(Header graphic designed in Piktochart by Wendy Nelson)
An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade 9 and up
Green, J. (2006). An abundance of Katherines. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
Green, J. (2006). An abundance of Katherines. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
Review: Quirky former child prodigy Colin Singleton has just graduated high school and is crushed by a blow that teens are all too familiar with—his girlfriend unexpectedly dumps him. She is Katherine XIX, the nineteenth girl named Katherine (not Catherine or Katharine, just Katherine) that Colin has dated, and been dumped by, in his life.
Heartbroken, Colin and his easygoing but lazy friend Hassan depart for a road trip to destinations unknown. Somewhere in rural Tennessee, a side trip to see the alleged grave of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand results in a chance encounter with local girl Lindsey and her mother Hollis, who asks them to stay and work. Hassan, Lindsey, and Colin conduct oral histories with the employees of Hollis’s factory, which makes tampon strings. (Yes, the affected quirkiness is unrelenting in Katherines.)
Green follows his Printz-winning Looking for Alaska (2005) with another sharp, intelligent story, this one full of mathematical problems, historical references, word puzzles, and footnotes. Colin Singleton believes he is a washed-up child prodigy. A graduating valedictorian with a talent for creating anagrams, he fears he’ll never do anything to classify him as a genius. To make matters worse, he has just been dumped by his most recent girlfriend (all of them have been named Katherine), and he’s inconsolable. What better time for a road trip! He and his buddy Hassan load up the gray Olds (Satan’s Hearse) and leave Chicago. They make it as far as Gutshot, Tennessee, where they stop to tour the gravesite of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and meet a girl who isn’t named Katherine. It’s this girl, Lindsey, who helps Colin work on a mathematical theorem to predict the duration of romantic relationships. The laugh-out-loud humor ranges from delightfully sophomoric to subtly intellectual, and the boys’ sarcastic repartee will help readers navigate the slower parts of the story, which involve local history interviews. The idea behind the book is that everyone’s story counts, and what Colin’s contributes to the world, no matter how small it may seem to him, will, indeed, matter. An appendix explaining the complex math is “fantastic,” or as the anagrammatically inclined Green might have it, it’s enough to make “cats faint.”— Cindy Dobrez
Teaching Ideas
Anagrams
One of Colin’s talents is being able to anagram anything. Discuss with students why he derives meaning from anagrams, and challenge them to find several text examples where Colin makes a life decision or forms an opinion based on an anagram. Is being able to anagram a sign of Colin’s prodigy or just a habit/game? Ask students to come up with anagrams of their own names and those of others that are somehow descriptive or meaningful. (Online anagram generators may be useful if time is short.)
Anagram generator: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
The Anagram Hall of Fame: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/hof.html
Oral History
Hollis wants to preserve the stories of people in the town of Gutshot, Tennessee. Why is this so important to her? What do personal stories of ordinary people really mean? Who benefits from the interview process? Examine the subject of oral history to learn more. Have students read an article about oral history interviews and practice interviewing each other. Perhaps they can record an interview with an older relative. It is amazing what students will find out that they never knew before. Assembling a compilation of videos or transcriptions to share as a class can be enlightening as well. (VA English SOL 8.1, 8.3, 9.2)
The Smithsonian and Folklife Oral History Interviewing Guide:
Colin is determined to create a theorem that will mathematically predict the outcomes of past and future romantic relationships. He is successful, to a degree, but finds that certain variables can never be accounted for. Ask students to name some variables that they believe cannot be predicted or measured mathematically. For inspiration, consider love, hate, other emotions, flavors, comfort levels, etc. Break students into pairs and have them choose one of these variables. Students should brainstorm ways to represent these “ungraphable” things mathematically or pictorially. This is a creative exercise with no right answers. Students should be prepared to think way outside the box just as Colin did. Share results and discuss why it was so important for Colin to prove his theorem was possible. (VA English SOL 10.1)
One of the things that troubles Colin most is that he believes he is not actually a genius, but just a child prodigy who won’t amount to anything. Have students read the short Popular Science article about the characteristics of prodigies and search for text evidence that map Colin’s traits to the characteristics in the article. Then read an article about whether genius can be learned, and discuss whether Colin is or could be a genius. Was his parents’ approach the best approach to raising their son? What do students think is Colin’s real potential? (VA English SOL 7.5, 8.5, 9.4, 10.3, 11.5, 12.3)
Popular Science on prodigies: http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/kinderlab/what-makes-child-prodigy
Time on geniuses: http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1879593,00.html
Discussion: 19 Katherines and One Hassan
Perhaps one of the strangest aspects of Colin's life is perhaps that he has dated 19 girls named Katherine. Or has he? In the end we find out that Katherine 1 and 19 are the same girl, and some of the relationships are barely relationships at all. Discuss: Why Katherine? Are girls with that name special, or is it something about the name itself that makes Colin notice and like the girls? Discuss also Colin's interesting relationship with Hassan. What are some of the benefits of the friendship to both Colin and Hassan? Is this friendship likely to last?
Further Explorations
An Educator’s Guide to the Works of John Green
A thorough source of classroom lesson plans and ideas for all of John Green’s books, mapped to the relevant Common Core standards.
My Brilliant Brain
47-minute documentary on child prodigies and brain science from the National Geographic Channel, available to watch online.
An Abundance of Katherines Equation Grapher
Students will enjoy playing with this interactive website that creates graphs using user-inputted data and Colin’s theorem.
John Green Books
The website of the author. His Q and A about An Abundance of Katherines is here: http://johngreenbooks.com/katherines-questions/
The Teen Whisperer
Lengthy article from the New Yorker about John Green and his celebrity author status.
Teen Road Trip Novels
A New York Public Library librarian’s list of recommended novels about teenagers on road trips.
Penguin Teen on Pinterest: John Green
https://www.pinterest.com/penguinbooksusa/john-green/
The official Pinterest board of Penguin Teen, John Green's publisher, links quotations, fan art, news, interviews, and more.
Penguin Teen on Pinterest: John Green
https://www.pinterest.com/penguinbooksusa/john-green/
The official Pinterest board of Penguin Teen, John Green's publisher, links quotations, fan art, news, interviews, and more.
Partner Titles
The Catcher in the Rye
Salinger, J. D., Mitchell, E. M., & Jacobi, L. (1951). The catcher in the rye.
The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel about of angsty adolescence. Like An Abundance of Katherines, The Catcher in the Rye also features an intelligent, mildly depressed, disaffected hero looking for connection with the world. Students can make many comparisons between Holden Caulfield and Colin Singleton.
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Vizzini, N. (2007). It’s kind of a funny story. Miramax Books.
It's Kind of a Funny Story is a young adult novel about an ambitious high school student in an elite high school whose unbearable stress leads to a mental health crisis. This partner title is a good thematic companion to An Abundance of Katherines.
Vizzini, N. (2007). It’s kind of a funny story. Miramax Books.
It's Kind of a Funny Story is a young adult novel about an ambitious high school student in an elite high school whose unbearable stress leads to a mental health crisis. This partner title is a good thematic companion to An Abundance of Katherines.
The Fault in Our Stars
Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.
Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.
The Fault in Our Stars is John Green’s most popular book to date, about two teens with cancer. It was also made into a hit film starring Shailene Woodley. Students who enjoy (or perhaps don't like) An Abundance of Katherines may wish to explore the novels of Green further.
The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver
Lockhart, E. (2006) The boyfriend list: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, Ruby Oliver. New York: Ember.
The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver
Lockhart, E. (2006) The boyfriend list: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, Ruby Oliver. New York: Ember.
Like Katherines, The Boyfriend List has a quirky hero with a string of romantic attachments and lots of footnotes, but in this case the hero is a heroine. Ruby Oliver is 15 years old and in the care of a psychiatrist who asks her to list all of her romantic attachments. Part of a series of Ruby Oliver books, this book is a good one to recommend to girls who like Katherines but want a female hero.
On the Road
Kerouac, J. (1997). On the road. New York:
Viking.
Love it or hate it, Kerouac's 1959 semi-autobiography is a definitive road trip novel. Colin and Hassan echo the impulse of many young men, like Kerouac, who jump in a car and just go where the wind takes them. For young adult fans of the idealized road trip, On the Road is a must-read.
All Resources Listed
Anagram
generator. (n.d.) Available at http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
Cloud, J. (Feb.
13, 2009). Is genius born or can it be learned? Retrieved from
http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1879593,00.html
Dobrez, C. (2006)
Review: An abundance of Katherines. Retrieved from
http://www.booklistonline.com
Gammon, K. (Oct.
29, 2014). What makes a child prodigy? Retrieved from
http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/kinderlab/what-makes-child-prodigy
Green, J. (2006).
An abundance of Katherines. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
Green, J. (2012).
The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.
Green, J. (2015).
John Green books. Available at http://johngreenbooks.com
Green, M. (2013).
An abundance of Katherines equation grapher. Available at
http://www.palegreenthings.net
Hunt, M. (2003).
The Smithsonian and folklife oral history interviewing guide. Available at
http://www.folklife.si.edu/education_exhibits/resources/guide/introduction.aspx
Kerouac, J.
(1997). On the road. New York: Viking.
Lampe, K. (n.d.)
An educator’s guide to the works of John Green. Retrieved from
http://www.penguin.com/static/images/yr/pdf/JohnGreen_Guide_june_2014.pdf
Lockhart, E.
(2006) The boyfriend list: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and
me, Ruby Oliver. New York: Ember.
My brilliant
brain [documentary film]. Available at
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/my-brilliant-brain-make-me-genius/
Penguin Teen on
Pinterest: John Green. (n.d.) Available at
https://www.pinterest.com/penguinbooksusa/john-green/
Rouyer, A. (Aug.
9, 2013). Teen road trip novels. Retrieved from
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/08/19/teen-road-trip-novels
Salinger, J. D.,
Mitchell, E. M., & Jacobi, L. (1951). The catcher in the rye.
Talbot, M. (June
9, 2014). The teen whisperer. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/09/the-teen-whisperer
Vizzini, N. (2007). It’s kind of a funny story. Miramax Books.
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