1. A book of anagram puzzles in honor of Colin's strange obsession with them
2. Season One of "Eureka" in reference to Colin's desire for a "Eureka" moment
3. A T-shirt inspired by the novel; nineteen Katherines (black) and one Lindsey Wells (pink)
4. The Movie "Footnote" (because Green uses them throughout the novel)
5. A poster of Colin's Theorem (note: not accurate at predicting the dumper and dumpee)
6. Nineteen "K" stickers in honor of all 19 Katherines
7. A (pocket) German dictionary, in honor of Hassan and his use of German terms throughout the book
8. The toy car version of Satan's Hearse, Colin's "lengthy gray Oldsmobile"
9. A poster depicting one of the book's more popular quotes: "What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"
These items connect to some of the most important/central themes and ideas in the book.
Readers enjoy An Abundance of Katherines because they can relate to Colin's desire to matter and to be wanted. In the book, he asks, "How do you just stop being terrified of getting left behind and ending up by yourself forever and not meaning anything to the world?” As his begins to figure out the answer, all of these UFP items come into play, if they haven't already. This package captures the setting (the map of Tennessee), the Katherines (the shirt and stickers), and the idea (the poster). If Colin hadn't gotten into Satan's Hearse with Hassan and made the decision to travel in search of himself, he wouldn't have met Lindsey or had the incredible adventure that he did. Colin knows that "you can never love someone as much as you miss them," but thanks to a split-second decision, he may have found someone who he won't have to miss. Lindsey is a pivotal person in Colin's life; he has only ever loved/dated girls named Katherine, and this girl from Gutshot makes him change his perspective on dating and on life. In one of the final scenes in the book where Colin tells Lindsey about all of his Katherine "experiences," it becomes obvious how much he trusts her. Lindsey tells him that he has finally told a good story and kisses him. This is the turning point; Colin has finally opened his mind to possibilities in love. Though most people aren't as...picky as Colin, they can relate to his emotions and his fears about being loved and remembered. Reading this book could prove to be very important for some people.
Throughout the book, Colin constantly worries about whether
or not he will matter to anyone; particularly, a girl. The items in this UFP
are not only fun, but are reminders of this theme, and what Colin realizes at
the end of the book: “The moral of the story is that you don’t remember what
happened. What you remember becomes what happened. And the second moral of the
story, if a story can have multiple morals, is that Dumpers are not inherently
worse than Dumpees – breaking up isn’t something that gets done to you; it’s
something that happens with you.” This realization is important not just for
Colin, but for all readers of An Abundance of Katherines. Hopefully, those who
choose to buy the UFP are already fans of John Green, but if they need another
reason to love him and receive encouragement to buy and read his other books,
this is it. The UFP's diversity proves to be interesting and attention capturing, but the best thing about it is that all of the items are united by the same fears, ambitions, and answers. This UFP is a must-have for any and all fans of John Green's An Abundance of Katherines; if given as a holiday gift, it may very well be the best one received.
Good defense of a good idea. I really like your analysis of Colin and how you describe the change his experiences cause in his character. The visuals are helpful and each UFP item is tightly connected to the book. Fun to read!
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