Harry Potter and Winston Churchill.

Note: This is all about Order of the Phoenix, no spoiler material here. I have touched the new book, but haven't read any.

In the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," something interesting happened. The author, J.K. Rowling, abandoned the mystery genre and gave her readers something more challenging: a historical allegory. Through sleight-of-hand, Ms. Rowling took a children's book and transformed it into a parable about 1930s England. We've heard a lot recently about London and the Blitz. Ms. Rowling's unfolding saga may illuminate that dark historical moment, not only the ordeals that led up to it but also--who knows?--the triumphs that followed.

Interesting article about the parallels between English politics and Order of the Phoenix. I don't think this was intended by Rowling as a strict allegory, as the author posits. The book is a pretty standard power struggle within a political administration, and you would think some parallels would be evident to real life situations.

This may help explain why I was screaming at the CD player in my car as I listened to this audiobook, trying to tell the characters not to do what they were doing. Or maybe it won't.