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A review by mortal_wombat
Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg
4.0
**Warning: this text may contain spoilers**
Normally, I would be like no contemporary YA doesn't need sequels, but this book was unquestionably better than the first and gave context and resolution to the whole thing.
The author really has slam poetry nailed:
"'the pain that I feel is open-ended it feels like on the Facebook being defriended...' The rap had an actual smell, like rotten citrus."
I sort of wonder if one of the slam poets is Max's friend from The Music of What Happens.
The thing that makes this book go over the top from just a contemporary ya book is the stuff about the history and the award winner. I only wish Ben had talked to the award guy's sister again. also the ending was unresolved so I have to wonder--another sequel? I'm not sure I'd be game for that.
I picked up this book after such a long time because The Music of What Happens changed my mind about this author. I think I was right to do so. This book is not as good as that book. That book is on another level from most books, so it's not a fair comparison. When I had originally read Openly Straight, I didn't think it was anything special or different--just another copy of Aristotle and Dante..., which I didn't think lived up to its hype. I finished the book thinking that was some weird Yuri on Ice crap, kind of. Unresolved relationships like that really rub me the wrong way because I feel like the point is to maybe titillate the reader instead of actually treating the character as a human with actual thoughts and feelings. After reading Openly Straight a little bit, I think it's an inferior book to this one and it's also all over the place, like Rafe's mind, I guess.
I was like, WTF does Ben actually feel? Since I just learned the term demi-sexual, it makes me wonder if that's what Ben is going through...idk. It makes me think of how, in Grasshopper Jungle, Austin can't stop hurting his best friend and girlfriend because of how he feels about both of them, so he basically just picks his best friend because his best friend doesn't press the issue.
But this book is a lot about masculinity and dealing with frustration. It's about bravery, leadership, and fitting in, gender roles, misogyny, dads, and silence. you know this is probably my favorite type of contemporary story where someone explores their life in all the different directions. In this book, ben's mom and brother, who may have been forgotten by a normal author, become important. I like that Ben is realizing just now that his mom is an actual human. Everyone has that weird moment at a different time. There's also a lot to say about labels -how they help and hurt- and how it feels to have everyone tell you how you are. Being told what it will be like in the future--That's like kryptonite to teens.
Konigsberg must be such an interesting person, to be able to put his work out there and be vulnerable when it's so, so real. I can't imagine what type of person he is because he gets so far into the heads of his characters and their different types of people. I've seen some criticism of the author for like copping out on describing the sex stuff or whatever, but I think the vagueness is fine and probably exactly the kind of vagueness that Ben is telling himself or glossing over in his own head. We don't need to know anything crazy specific about their physical relationship when we know the thoughts in their heads and the feelings they have about each other.
Things are awkward between Rafe and Ben as they feel out what friendship would be like:
"This finally got him to smile. 'We should have a chaperone.'
I laughed. 'Definitely. That would definitely be normal. Excuse me we're going into a gay guy's closet to scare him. Will you accompany us?'"
And the class difference:
"'1997 called and it wants its phone back,' he said. And I thought about explaining that, whereas his birthday present was an iPhone, mine was a lightbulb I bought myself."
I have memories of my friends making fun of me for Privet Drive coat hanger style practical gifts, so this feels kind of close to home. The guilt of asking for or spending money is a reality for many of us.
"...'You made a powerful enemy today,' and I thought, 'what are you a super villain? Who says shit like that?'"
There's some legitimate things to say about how to have a fight but also still be friends and survive and how to get along with really difficult people.
I did think adding gender fluidity and asexuality into the mix was like...one too many things, because the story couldn't really give enough time and attention to those stories and characters--and such huge things probably deserve their own books or books. Maybe that's forthcoming. I'd def read Toby's book. He's like wtf.
I think any other author would make the female love rival out to be the obvious non choice for the MC, but Hannah is not a manic pixie dream girl or a two-dimensional character. Hannah is legitimately betrayed a little bit, even if she is the one who pressed the issue. She probably understands that friends tend to be more important than girlfriends but maybe she's someone who hasn't been able to rely on anyone and needs a more stable influence in her life. She freely admitted that she has some serious problems, and has understandable trust issues.
As someone has experienced the weirdness of dating someone (s) who may have been considered bi/pansexual, I understand feeling that confused jealousy and niggling fear at the back of your mind. I understand how she feels after Ben abandoned her at the dance and how she must have spent the night wondering and how she must have felt when he called her and told her something like that. Especially within the framework of her life in which men have always let her down and girls have been maybe worse. And how absolutely pissed she is to discover that she forced his hand. Maybe at some point we'll get to learn more about what happened to her.
Normally, I would be like no contemporary YA doesn't need sequels, but this book was unquestionably better than the first and gave context and resolution to the whole thing.
The author really has slam poetry nailed:
"'the pain that I feel is open-ended it feels like on the Facebook being defriended...' The rap had an actual smell, like rotten citrus."
I sort of wonder if one of the slam poets is Max's friend from The Music of What Happens.
The thing that makes this book go over the top from just a contemporary ya book is the stuff about the history and the award winner. I only wish Ben had talked to the award guy's sister again. also the ending was unresolved so I have to wonder--another sequel? I'm not sure I'd be game for that.
I picked up this book after such a long time because The Music of What Happens changed my mind about this author. I think I was right to do so. This book is not as good as that book. That book is on another level from most books, so it's not a fair comparison. When I had originally read Openly Straight, I didn't think it was anything special or different--just another copy of Aristotle and Dante..., which I didn't think lived up to its hype. I finished the book thinking that was some weird Yuri on Ice crap, kind of. Unresolved relationships like that really rub me the wrong way because I feel like the point is to maybe titillate the reader instead of actually treating the character as a human with actual thoughts and feelings. After reading Openly Straight a little bit, I think it's an inferior book to this one and it's also all over the place, like Rafe's mind, I guess.
I was like, WTF does Ben actually feel? Since I just learned the term demi-sexual, it makes me wonder if that's what Ben is going through...idk. It makes me think of how, in Grasshopper Jungle, Austin can't stop hurting his best friend and girlfriend because of how he feels about both of them, so he basically just picks his best friend because his best friend doesn't press the issue.
But this book is a lot about masculinity and dealing with frustration. It's about bravery, leadership, and fitting in, gender roles, misogyny, dads, and silence. you know this is probably my favorite type of contemporary story where someone explores their life in all the different directions. In this book, ben's mom and brother, who may have been forgotten by a normal author, become important. I like that Ben is realizing just now that his mom is an actual human. Everyone has that weird moment at a different time. There's also a lot to say about labels -how they help and hurt- and how it feels to have everyone tell you how you are. Being told what it will be like in the future--That's like kryptonite to teens.
Konigsberg must be such an interesting person, to be able to put his work out there and be vulnerable when it's so, so real. I can't imagine what type of person he is because he gets so far into the heads of his characters and their different types of people. I've seen some criticism of the author for like copping out on describing the sex stuff or whatever, but I think the vagueness is fine and probably exactly the kind of vagueness that Ben is telling himself or glossing over in his own head. We don't need to know anything crazy specific about their physical relationship when we know the thoughts in their heads and the feelings they have about each other.
Things are awkward between Rafe and Ben as they feel out what friendship would be like:
"This finally got him to smile. 'We should have a chaperone.'
I laughed. 'Definitely. That would definitely be normal. Excuse me we're going into a gay guy's closet to scare him. Will you accompany us?'"
And the class difference:
"'1997 called and it wants its phone back,' he said. And I thought about explaining that, whereas his birthday present was an iPhone, mine was a lightbulb I bought myself."
I have memories of my friends making fun of me for Privet Drive coat hanger style practical gifts, so this feels kind of close to home. The guilt of asking for or spending money is a reality for many of us.
"...'You made a powerful enemy today,' and I thought, 'what are you a super villain? Who says shit like that?'"
There's some legitimate things to say about how to have a fight but also still be friends and survive and how to get along with really difficult people.
I did think adding gender fluidity and asexuality into the mix was like...one too many things, because the story couldn't really give enough time and attention to those stories and characters--and such huge things probably deserve their own books or books. Maybe that's forthcoming. I'd def read Toby's book. He's like wtf.
I think any other author would make the female love rival out to be the obvious non choice for the MC, but Hannah is not a manic pixie dream girl or a two-dimensional character. Hannah is legitimately betrayed a little bit, even if she is the one who pressed the issue. She probably understands that friends tend to be more important than girlfriends but maybe she's someone who hasn't been able to rely on anyone and needs a more stable influence in her life. She freely admitted that she has some serious problems, and has understandable trust issues.
As someone has experienced the weirdness of dating someone (s) who may have been considered bi/pansexual, I understand feeling that confused jealousy and niggling fear at the back of your mind. I understand how she feels after Ben abandoned her at the dance and how she must have spent the night wondering and how she must have felt when he called her and told her something like that. Especially within the framework of her life in which men have always let her down and girls have been maybe worse. And how absolutely pissed she is to discover that she forced his hand. Maybe at some point we'll get to learn more about what happened to her.