Fans speed-read straight through to find out Harry's fate
As in reading the book.
Fans took to libraries, coffee shops, bookstores and just about anywhere else to find out what happens to their favorite teen wizard and his nemesis, the evil Voldemort.
Two minutes after the Chicago public libraries opened at 9 a.m., 98 copies of the book had been checked out. By the end of the day, 893 of the 1,000 editions in stock were checked out or reserved.
At Harold Washington Library, Paul Repuyan was just starting the third chapter shortly after lunch. "I've been waiting for this for a year," said Paul, 16, of Chinatown. But so far, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix is better," he said.
Sitting next to him was Jane Huang, 15, of Bridgeport, reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. She had already finished Harry Potter by 10 a.m. Her sister, who had gotten a copy at midnight, woke her at 5 a.m. while she "was patiently sleeping" so Jane could read it and they could talk about it.
After learning Huang knew Potter's fate, Repuyan declared, "Don't tell me the ending!"
Sarah Trees, 27, who lives in the Loop, grabbed a book and one on CD. She already had one at home she pre-ordered, but was picking up copies for friends and relatives who couldn't get them in the suburbs. She has a British-language edition of an earlier book signed by author J.K. Rowling and plans to finish this book this weekend. Still, she insisted, "I'm not that hard-core."
Upstairs in a coffee shop, Jimm Crosby was on Page 64 of his copy. The 48-year-old English as a second language teacher from Canaryville wanted to finish the book fast.
"I can't go into work on Monday and be the only one that doesn't know what happens," he said.
But he didn't mind devoting the weekend to the task.
"A cup of coffee, some peanut butter cake and Harry Potter. What a nice way to spend a Saturday," he said.