The word "power" is used often today. Usually it's used in conjunction with political strength, but that's not the only kind of power.

Curiosity contributor Susan Sherwood took a look at a kind of power that rarely goes by that word and has nothing to do with the world's usual rogue's gallery of harsh despots and control-hungry politicians.

What is power? Is it political control? Economic strength? Social influence? A combination of all three? I’m taking a broader approach here and defining power as the ability to affect others in significant, intended ways. The effects don’t have to be positive; power can be wielded in ways that repress and injure. (Remember Kim Jong-il?) Some political leaders seem to have enormous power, but it’s often bound to others. An American president is certainly important, but the country's three branches of government will prevent a totalitarian regime. Even if we look at autocrats, the power of many dictators does not extend significantly beyond national borders.

Real power reaches beyond borders, languages, race and ethnicity. It touches people all over the world. J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has been doing that for years. In 2007, the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows broke records, selling 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release. Readers have purchased more than 400 million Harry Potter books worldwide [source: Scholastic]. The series has spawned a tremendously successful movie franchise; "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios theme park in Florida; and a vast array of merchandising items.

So Rowling is a prolific, best-selling author who has branched off into other media, but does that equal "power"? It seems that not only are people buying her books, but they are actually reading them. And fascination with the Harry Potter series often leads to a more generalized attraction to books. In a 2008 U.S. study commissioned by Scholastic, a publisher and distributor of children's books, 75 percent of children reported that reading Rowling’s stories sparked an interest in seeking out other books [source: Scholastic Parents].

Consider the potential power there. In the U.S., the National Center for Education Statistics reports that 11 million adults are not literate in English. Improving children’s reading assessment scores is a national issue; the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) revealed that 33 percent of America’s fourth graders and 24 percent of eight graders read below basic levels. The National Educational Association (NEA) asserts that the best way to improve reading skills is to, well, read. If reading Harry Potter books encourages further reading, then Rowling's work can be said to have a positive impact on literacy.

This example is from just one nation. The Harry Potter series is available in more than 200 countries, and its volumes have been translated into 68 languages [source: Scholastic]. Extrapolate from the American statistics, and J. K. Rowling has the power to positively improve literacy on an international scale. She may be only number 78 on the 2012 Forbes list of the world’s most powerful women, but her books are opening doors and encouraging personal power in children globally. Now that's powerful.