“Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard,” by Tom Felton. Copyright 2022, Grand Central Publishing (288 pages, $28.00).
Content Warning: Alcoholism, Addiction, Mental Illness.
In this memoir, Felton allows fans of Harry Potter to take a peak into his own pensieve (a rare and magical item that allows for memories to be stored and reviewed) and see how the high and lows of life, fame, and Potter shaped the man and actor he is today.
Felton doesn’t start off with Harry Potter. He knows it’s what we’re all here for, but he also understands that in order for us to get to that part of his life, we have to start at the beginning. Felton tells stories about his parents, his four older brothers, and his first days of finding his passion with acting, because these memories and stories are important to who he becomes. Something that he reflects on and makes a point of mentioning while sharing his past with us.
Felton has a way of making you feel like he’s having a conversation with you while you’re reading his essays. He drops in humor, heart, and little nuggets that some people may not know already (like how he first met Emma Watson and their friendship, or what really happened with Peeves) that just really makes it all so personal. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t stray into the darker side of life and fame. He talks about how LA Fame is different than Harry Potter fame and how that his ego and willingness to believe the hype (even when there wasn’t much of one, from time to time) led him towards drinking, substance abuse, and eventually, an intervention.
Not to spoil anything, but Felton realized that the intervention saved him in a way that he didn’t know he needed. Felton expresses that he still has his down days but now has the tools to manage the swings. He focuses on the everyday and shares that he can’t wait to see what his future has in store for him.
Kayleigh Dyer is a Library Technical Processing Assistant at May Memorial Library. Contact her at kdyer@alamancelibraries.org.