In every skirmish in the ‘culture war', be it fought in universities, Twitter or Parliament, there's an inevitable reference to Harry Potter. The Potter references can seem like a joke; the perpetual furore around the politics of a ‘mere' children's author more so. But it is no laughing matter. Harry Potter is a cultural force and a financial powerhouse, one that is, ultimately - and for some, frustratingly - ‘uncancellable'.
According to YouGov, British Millennials have a 95% awareness of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. For context, this puts Harry Potter significantly above classics such as Winnie the Pooh (90%) and Alice in Wonderland (85%), or, for that matter, Marvel movies. It is uniquely high among all publishing properties. By comparison, The Hate U Give - a stunning contemporary book with massive cultural ramifications and prolonged sales dominance - has a 24% awareness in the same demographic. That level of familiarity is, for a book, incredibly impressive. But Harry Potter is a universal cultural touchstone.