John Green has become a celebrated author for young adults. His most popular books include Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Looking for Alaska. The novel An Abundance of Katherines is loved by readers for its comic nature and fascinating characters. Although the book has now been out for 15 years, John Green’s ability to express the behavior of young adults in novels makes his stories just as relevant today.
Mr. Guldin, a Barstow English teacher and John Green’s college roommate, states, “He [John Green] has achieved success because he can capture the feelings and emotions of being a young adult, and is thoughtful on tackling deep issues with a sense of humor.”
The protagonist in An Abundance of Katherines, Colin, struggles with his identity after graduating high school. This feeling is common among high school students and in the Barstow community. Reading a relatable novel like this may help some high school students handle the stress of determining what they will do after high school. John Green’s novels, including An Abundance of Katherines, demonstrate how to handle rough moments in life and balance them with humor and joy.
An Abundance of Katherines follows Colin Singleton during the summer after his high school graduation. Colin, an ex-child prodigy, wants to figure out what he will do with his life. After breaking up with his girlfriend Katherine, who is the nineteenth Katherine he has dated, Colin decides to go on a road trip to solve a mathematical theorem about his love life. The novel follows Colin on his search for an identity, the solution to his love life, and the grave of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand.
John Green expresses portions of himself in An Abundance of Katherines. In the beginning, Colin is dumped by his girlfriend Katherine. The breakup leaves Colin lonely and depressed at the start of the summer. According to Mr. Guldin, “When we lived in Chicago, he [John Green] was recovering from another breakup. He went with his girlfriend to Alaska, and she dumped him there. It was harsh, but the best break up story, it was just so miserable. He became so worked up, he knew no one, didn’t know what to do, and part of that you can feel in Abundance of Katherines.” John Green’s breakup is paralleled through Colin’s heartache in the novel.
Also, Colin possesses an obsessive need to do something great in the world, to not fail as an ex-child prodigy. Similarly, Mr. Guldin explains, “For as long as I’ve known John, he has had this strong compulsion to do something big and important, which relates to Colin.” Mr. Guldin makes it apparent that John Green expresses himself through his characters.
Since An Abundance of Katherines was released 15 years ago, a question of whether it still holds relevance today comes to mind. While John Green may have represented what teenagers acted like years ago, society and culture changes over time. This means the behavior of a teenager in a novel may not seem realistic as time goes on. Mr. Guldin believes, “Looking for Alaska will endure for many generations, same for A Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down. An Abundance of Katherines maybe not, he was still finding his footing as a fiction writer, and experimenting.” Although An Abundance of Katherines may not hold relevance in the future, it maintains relevance today.
Students stressing about life in the future will find a relatable character in Colin. Reading An Abundance of Katherines may help students at Barstow learn how to cope with stress and an identity crisis. In their free time, students will find a comical nature while still contemplating deep subjects in John Green’s novels.
