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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
The main character, who is gay, has decided he no longer wants to be "the gay kid." He'd rather be known as himself, so he starts his junior year at an all-boys boarding school across the country, and he intentionally neglects to tell people he's gay. His parents don't understand why he's doing this, but he's enjoying becoming part of the jocks group and hanging out with his odd roommate, until everything blows up in his face.
Wow. This was a great book about identity and coming out and lots of things. I loved how supportive the main character's parents were. I loved that, by the end of the book, he becomes a bit less self-centered. I loved the title of the book and the shenanigans at the boarding school and his "bromance" with his friend Ben. This one is definitely worth adding to a library's collection.
Wow. This was a great book about identity and coming out and lots of things. I loved how supportive the main character's parents were. I loved that, by the end of the book, he becomes a bit less self-centered. I loved the title of the book and the shenanigans at the boarding school and his "bromance" with his friend Ben. This one is definitely worth adding to a library's collection.
The premise is so simple that it just might work. Change schools and move across the country to start your junior year of high school. Check. Leave behind all of your old labels, especially the one of "openly gay." Check. Start fresh and just be one of the guys. Check. Sixteen year old Rafe is off to a great start at his new all boys prep school - tag football games in the quad, member of the soccer, camaraderie of teammates. He holds fast to the idea that so long as he doesn't directly lie about his sexuality he'll still be able to be true to himself. What he doesn't count on is how hard it is to be truly in a friendship if you hold back such an important piece of your identity.
Never preachy and often hilarious, this is a great read for anyone, gay or straight. Rafe is truly likable and genuine while his roommate Albie, friend Toby and crush Ben are all given opportunities to be seen as full-fledged characters with more than just bit parts. Highly recommended for grades 9 and up. Some sexual content and language.
Never preachy and often hilarious, this is a great read for anyone, gay or straight. Rafe is truly likable and genuine while his roommate Albie, friend Toby and crush Ben are all given opportunities to be seen as full-fledged characters with more than just bit parts. Highly recommended for grades 9 and up. Some sexual content and language.
Funny and genuine, Openly Straight explores Rafe's experience with sexuality as he enrolls in a new school. Here, Rafe is no longer "the gay kid." He's just known as Rafe. But can Rafe truly be himself while hiding part of his identity?
Openly Straight is an easy read with a bunch of teenage boys as characters that act, well, like teenage boys. It's funny with a good message, and the characters (especially Rafe's parents and Claire Olivia) are unique but realistic. Rafe, even though his plan to be "straight" at his new school is flawed, is still relatable as a character; I was empathetic towards him the whole time. The only real issue I had with this book is that the plot didn't really interest me. There was a lot of stereotypical dumb boy behavior—which could be expected from an all-boys school—but it took up a lot more of the book than necessary. Rafe and Ben's brief romance was cute, but it definitely was not the most original take on two boys exploring sexuality.
Overall, Openly Straight is a lighthearted novel about identity and the power of labels.
Openly Straight is an easy read with a bunch of teenage boys as characters that act, well, like teenage boys. It's funny with a good message, and the characters (especially Rafe's parents and Claire Olivia) are unique but realistic. Rafe, even though his plan to be "straight" at his new school is flawed, is still relatable as a character; I was empathetic towards him the whole time. The only real issue I had with this book is that the plot didn't really interest me. There was a lot of stereotypical dumb boy behavior—which could be expected from an all-boys school—but it took up a lot more of the book than necessary. Rafe and Ben's brief romance was cute, but it definitely was not the most original take on two boys exploring sexuality.
Overall, Openly Straight is a lighthearted novel about identity and the power of labels.
No HEA means it’s not a romance, so don’t label it as such. I’m so mad I broke my not reading books by men rule for this book. It drew me in with queer teens and I felt it was a total bait and switch. The more I read it the more I didn’t like it. The strait boys were awful which only served to remind me why I do not enjoy the company of straight white males. To bring in a POC and then have them disappear part way through was just annoying and felt like fake representation. I have strong issues with books that use the R word and other similar epithets and book had plenty of them. I need to read Autoboyography again to cleanse myself of this.
Rafe is openly gay and accepted by his family and his community. However, he decides that he's tired of being seen as "the gay kid" and wants to start a new life. He goes to a private New England high school and starts a new life trying to be un-labeled and liked for "who he is" as opposed to being seen as "the gay kid". It becomes more of a struggle than he imagined.
A different way of approaching the situation, and quite honestly, could have been really unlikeable seeing how coming out is such a struggle for a lot of people. However, the fact that Rafe repeatedly acknowledged how lucky he was and seeing his flashbacks via his journal entries helped me empathize with him a bit. And obviously, hiding a big part of who he is goes as well as you'd expect.
He's an interesting and funny narrator and there are some likeable characters. However, in the end, I did find a lot of the characters to be lacking an extra dimension.
A different way of approaching the situation, and quite honestly, could have been really unlikeable seeing how coming out is such a struggle for a lot of people. However, the fact that Rafe repeatedly acknowledged how lucky he was and seeing his flashbacks via his journal entries helped me empathize with him a bit. And obviously, hiding a big part of who he is goes as well as you'd expect.
He's an interesting and funny narrator and there are some likeable characters. However, in the end, I did find a lot of the characters to be lacking an extra dimension.
THIS BOOK IS A MUST.
I have so much affection for it, and it hasn't dwindled in the past four years.
What happens when Rafe strips his labels, a big part of who he is in his hometown, and doesn't tell anyone this new boarding school can be finally be seen as more than the openly gay kid? This book is as much about the people, expectations, and assumptions around him as much as it is about Rafe learning so much about himself.
It's wonderfully introspective, LOL funny, and makes my heart ache in so many different ways.
***
4.5 stars.
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
Openly Straight is a novel that encompassed so many of my favorite things: a flawed main character who felt a lot, supportive and enthusiastic parents, and heart-tugging friendship and romance. And best of all? It made me think.
Basically, I want to hug and squeeze this book until I can’t anymore.
Rafe is pretty lucky when he comes out to his parents. They are completely supportive; they barely blink an eyelash. The liberal town of Boulder, Colorado responds pretty much the same way. His teachers want his thoughts on the gay movement, he trains to give speeches to others about sexuality, and his family surprises him with an awesome coming out party. Life is pretty much hunky dory. We’ve all heard people’s hurtful experiences regarding coming out, so it’s kind of hard to believe that Rafe has anything to complain about, right?
Well. Wrong. He feels totally pigeonholed by his sexuality, and decides to go off to a boarding school on the East Coast in hopes of wiping the slate clean. He won’t exactly be back in the closet because he knows he’s gay… he just won’t really tell the peers in his all-boy school what his deal is.
The idea of going to a brand new place and being a whole new you is pretty tempting. Of course, part of it, especially in Rafe’s case, isn’t awesome because he is kind of lying in some instances. But in others, he’s finding out things about himself that he never knew. Like maybe the jock isn’t always “the jock” and maybe he can actually keep up with a bunch of guys playing football in the quad.
The challenges though… outweigh that lack of boundary Rafe feels. And as a reader, you are just waiting for everything to blow up in his face. His parents are confused by this “phase”, he’s making up stories about his closest girl friend, and this intimate friendship with Ben, a soft-spoken jock who loves to read and have deep conversations, is definitely in jeopardy, especially as he and Rafe continue to get closer. Is Ben gay? Are they just best friends? The lines are so blurred at times, that it was really hard for me to figure it out. The possibility of heartbreak is so palpable.
Konigsberg also included pieces from Rafe’s writing class — a great way for us to get this character’s back story but also to see him grow as a writer. (I adored the teacher’s comments so much because so many times what he was saying was criticism I have about what I’m reading: “show don’t tell!”) Mr. Scarborough also gives him room to think about his choices to be someone new at the school, and subtley offers some helpful perspective. He would definitely have been one of my favorite teachers too.
I feel absolutely so much love for this book that my heart is actually seizing up as I write this review. From Rafe’s refreshing narrating to watching him painstakingly make blunders and attempt to get himself out of them, Openly Straight unveils a different kind of journey towards self-discovery — one filled with laughs, love, late nights, and finding out how to balance all the parts that make you you.
I have so much affection for it, and it hasn't dwindled in the past four years.
What happens when Rafe strips his labels, a big part of who he is in his hometown, and doesn't tell anyone this new boarding school can be finally be seen as more than the openly gay kid? This book is as much about the people, expectations, and assumptions around him as much as it is about Rafe learning so much about himself.
It's wonderfully introspective, LOL funny, and makes my heart ache in so many different ways.
***
4.5 stars.
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
Openly Straight is a novel that encompassed so many of my favorite things: a flawed main character who felt a lot, supportive and enthusiastic parents, and heart-tugging friendship and romance. And best of all? It made me think.
Basically, I want to hug and squeeze this book until I can’t anymore.
Rafe is pretty lucky when he comes out to his parents. They are completely supportive; they barely blink an eyelash. The liberal town of Boulder, Colorado responds pretty much the same way. His teachers want his thoughts on the gay movement, he trains to give speeches to others about sexuality, and his family surprises him with an awesome coming out party. Life is pretty much hunky dory. We’ve all heard people’s hurtful experiences regarding coming out, so it’s kind of hard to believe that Rafe has anything to complain about, right?
Well. Wrong. He feels totally pigeonholed by his sexuality, and decides to go off to a boarding school on the East Coast in hopes of wiping the slate clean. He won’t exactly be back in the closet because he knows he’s gay… he just won’t really tell the peers in his all-boy school what his deal is.
The idea of going to a brand new place and being a whole new you is pretty tempting. Of course, part of it, especially in Rafe’s case, isn’t awesome because he is kind of lying in some instances. But in others, he’s finding out things about himself that he never knew. Like maybe the jock isn’t always “the jock” and maybe he can actually keep up with a bunch of guys playing football in the quad.
The challenges though… outweigh that lack of boundary Rafe feels. And as a reader, you are just waiting for everything to blow up in his face. His parents are confused by this “phase”, he’s making up stories about his closest girl friend, and this intimate friendship with Ben, a soft-spoken jock who loves to read and have deep conversations, is definitely in jeopardy, especially as he and Rafe continue to get closer. Is Ben gay? Are they just best friends? The lines are so blurred at times, that it was really hard for me to figure it out. The possibility of heartbreak is so palpable.
Konigsberg also included pieces from Rafe’s writing class — a great way for us to get this character’s back story but also to see him grow as a writer. (I adored the teacher’s comments so much because so many times what he was saying was criticism I have about what I’m reading: “show don’t tell!”) Mr. Scarborough also gives him room to think about his choices to be someone new at the school, and subtley offers some helpful perspective. He would definitely have been one of my favorite teachers too.
I feel absolutely so much love for this book that my heart is actually seizing up as I write this review. From Rafe’s refreshing narrating to watching him painstakingly make blunders and attempt to get himself out of them, Openly Straight unveils a different kind of journey towards self-discovery — one filled with laughs, love, late nights, and finding out how to balance all the parts that make you you.
I want to read this over and over again just for the quotes.
I saw this book first on Sarah’s blog Sarah Reads Too Much and as soon as I saw the author and read her review I knew I wanted to read it. My first introduction to Bill Konigsberg was through his debut novel Out of the Pocket. It’s hard to believe I read it three years ago AND it was my very first book on my old Sony e-reader. The best part is as I did a quick re-read of that post Konigsberg answered quite a few of my critiques and he’s clearly matured as a fiction writer over the past few years!
As I read the book I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between this and Andrew Smith’s Winger which was a great novel I read last year. However, they are distinctly different and as much as I enjoyed Winger I would probably put this one ahead, not for the writing, but for the story and the subject matter.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
As I read the book I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between this and Andrew Smith’s Winger which was a great novel I read last year. However, they are distinctly different and as much as I enjoyed Winger I would probably put this one ahead, not for the writing, but for the story and the subject matter.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.