Identical Readers, Identical Readings?: First-Generation Twin Brothers and the Process of Constructing Textual Relevance

This study examines the ways in which a pair of identical-looking fraternal twins – first-generation Indian-American adolescent male students at a private all-boys school – construct personal meaning, or textual relevance, as readers. Semi-structured interviews with the two young men were conducted to determine the degrees to which their connections to literature were influenced by a) their racial/ethnic/cultural identities, b) their gender identities, and/or c) other aspects of their identities. The brothers’ responses, which differ significantly from one another’s and demonstrate the complexities of constructing meaning from texts, provide new perspective on how to best reach individual students – particularly students from nondominant groups. The data indicates that educators would benefit significantly from including young people’s perspectives in attempts to represent them and their identities within literacy education contexts. Ultimately, this study calls for a broadened theory of reader response – one that accounts for student diversity, within and across groups, and encourages young people to share how their worlds impact their readings of the word.