"An Abundance of Katherines" Reading Response :)

Have you ever felt so depressed and lonely that you wish you could just disappear? I know I have, but there is one thing that always makes me feel better. My friends. This connects to “An Abundance of Katherines,” by John Green, a story about a seventeen-year old named Colin and his best friend, Hassan. The main character Colin has a long history of dating girls named Katherine, but when all is well with Katherine # 19, she breaks up with him. Hassan decides to take Colin on a road trip to get over his loneliness, but little do they know this trip might just change their lives! I think the main theme of the book is that having friends, even if its just one or two, can help you get through hard times and find who you really are.

In the beginning of the book, Colin is still grieving when Hassan suggests the road trip. He tells Colin and his parents that they’ll be gone, “Just until he gets better.” Obviously Hassan cares a lot about Colin and how much he wants him to get better. This really gives the reader an idea of what type of friend Hassan really is. At the beginning of their trip, Hassan tells Colin, “We’re on a road trip. It’s about adventure!” I think the author adds this in to reflect on how during the road trip, they may encounter places or people they never though they would meet.

And they do. They meet Lindsey Lee Wells, a girl living in Gutshot, a small remote town that the two boys somehow find themselves in. Lindsey quickly becomes Colin’s “second real friend.” Although Colin still thinks about Katherine 19 a lot, Lindsey does a pretty good job of distracting him. As the story unfolds, Colin realizes that he’s in love with Lindsey. He eventually tells her, “I like you, and I never really like anyone.” This is significant because it shows that his thoughts and feelings are changing because of her. She is the one who finally broke the Katherine chain and stole Colin’s heart. I think that meeting Lindsey is significant to the theme of the story because Lindsey helped Colin get over Katherine 19 and showed him that it doesn’t matter what a girl's name is, it only matters if he really loves her.

Overall, the main theme of this book is that having friends who are there for you, can really help you get through hardships in life. In the story, Colin’s friends Lindsey and Hassan change him and show him that change isn’t always a bad thing. They help him to be truly confident. This connects to my own life because my friends are always there to make me laugh and feel better when I’m down, and they constantly demonstrate to me the good that comes out of change and doing something different! All in all, this book shows that true friends are always there to help and guide you when you need them.