Reading Response On "AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES"

     In the book “AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES” by John Green the message is that you can’t stop the future from coming.  This book is about a child prodigy, who enjoys anagramming, named Colin Singleton.  When it comes to dating, Colin’s kind is girls who are named Katherine.  Every time he has dated a Katherine he’s gotten dumped exactly nineteen times in a row.  Colin Singleton and his chubby, religious, best friend named Hassan go on a road trip far away from home to take a break of from their issues.  On the road trip they go to Shotgun where there are no Katherines.  Colin’s goal is to validate his theory called the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.  Colin believes that this theory will predict any relationship between a girl and a boy depending on their characteristics.

Formerly, there is one issue that Colin is dealing with in his life.  Colin Singleton is heart broken.  The last Katherine that Colin dated was Katherine nineteen who just dumped him.  Colin tells his parents “she’s just- she’d had enough of me.  She got tired.  That’s what she said.”   In addition, Colin tells Hassan “all I ever wanted was for her to love me and do something meaningful with my life.”  Colin loved Katherine nineteen.  She had long eyelashes and pretty blue eyes.  Katherine was a kind person and had a friendly heart in assisting people.  Following that, Colin discovers that relationships don't always last for a reason because he can't predict them.  It's not the memories of Katherines that matter, it's the stories.  Colin thinks "because like say I tell someone about my feral hog hunt.  Even if it's a dumb story, telling it changes other people just the slightest little bit, just as living the story changes me."  In a minuscule way.  To conclude, Colin determines that we all matter, even in a small amount.

Earlier, there is one major problem that Hassan is handling in reality.  Hassan doesn't want to go to college.  He says he’s taking a “break” from school, but Colin thinks Hassan is just taking a vacation to relax at home and watch his favorite TV show Jude Judy.  Later in the book, Hassan experiences a realization, that the main problem is that he doesn’t do anything because he is lazy.  Furthermore, Hassan tells Colin “I never did anything that helped anybody.  Even the religious things that involve doing.  I don’t do.  I’m a total non-doer.  I’m just sucking food and water and money out of the world, and all I’m giving back is, ‘Hey, I’m really good at not doing!  Now I’m going to tell you some jokes.”  This issue of Hassan connects to my claim that you can't stop the future from coming.  Hassan is going to have to go to college sometime if he wants to get a good paying job.  In order to earn what you desire, you have to work hard and not think about the future unless it's necessary.  As you can see, Hassan just has to decide on what he wants and live in the present.

“AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES” by John Green is a story about Colin Singleton, who is really smart, only dates one type, girls who are named Katherine.  Towards the end of the story, Colin falls in love with this girl named Lindsey in Shotgun, his first Lindsey and they start dating.   Hassan  decides on what he wishes to do with his life, and signs up for college, for two classes in the fall.   Also, Colin becomes aware that the Theorem of Underlying Katherines doesn't work because the future is unpredictable. The future is "infinite and unknowable and beautiful." In conclusion nobody can block the future from approaching.

Reading Response on Regan's Blog posts

             This weekend, I read Regan's blog posts on Dr. Bird's advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos and I thought they were great.  The first blog post on this book was descriptive of how the main character felt and his problems.  Regan's second blog post on Dr. Bird's advice for Sad Poets talked about the main character's primary relationship.  This book is about a young adult named James Whitman who currently is in high school and is coping with depression.  His sister Jorie got evicted from their home by their parents and is now living in a nasty apartment by herself with no cash. 

             I found it most fascinating when Regan described James's problems.  When James asks his father if his sister Jorie could return home, the writing draws you into the story.  Regan uses very clever vocabulary and the way her sentences flow is just incredible.  Then she talks on about, how after James's father answers his question, it creates a bigger issue, which leads into him figuring out how he has to resolve it.  I agree with Regan, that James’s problems only increased when he asked his father if Jorie could return to their home.

I also enjoyed how Regan described James’s relationship with his parents.  His parents are negligent to James’s issues.  James’s parents hardly accept his existence, they are unconcerned about him.  Regan states “I don't think his parents really realize how hard they are making it for James and for themselves.”   I believe Regan is right because the parents don’t seem to be aware of how badly they are treating their only child in their home at the time.  James’s relationship with his parents is precarious.  

Overall, I think Regan did a fantastic job on her two blog posts, they were well-detailed, and had a nice structure to them.  I like how her second blog post only talked about the most meaningful relationship that James has.  I would like to try this method next time I do a blog post.

This is a link to Regan's Blog:http://reganhockenberry.blogspot.com