A lot of readers have asked about the proper pronunciation of our main protagonist’s last name. Jonathan (or, Jonny as he is more affectionately known) is, of course, like every other protagonist these days, a young lad with a past shrouded in mystery.
Jonny understandably spends a lot of time angsting over the uncertainty surrounding his early years (Perhaps I’m angling for a prequel origin story? It could happen.). We all want to know where we belong and how we fit in to this beautiful mess of life. Think about it. How many times a day do you have some sort of conversation with yourself (hopefully just in your own head) where you’re wondering what your purpose is or how you fit in with your friends, at school or even within your own family? Jonny is the same as you and I. His name is important to him, and he wants more than anything to know where that name came from and, even more importantly, whohis descendants were.
Jonny’s last name is pronounced Kee-Chi, with that long “eye” sound. Yes, it might have been easier for me to have spelled it “Keechai” to avoid some of the confusion, but that wouldn’t have meant the same thing to me.
You see, Keechi was the first name of my maternal grandfather’s cousin and best friend. My brothers and I grew up calling my grandfather “Papa.” Papa could spend hours talking about growing up in Oklahoma and all of the crazy mishaps that he and Keechi would get into. To be fair, they weren’t typically trying to outrun the forces of The State, but they still had some awfully exciting adventures together! Papa and Keechi were proud members of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
The history of the Choctaw Nation is a Trail of Tears that strikingly illustrates the danger of a government that places its own power over the needs of its people. I wanted to name Jonny in honor of my grandfather and his best friend, Keechi. For me, they illustrate the triumphant spirit of a people that refuses to let Big Government erase its identity or enslave its future.