Green, J. (2006). An Abundance of Katherines. NY: Dutton. ISBN: 0525476881.
Plot Summary: Colin Singleton is a child prodigy. He has just graduated from high school as valedictorian, but also has just been dumped by his nineteenth girlfriend named Katherine. Actually all of his girlfriends have been named Katherine and they all spell it the same way. On the road to healing, Colin and his lazy but genial friend, Hassan Harbish, decide to take a real road trip to find his “Eureka moment.” This is important, as Colin believes all true geniuses experience that Eureka moment and since he hasn’t, he is falling short of his potential. Leaving Chicago, they end up in Tennessee and the supposed grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, where they are hired to record oral histories for the town residents. It’s during this time that Colin works on what he sees as his last shot at mattering: a mathematical formula to predict the course of romantic relationships, The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.
Critical Evaluation: This book was unexpectedly funny. I didn’t realize through all the anagams, calculations and diagrams that it would be comical book. The plot is somewhat ridiculous but that somehow facilitates the light-hearted look at romance, friendships and math. Colin is a nerdy main character who becomes loveable and interesting as the story progresses. This is an original, witty book that is cleverly written and the formula for predicting “dumpers” and “dumpees” is outrageous. Smart teens who don’t mind an intellectual book instead of an action story will enjoy this take on the whole problem and probability of life.
Reader’s Annotation:
How can someone be dumped by eighteen girls named Katherine? Colin and Hassan take a road trip filled with funny math problems, anagrams and charts to discover the formula for love and life.
Information About the Author:
John Green was raise in Alabama but now lives with his wife in Indianapolis, Indiana. He lived for several years in Chicago, where he worked for Booklist Magazine and wrote criticism for the New York Times Book Review. More recently, he has written for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and for the New York Times. An Abundance of Katherines is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and is also a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize.
Genre:
Contemporary Life: Coming of Age, Humor
Curriculum Ties: English class, Math class, Psychology class, Book clus, Social clubs
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) How Colin and Hassan view Gunshot, TN and how they are perceived
2.) The boar hunt and their views about guns
3.) The difference in Colin and Hassan’s characters
4.) Colin’s Theory of Relationships
5.) Why mattering matters to Colin
Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 15 - 25
Potential Challenges:
• References to Sexual Behavior
• Adult Language
Defense Strategy:
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp
• Refer to awards won by this book from reputable organizations:
http://www.sparksflyup.com/katherines.php
• Provide book reviews by actual readers on a publicly accessible website:
http://www.amazon.com/Abundance-Katherines-John-Green/dp/0525476881
• Provide discussion questions book clubs have used to address issues or book content:
http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-abundance.html
• Provide advisory reviews for parents about this book’s content and age appropriateness:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Abundance-Katherines.html
Why This Book Was Included: I read good reviews of this book on a list for Young Adult literature. It’s not a book for all teens, but the ones who enjoy the math problems would really love this one. Also, this one is more lighthearted and funny than his first book, Looking for Alaska.
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