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Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

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There was no discussion on set about whether Draco knows for sure if this is Harry. My opinion is that he knows exactly who it is. So why doesn't he say so? The reason, it seems to me, is that the boy who had no choice finally gets one." As a person who’s not particularly drawn to memoirs nor to the evolution of child stars into adults, I find myself having just finished my THIRD such book this year! I’m sure a therapist would tell me that I’m processing my own childhood through the safe lens of looking at someone else’s. I’m also sure my parents would be pleased that my expensive college education in psychology has served me so well. 😉 Whatever the reason, when I saw that Tom Felton - “Draco” of Harry Potter movie fame - had written a memoir, my curiosity was piqued! Here's my side note ~ there is quite a bit of swearing. I know this is an adult book, but I feel that maybe some parents would read/listen to this one with their Harry Potter loving children, just like I did. Yes my daughter is older and it's not anything she hasn't heard before, but it might not be suitable for the younger ones. TW// mental illness, alcoholism, rehab, mentions of mental hospitals/psych wards, mentions of drug addiction, bullying, underage weed use, divorce, mentions of puking

I love that it was narrated by Tom. I feel it gives his story a little more oomph. It's 6 hours and 36 minutes. I am used to listening at 2-2.5x, but my daughter is not, so we mostly were around 2x. With his accent it is a little difficult to understand him at super speed, so 2x was a sweet spot. Speaking with candour and his own trademark humour, Tom shares his experience of growing up on screen and as part of the wizarding world for the very first time. He tells all about his big break, what filming was really like and the lasting friendships he made during ten years with the franchise, as well as the highs and lows of fame and the reality of navigating adult life after filming finished. I grabbed a physical copy from my library too so I could leaf through it. I enjoyed looking at the pictures that showed his life growing up with his family, and on sets, and the lifelong friendships he made along the way. And, most importantly for this particular review: I was a girl that was absolutely obsessed with Draco Malfoy.Ok, firstly, wanna say that I grew up reading Draco Malfoy fanfiction, he was my favorite character in HP. And yeah, I realized pretty fast that Tom Felton was nothing like Draco Malfoy, but still, I admired him for portraying Draco so well. I just though that Tom was just a chill boring dude from suburbs in England, obsessed with fishing for some reason. But as it became clear after finishing this book, he’s actually self-obsessed and probably even narcissistic d-bag. Not all was rosy and positive. Tom details his more mischievous, ornery and occasionally disruptive ways as a child actor and adult as well. Sadly, as it feels almost cliche for former child actors, he's also experienced some mental health issues that he used alcohol and weed to cope with until life forced the issue of getting help. To see him make the choice to change and reap the benefits of that is inspiring, and you really can’t help but root for him as a person. From Borrower to wizard, Tom Felton's childhood was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame saw him catapulted into the limelight aged just twelve when he landed the iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.

Beyond the Wand is nothing less than the perfect nostalgic trip through time condensed through the keyhole of Tom Felton's particular experience in an extraordinary childhood and surrounded by the culture of the 1990s, 2000s, and now. Also, I’m very disappointed that he missed an opportunity to tell us something interesting about all the truly great and experienced actors and directors he worked with. He mentions almost everyone noteworthy in his book, but it’s all just censored and sugar coated empty compliments with zero substance. It almost feels like Tom was too self obsessed to learn anything about these awesome people or to learn something from them.

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one thing i really appreciated was that i actually learned quite a few things. growing up i was the kid who had seen every single extra scene, behind the scenes video, etc, for harry potter, but there were actually things that surprised me in tom's memoir! *minor spoilers* i had no clue he had been to rehab multiple times, or that he had dated jade for so long!! This is EXACTLY what it says it is, custom tailored for a very specific audience. Accordingly, it does that well, but in the wider world of celebrity memoirs it is a bit one dimensional. But it KNOWS that, you know? I mean, Tom Felton's only like 35... so a fluff memoir about one thing makes sense. More recent news about its creator aside*, I find myself inescapably drawn to news about characters, actors, and stories centered on this world that I adored as a teenager.

So, yeah: this one's for Harry Potter fans. Period. It's the hows and whys of child actor Tom, with some fun anecdotes, and then the meat is Harry Potter. Some cute stories, and lots of gushing about his favorite people. For many who were in the fandom or have attended fancons he's done, it's not strictly new, but regardless offers a good time. Nothing salacious here; mostly fluff. Tom’s chapters on his mental health struggles hit hard, but it gave great insight into his life and it showed how being in the spotlight from a young age can really impact celebrities. Tom also did a great job of normalizing therapy, mental health treatment, and rehab. These treatment methods are often viewed with a great deal of shame, especially by men, but Tom did a great job at talking about the benefits of those treatments and how those treatments personally improved his life. It was moving for me to be reading Tom’s stories with mental illness as I’m currently in a bit of a depressive episode. Our situations aren’t exactly the same, but knowing that someone I look up to has struggled with mental illness helps me feel less alone in my struggles.My first five star read of 2023 and easily one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Tom has a fun personality and sense of humor that shines through in all his stories. Reading this book was like watching one of his panels at a comic con and it made the experience really enjoyable. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Tom and seeing him speak, you’ll know how well he translated his personality into his writing. It is truly phenomenal.

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