An Abundance of Katherines

The book "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green is about soon to be collage freshman and prodigy, Colin Singleton. Colin has a strange obsession with only dating girls named Katherine and has recently been dumped by his nineteenth Katherine. After his breakup with Katherine XIX, Colin was in a state of sadness and despair and felt as thought his life might as well be over. Luckily for him, his friend Hassan decides to drag Colin on a road trip that would give the two of them a break from reality.

            I have so far enjoyed this book (even though I am not very far in) because it takes a different approach on the cliché breakup. Instead of having the stereotypical girl sitting in her room eating cartons of chocolate ice cream while listening to every sad song she owns, here we have a high school graduate trying to get over a previous girlfriend by going on a road trip and creating a formula to find out who will dump who in any relationship. To me, this makes the overall plot of the book far more interesting and exciting.

            Another reason why I am enjoying this book is because it has subtle comedy. Sometimes authors add to much comedy, which distracts from the meaning of the story. Having no comedy on the other hand, can make the story boring and less enjoyable. In this book, John Green succeeded in having the story be truly funny while still embracing the plot.

             Overall I think this book is very well written. I have found that the story is very simple and yet is very complex, and this is what makes you want to keep reading.

Blog Review

http://natashasbookblog26.blogspot.com/

I read Natasha’s blog post on “13 little envelopes” and I loved it. She gives a wonderful summery at the beginning of the post that shares a bit of her opinion but is also very informative and really sells the book. Although I have not read the book, reading her post, has interested me and made me want to read it in the future.

I found it very interesting how she wove craft and opinion together. Throughout her post, she expresses her opinions and then explains her thoughts through quotes and elaboration. This in my opinion, makes the post more personal to her and her ideas. She also explained what she thought what was done well and what could have been done better and made it clear why she thought so.

Out of all of Natasha’s blog posts that I have read, I think that this one really stands out. I think this because she really shares her opinions, which makes the post more relatable and engaging. I think she also discusses and includes the plot of the story in a way that helps the reader understand what she is talking about even if they haven’t read the book. By doing this, she helps the reader connect and understand what is being said.

I really like how this post is written because she stayed on track in all her paragraphs and didn’t stray from her main ideas.  I also like how she connected all of her paragraphs to each other, by doing this, she made her post more organized and well structured. I think her post is extremely engaging and interesting because she informs you about the book it self and its plot as well as her feelings and impressions toward it. In the future, I hope to try to connect my opinions to the book more clearly and obviously like what is done in this post.

Global Warming Critical Analysis

In the article “How Global Warming is Changing the Wild Kingdom” by Ker Than, wants readers to know what global warming is and how it affects people, as well as how it affects animals and how it can be slowed down. One example of this is that, by the end of the next century, the earth’s average temperature may rise up to 10 degrees. Because of this, the polar ice caps will melt and cause seas to rise, which may threaten many coastal communities.  The author also discusses how many of the changes of the earth may lead to endangerment and even extinction of many animals.

The author wants the reader to feel surprised and uneasy by the data and statistics that are being presented on the subject. One way the author does this is by adding shocking and horrifying facts. Because the author uses real facts instead of opinions, it makes the reader more interested and may be more convincing. The author also adds several quotes and opinions from experts on the subject, which adds to the level reliability.

After reading this article, I think that people need to start raising awareness on the subject of global warming. This is because of its many effects on not only people but also plants and animals. Overall, I think that people should be educated on the issue because it will one day affect us all.

Social Action Inquiry Question-The Help

In the book “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett, one of the main characters, Skeeter Phelan, is the one who brings justice to her town by bringing awareness to the issue of racism.

In the book, Skeeter gives up her social life and friends as well as risking her family's trust in her by standing up to her best friends in the hope of making a change. One of Skeeters best friends, Hilly Holbrook attempts to create even more racism and segregation in the town so, Skeeter decides to take a stand in order to make a change in her home town of Jackson Mississippi while making some new friends along the way.

When skeeter gets fed up with the situation of racism in her town, she enlists the help of her friends maids to write a book of true stories about what its like to be a black maid working for a white family. She includes many humiliating stories concerning her “Friends” even though doing this could have many harmful affects. She knew that she could be putting not only herself in dangure but her friends as well from people who had strong opinions on segregation like the K.K.K. or other organizations similar to it and yet she kept going.

I like how Skeeter brought justice in the book because she stood up for what she believed in and in the end she did make a change. She brought down the level of authority from Hilly Holbrook and she raised awareness on the situation, which people actually listened to no matter what the consequences.

Social Action Question #1

In the book “The help” by Kathrin Stockett, there are many complex issues that are presented that cause some of the main events in the text, but the main issue is racism.

            The issue of racism is very apparent in the book and is a key conflict that leads to many events in the book. One example of why racism is what causes conflicts in the book is when Skeeter Phelan is having trouble recruiting maids to interview for her book. This is happening because the maids are fearful for the lives of themselves and their families. Because the racism at the time was so harsh, members of the K.K.K. and others would sometimes go as far as murdering blacks or other minorities.

            Another example of why racism is a main cause of many events in the text is when Minny Jackson is having a hard time finding work. This is because at the time there were hardly any jobs for black women so most worked as maids in white house holds. Because  Minny is constantly speaking her mind and sharing her opinion to her employers which wasn’t expectable at the time, she is also getting fired.

            The books main cause of conflict is racism. Throughout the book it is a key cause for many events that take place. The issue of racism is a large one and can cause many conflicting events to take place.