J.K.+Rowling

**//The Impact of... JK Rowling //**

 //"It is our choices that show who we truly are...far more than our abilities." -JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)// 

Overview[[image:jkrowling.jpg width="169" height="149" align="right"]]
Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born on July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, England. Rowling was an intelligent child- after graduating high school, she went to Exeter University, where she earned a degree in French and Classics. She then moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research in human rights abuses in Africa. It was during this time that Rowling started her work on the books that would make her rich and famous.


Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. It was a long road trying to find a publisher who was willing to publish her books, but she got there eventually, and in 1997, the world was introduced to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone- this would be the first in of a series of seven novels. The Harry Potter books became popular not only in Europe, but in America, and everywhere. These books were eventually made into not just movies, but billion dollar earning, box-office breaking hits.


J K Rowling was voted "Author of the Year" at the 1999 British Book Awards and won the Booksellers Association Author of the Year award in 1998 and 1999. She won the W H Smith Children’s Book of the Year for 2000 and in 2004, she was awarded the WH Smith’s Fiction Award. Most recently, in 2006, Jo was Winner of the Children’s Book of the Year for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. Rowling is also the President of the charity "One Parent Families", and the Patron of "The Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland". In addition, she is a co-founder and co-chair of the "Children’s High Level Group", which aims to make life better for young people in care, in Europe and ultimately all over the world.

** References (2009-10.1.2.B) ** //J.K.Rowling Official Site - Harry Potter and more//. Web. 11 Jan. 2010. .  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"> Home <span class="wiki_link">Back to Prominent Figures