wizard when they grew up; but now I hear adults say the same thing. The good news is they can, at least for a little while.

For her contribution to America's mental well-being during chaotic times, I wish to nominate author J.K. Rowling for "Biography of the Year 2001."

 Written by Eleanor D. Moss

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