Christopher Barzak: Hi. My name is Christopher Barzak. I'm the first person in my family to have been given a name that was not someone else's name that came before me. I'm the youngest of three brothers. And when I was born, my mother insisted that someone should not be locked into the history of our family lineage and decided that she would select the first and middle names for me that were ones she simply liked rather than paying homage to ancestors.