--- title: J.K. Rowling on the Books She Turns to in Tough Times description: When one Harry Potter fan reached out to J.K. Rowling for advice on dealing with tough times, the author shared one of her own methods. canonical: https://time.com/5206986/jk-rowling-books-tough-times/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-20T14:54:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:30.250Z og:title: J.K. Rowling Has a Very Hermione Way to Cope With Tough Times og:description: These books serve as Rowling's own personal Harry Potter when she's feeling low og:url: https://time.com/5206986/jk-rowling-books-tough-times/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9fb208d9ff4788ee/69892b597cdbacf587d5c575/jk-rowling-twitter-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: JK-Rowling-Twitter-Advice og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Has a Very Hermione Way to Cope With Tough Times twitter:description: These books serve as Rowling's own personal Harry Potter when she's feeling low twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9fb208d9ff4788ee/69892b597cdbacf587d5c575/jk-rowling-twitter-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.K. 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Samir Hussein/WireImage  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 20, 2018 2:54 PM UTC [J.K. Rowling](http://time.com/5127885/jk-rowling-dumbledore-gay-fantastic-beasts/) has long used social media as a way to act as a [support system for her fans](http://time.com/4217718/jk-rowling-depression-harry-potter/). So when one [_Harry Potter_](http://time.com/5201085/fantastic-beasts-2-trailer-nagini/) reader reached out for advice on dealing with tough times, it was no surprise that the author was quick to offer some words of wisdom. Rowling took to Twitter on Monday to respond to a fan who was curious about the books that serve as her own personal _Harry Potter_—a.k.a. the books she turns to for comfort when she’s feeling down. “To tell you the truth, when I’m really stressed or overwhelmed I turn to biographies of people who’ve led turbulent lives,” she wrote. “I find it soothing and inspiring to read about people who’ve endured and overcome.” Of course, this isn’t the first time Rowling has spoken openly about her mental health and depression. “I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never,”[ she told a student journalist](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582552/JK-Rowling-contemplated-suicide.html) at Edinburgh University in 2008\. “What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that.” > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/975836340934848513) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5206986/jk-rowling-books-tough-times/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5206986/jk-rowling-books-tough-times/"},"headline":"J.K. 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