I Know Very Well How I Got My Name

There were a lot of moments while reading I Know Very Well How I Got My Name that I felt like I could relate to the author. DeLine's writing has a certain charm to it that makes it very easy to read and very easy to relate to, which I think is super important for a young adult novella. I don't think anyone really thinks about what it's like to grow up knowing you're different than the person society expect you to be, especially with something like gender which most people just assume means you fit into one of two boxes. I think this novella really helped me sympathize with the narrator while also gain valuable insight into what it was like for this person. What I also found really interesting was the very important points about sexuality and religion that are brought up as sort of "side conversations," to the conversation about gender identity going through the narrators head.

In the chapter, "Cafeteria Catholics," the narrator tries to become religious, or faithful, and begins to question the validity of God. At the end, the narrator is verbally pushed away from the faith when a peer identifies their family as "cafeteria Catholics." I was raised Catholic, but while I was growing up I recognized that I didn't agree with or understand a lot of the concepts that I was being taught. I felt like I was slowly being pushed out of the faith, much like the narrator is at the end of this chapter. While I no longer identify as Catholic, I was really happy that this was added in the novella since it was a way for me to identify with one of the struggles the narrator was coping with.

"The Little Activist," was another chapter that really resonated with me. I feel like everyone in our class can find a way to relate to this, since we all have questioned why things are the way they are. For me, I hear this from my family more than anyone else. I feel like the narrator had the unpleasant experience of basically being told to "take a joke." This is something I've heard way to often, and it really makes my blood boil when people tell me to find something offensive funny.

I really enjoyed the first half of this novella, and I look forward to reading the second half. I really liked our discussion in class, and the reminder that this is just an example of one person's circumstances, and not to apply that to all cases. I think that's a really valuable reminder that I should continue to remind myself of.

Bridget