The book thief who made JK Rowling happy and here's why
July 12, 2024
The Indian book thief who made JK Rowling happy and here's why
Reese Thomas was in class 9 and couldn't afford Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A Potterhead, Thomas stole the book from a Kerala store in 2007. Seventeen years later, Thomas, now a writer himself, went to the shop and returned the book. This is how Harry Potter author JK Rowling reacted to the entire incident.
A 14-year-old Reese Thomas had stolen a Harry Potter book from a book store in Kerala. Thomas posted about it and JK Rowling has reacted to it. (Image: AP/ Instagram/Reese Thomas)
In Short
- Reese Thomas wanted to read a Harry Potter book but couldn't afford it
- The 14-year-old decided to steal it from a Kerala book store. That was in 2007
- Now, he shared it on social media and JK Rowling found it the loveliest thing
In June 2007, Reese Thomas, a 14-year-old, had read all the six books of the Harry Potter series and finally, the seventh and the last book, The Deathly Hallows, was out. Reese was desperate to read it but didn't have the money to buy it. He came from a family of modest means and didn't want to ask his parents for money. He knew he was a Muggle, without Harry Potter's magical powers, and decided to steal the book. Seventeen years later, in 2024, Harry Potter writer JK Rowling would be more than happy to find out about it. But Rowling also cautioned people that her praise for Thomas was no endorsement of book theft.
Luck had favoured Reese Thomas in 2007. The moment he stole the book and left the shop in Kerala, he was able to take the bus that was just in front of the shop and leave.
"I know I'll be accused of encouraging book stealing by sharing this, so please don’t steal books, book stealing is bad. Anyway, this is the loveliest thing and made me really happy," JK Rowling wrote on X.
Reese Thomas did not know how to do better then, but now he went to Muvattupuzha New College Book Stall and corrected what he had done when he was in class 9, a student of Guardian Angel School, Mannoor. The shop owner, Devdas, was asked if he wanted to buy the book, or if he wanted its price. He brought the book and returned it to Reese as a gift.
Reese had grown up in a Catholic family and was worried about shoplifting. But his friends pushed him and asked him to see how far a Potterhead would go. Pottermania and peer pressure both made Reese steal the book.
"Years before, I did something, and it's reached all the world now. Most importantly, it reached her, the one and only J. K. Rowling, author of the masterpiece Harry Potter, knows my story now. This made my day. The exact person I really wished to read to was her. In tears, I could read her words saying she is happy now. I had read her life, her books, the admiration finally reached the exact place. I don't know exactly what more to say now, this was completely unexpected and yeah, that's it for the moment," Reese wrote.
The book lover is also an assistant director in the Malayalam fil industry now.
Reese's book, '90's Kid' is now on the same bookshelves as his favourite Harry Potter books when he went to return The Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows copy and apologise to the shop owner. His life came full circle.
