by Jason Kim
We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.
Everyday UseAlice Walker
In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use," a daughter comes home for a family visit with a new understanding of her heritage.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Everyday Use” and ask students to discuss how the two texts explore a person’s cultural identity. How does a person’s understanding of their identity change throughout their life? How do the two texts explore the importance of names in relation to one’s identity?
In Julia Alvarez's short story "Names/Nombres," the author explores the various names she has received over the years.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Names/Nombres” and ask students to discuss the significance of names in the two texts. How were the narrators influenced by the experience of people mispronouncing their names? How does this affect the overall tone of the two texts?
Learning How To Code-Switch: Humbling, But NecessaryEric Deggans
In "Learning How To Code-Switch: Humbling, But Necessary," Eric Deggans discusses how cultural identity shapes the communication style a person uses.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Learning How To Code-Switch: Humbling, But Necessary” and ask students to discuss how the two texts explore cultural experiences and identity. How did Jason Kim and Eric Deggans’ experiences embracing their cultural identities differ? How can America’s culture be damaging to certain cultural identities?
Behind Closed Doors: 'Colorism' in the CaribbeanMichel Martin
In the interview "Behind Closed Doors: 'Colorism' in the Caribbean," Michel Martin discusses colorism in the Dominican Republic with Frances Robles.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Behind Closed Doors: ‘Colorism’ in the Caribbean” and ask students to discuss how both texts explore self-perception. What do both texts say about how people of color are pressured to conform? What suggestions do both texts make for addressing discrimination?
In My Mom's ShoesKat Chow
Kat Chow's "In My Mom's Shoes," reflects on Chow losing her mother and the experience of walking in an old pair of her shoes.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “In My Mom’s Shoes” to provide students with two memoirs about the experiences of young Asian Americans. Ask students to compare how both Jason Kim and Kat Chow describe the impact of cultural differences on their youth and young adulthood.
The JournalistJ. Patrick Lewis
In "The Journalist," a Chinese American journalist discusses how she uses her platform to address injustices in America.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “The Journalist” to provide students with a personal account of the Asian American experience from an Asian American writer. Ask students to analyze the theme of otherness and inequality in each text. What are the similarities and differences between Jason Kim’s personal experience and Lewis’s poem?
Daughter of InventionJulia Alvarez
In Julia Alvarez's short story "Daughter of Invention," a girl struggles to prepare and present a speech in front of her school.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Daughter of Invention” and ask students to discuss how the narrator in “Daughter of Invention” and Jason Kim struggle to fit in. What obstacles do they encounter when they move to America? How do they both attempt to fit in?
The Unspoken History Behind a SurnameLolly Bowean
In the essay "The Unspoken History Behind a Surname," Lolly Bowean discusses the origins of her surname and the roots of African American surnames in slavery.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “The Unspoken History Behind a Surname” and ask students to discuss the importance of names in the two texts. How does Jason Kim’s reason for changing his name compare to Lolly Bowean’s reason for keeping her name? How do both texts explore the connection between one’s name and identity?
Montreal 1962Shauna Singh Baldwin
In Shauna Singh Baldwin's short story "Montreal 1962," a woman who has recently moved to Canada with her husband describes washing his turbans.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Montreal 1962” to provide students with a memoir about a boy’s experiences coming from Korea to America. Ask students to discuss how both texts show how immigrating to a new country can challenge your identity. How did Kim change himself in an attempt to assimilate into America? How is the narrator’s husband in “Montreal 1962” encouraged to change himself in Canada?
VolarJudith Ortiz Cofer
In "Volar," Judith Ortiz Cofer recalls a childhood dream about becoming Supergirl and flying.Pair “Hello, My Name Is______” with “Volar” and ask students to compare the two essays. What challenges do the authors share, if any? How does each narrator view themself and their identity? Is it possible to change your identity?
Inside OutFrancisco Jiménez
In "Inside Out," A young boy experiences a language barrier as he attends school for the first time.Pair “Hello, My Name Is ______” with “Inside Out” to provide students with another example of an immigrant student’s first experience in an English-speaking school. How does each narrator view the events and routines at his new school? What causes each of them to feel left out? How does each narrator react to feelings of loneliness? What do the narrators change about themselves in order to feel a sense of belonging? Do you think it is right for someone to change their values and interests as a way to fit in? Why? Do you think it is more important to fit in or more important to be yourself? Explain.
Hi. I'm NicNic Stone
In "Hi. I'm Nic.," a young woman flies to Israel in a search to find her purpose. There she is changed by the stories of those living there and she realizes the impact of telling stories with diverse perspectives.Pair “Hello, My Name is ______” with “Hi. I’m Nic.” and ask students to discuss the importance of including diverse representation in books and onscreen. Have them compare Nic and Jason’s experiences in school and how these experiences laid the groundwork for the work they do today to bring different voices to literature and film.
Where I'm FromMisa Sugiura
In "Where I'm From," a young woman remembers moments from her youth as she learns to both navigate and appreciate her bicultural identity as a Japanese American.Pair “Hello, My Name is _ _ _ _ _ _” with “Where I’m From” and ask students to discuss the journeys to self-acceptance experienced by both Jason and Eriko from their childhoods into early adulthoods. What are some of the common themes in their struggles over the years? What conclusion have they each reached regarding their identity? What are some other issues related to identity that people sometimes struggle with as they grow into adulthood?
In "Toxins," Minal's grandmother, her Dadi, moves in with her family, forcing her to reckon with her illness at school and at home.Pair “Hello, My Name is ____” with “Toxins” and ask students to discuss what it is like to live in “multiple worlds.” How are the narrators’ experiences in each text similar? How are they different? What does it mean to live in multiple worlds? How does culture play a role in the worlds that the narrators live in? How does living in multiple worlds influence how the narrators see themselves and others?
GyroscopesSusan Muaddi Darraj
In "Gyroscopes," an Arab American teenager deals with painful feelings when she confronts racism in an unexpected place.Pair “Hello, My Name Is _ _ _ _ _” with “Gyroscopes” and ask students to discuss the ways in which Jason in “Hello, My Name Is _ _ _ _ _” and Layla in “Gyroscopes” both feel erased, or not fully seen, by the teachers and other students around them. In what ways do both characters feel as if they are not seen for their full selves? How does that make them feel, especially as young people? Jason Kim asks the question, “How do you understand yourself in a diverse country that actively chooses to ignore your particular kind of diversity?” Do you feel that “your particular kind of diversity” is well-represented on TV, movie, and online screens? Why, or why not?