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The Unraveling Truthby Butool“Know thyself.” Amazing, how those two small words combined by Socrates affected so many lives. Socrates made others think with his words. I never knew who I was, the real me. Who would at the age of thirteen? And yet, in order to understand the choices we make in life, we must first understand the person that we are. In knowing myself, I think about how good or bad of a person I am or how I become overconfident. My emotions confused me, while trying to figure out the person I am. That was until my mother bought me a life-changing novel. Catalyst, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is basically about Kate Malone, the daughter of a minister, an older sister, and a girlfriend who takes care of herself and her family. A track record-holding star, a master at avoiding any form of emotion, she is academically a genius, and she knows she is a genius, too. In the story, Kate loathes her life. She cannot wait to get out of her dull house and go to college. Since she knows she is a genius, Kate does the unthinkable. She only applies to one university: MIT. Not only that, but she lies to her friends and family and tells them that she has already applied to some other “safety” schools that you apply to just in case you don’t get into the school of your choice. I think I would have done the same thing in her situation. Maybe both Karen and I are blinded by our arrogance. If I hadn’t read this book, I would probably still have only applied to one high school. I realized that due to my overconfidence I was only going to apply to the school of my choice, thinking that I was surely to get in. Then one day, the letter from MIT comes. Kate’s dad drops it off at her school during chemistry class. Karen is taking deep breaths. She slowly opens the letter to find After which, I would try to think of some type of logical solution, such as find high schools that are still accepting applicants. (Okay, it may take a few hours to get over my rejection first.) This novel changed my way of thinking. I realize you cannot always get what you want and that it is better to be safe than sorry. That does not mean I won’t take a risk or two once in a while! After I read the book, I felt like an idiot and somewhat relieved. I felt like an idiot because I, too, was actually going to apply to only one school. If I had, I might have ended up like Kate, probably waiting for another year to go to a school of my choice. When I had first gotten the book, I didn’t see the point of reading. Do not get me wrong. I love reading; it’s one of my best subjects, but it was not the type of book I would usually pick out. Half way through the story, I fell in love with it. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it was one of the best books I have ever read. I liked it so much because I could compare so much of myself to Kate. For example, we both can think too much of ourselves from time to time. We both get this choking feeling from pressure, but we can breath when we are around friends or family. This novel is unforgettable! It has taught me a lot about myself and the truth of the world around me. Think about your plans before you follow through with them.
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