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

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Tom teased the announcement on social media yesterday with a carefully worded post. It didn’t take long for fans to figure out that the capitalized letters formed an anagram of the book’s title. TF: That makes it sound like it was a legal affair. It wasn't like that. In fact, Emma [Watson] was a big reason that I sort of decided to make this, really. I think a lot of the stories that I'd written down over the years, I shared with her. She was very encouraging. She read a lot of the early scraps of paper [where I was] just sort of sharing stories. And she was very encouraging to write more and sort of [helped] fill in the blanks as far as to what my normal muggle life was like inside and outside of Potter. If you're of a certain age... Then you read, watched, and/or consumed media about a certain series. You know the one I mean. You're reading this review, and it's for a memoir about one of the actors. This series' prevalence in our popular culture has permeated the veil of basic cultural knowledge—for good or for ill—and it is a massive part of my generation's upbringing and cultural sense of identity. 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. Missing Hogwarts? Tom Felton, who played white-haired villain Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, bas written about the magical moments on set and an adolescence within the pop culture phenomenon."— Parade

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. Farrah Penn: Have you always known you wanted to write a memoir? And why do you feel like now was the best time? Felton shares so many terrific stories – from his childhood, from his years playing Draco Malfoy on the Harry Potter set, and later, from his battle with depression and substance abuse – and they are all told with refreshing frankness and a dry, acerbic wit. It’s just story after story; laughter followed by more laughter.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.

And, most importantly for this particular review: I was a girl that was absolutely obsessed with Draco Malfoy. FP: In the book you talk about how, upon landing the role as Draco, you were very blasé about receiving the news. You write that you were playing football with a friend, unsure of how this will change your life. So, I was curious if you did have any friends at the time, who were impressed knowing you'd be in the films, or if any friends or family had read the books, and were like, "Wow, you got this role!"? we live in a world where we seem increasingly in need of ways to unify ourselves, ways to build bridges and feel as one. it strikes me that very few things have achieved these aims as successfully as the brilliant world of harry potter.” ⛅️🕯🤍⚡️ Tom Felton has penned a brilliant memoir about growing up playing an iconic role in the series. . . [W]ith the type of honesty that comes with time and self-reflection, Felton also writes about his past struggles with alcohol and his time in rehab. It’s a beautiful memoir — with a forward by Emma Watson herself — that captures the heart, charm, and wittiness of the man beyond the wand."— Buzzfeed Billed as the first and only behind-the-scenes Harry Potter memoir from one of the films’ biggest stars, BEYOND THE WANDwill be published in print and digital formats by Grand Central Publishing in the US and Ebury Spotlight in the UK. An audiobook edition, read by the author, will be released simultaneously by Hachette Audio in the US and Penguin Random House Audio in the UK.Read this if you were one of those kids like me. It was a wonderful experience, and Tom's narration on the audiobook was perfection. I recommend giving it a listen! 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. Beyond the Wand]is full of colorful Wizarding World lingo, referring to “aparrating” objects and his “muggle family,” making it fun for die-hard “Harry Potter” fans. . .It’s basically a wizarding world gold mine."— Deseret News From the Publisher An honest, at times humorous, and entertaining memoir that movie buffs, especially Harry Potter fans, will enjoy."— Library Journal