Watch this when
J.K. Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech | Harvard University Commencement 2008
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
Who it's for
Rowling describes a period when a short marriage had ended and she was jobless, a lone parent and very poor, and says that hitting rock bottom became the foundation on which she rebuilt her life.
Feelings it meets
What it is
J.K. Rowling's commencement address at Harvard University on 5 June 2008, titled "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination." She looks back on the years after university, when a short marriage had ended and she was unemployed, a lone parent and poor. She argues that failure stripped away what was inessential and redirected her toward what mattered.
Where to find it
YouTube, official Harvard University channel (free). Full text on the Harvard Gazette.
Before you start
Heads up: Brief mentions of torture and rape.
Age: Ages 12+
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.William Ernest Henley, “Invictus”
