Rafe is convinced Ben is actually gay and just not ready to fully admit it, and at other times the text wonders if Ben’s feelings about labels are caused by the larger cultural phenomenon of Bi erasure.

In fact, the book is very nuanced when addressing Ben’s sexuality. One example – Ben resolutely considers himself a straight man who happens to be in love with a boy, rather than bisexual he just doesn’t feel like the label describes him. I may even have liked this book more, since it explicitly broadens sexuality into a spectrum rather than a binary.

In the sequel, Konigsberg switches things up by making Ben, not Rafe, the central character, but his attention to the world of changing attitudes about sexuality is as sharp as ever. Since it’s been close to four years since Bill Konigsberg’s Openly Straight came out, I honestly wasn’t expecting a sequel to appear – but I can’t claim I’m disappointed! I loved Konigsberg’s contemporary take on the experience of figuring out your sexuality in high school even having the support of your family and friends doesn’t make identity easy. He arrives back at school determined to focus on getting the grades he needs to get a scholarship to college, but he is soon distracted by Hannah, a girl he’s definitely attracted to – even though he also still has feelings for Rafe. All that ended when Rafe revealed that he’d been lying to Ben the whole time, but Ben still feels angry, and hurt, and kind of in love. He was taken by surprise when he fell in love with his best friend, Rafe Ben had only been attracted to girls before and considers himself straight. and maybe the real normal that Ben needs.ĭimensions - 13.21 x 2.03 x 20.Ben Carver is dreading the new semester at his elite private school in Massachusetts. And there's Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. There's his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. Except.There's Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighboring school, who attracts him and distracts him. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past. He's even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades.

He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He's working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green! Ben Carver is back to normal. The companion to the award-winning Openly Straight, called eply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist ( Booklist). In the companion to Openly Straight, Ben confronts pressure at school, repression at home, and his passion for two very different people in figuring out what it takes to be Honestly Ben.

Honestly ben book