McDonough, John, authorAltschul, Andrew, advisorLevy, E. J., committee memberKhrebtan-Hoerhager, Julia, committee member2016-08-182018-08-172016http://hdl.handle.net/10217/176620This collection of stories, written over the past three years, is concerned with the way relationships (with an emphasis on the platonic, but also including sexual, familial, and professional) shape an individual's self conception. Alternating between the stories of Katie (a twenty-seven-year-old nanny) and Johnny (a twenty-nine-year-old bar worker), these two young Chicagoans come of age in the way so many do—by confronting personal loss, professional disappointment, and the ever-shifting definitions of what it means to be a person in the twenty- first century. As Katie takes steps towards restarting her life on the opposite side of the country, Johnny struggles to understand the implications of living as a privileged white person in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. Via their relationships with the people that surround them, these characters grow and change, facing down their pasts and moving closer to their futures.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.TextAccess is limited to the Colorado State University community only.