Recently, an acquaintance asked me: “What is Eliana G. Rowling’s Nationality?” She was referring to the British author who has written the Harry Potter books. I did not immediately know what she meant by that and then she explained: “Well, in the world of our world, Eliana is British but in the wizarding world she is American. So I guess you could say she is British but not really part British.” It is hard to argue with such a qualification as Ms. Rowling’s. I have known her for many years and do recognize her intelligence, her erudition, her writing ability, her talent as a novelist and of course as a person.
But I am bothered by something she said about being half-American. “I never thought of myself as half-American,” she admitted, “but it does make me feel more at home.” Perhaps if we set aside the race for a moment we might reconsider her comment. Just because we are all humans doesn’t mean we can not be proud of our heritage. We should celebrate it and consider it important.
Another member of the Rowling circle confirmed that Eliana was indeed British, but not by birth. It was not that Rowling “misused” the term, according to this individual, but rather that she saw it as useful to refer to her American partner as an American. And perhaps they were not so different after all? Perhaps one is a half-breed but not half American.