What do you think?
Rate this book
Openly Straight #1
Openly Straight
The award-winning novel about being out, being proud, and being ready for something else . . . now in paperback.
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.
And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.
So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.
This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.
And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.
So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.
This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2013
815 people are currently reading
53181 people want to read
About the author
Bill Konigsberg
10 books2,045 followersBill Konigsberg was born in 1970 in New York City. Expectations were high from birth - at least in terms of athletics. His parents figured he'd be a great soccer player, based on his spirited kicking from inside the womb. As it turned out, the highlight of his soccer career was at Camp Greylock in 1978, when he was chosen for the Camp's "D" team. There were only four levels. Bill played alongside the likes of the kid who always showered alone, the chronic nosebleeder and the guy with recurrent poison ivy.
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,362 reviews
January 29, 2021
“You can be anything you want, but when you go against who you are inside, it doesn’t feel good.”
4.5/5 Stars
This was a (nearly) perfect read. I absolutely enjoyed reading Openly Straight . On one hand because I didn't have any expectations towards it and on the other hand because it exceeded them anway.
I was suprised to like this book so much. The LGBT+ book market is still growing and growing. It's hard to find a book in this category that is able to live up to the readers expectations or to say, is outstanding. This one, along with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, is exceptional.
One of the aspects that makes Openly Straight a great novel is the relatable main character. Rafe is not a stereotype. He lies, breaks his own promises, messes up. He is happy to belong with people, struggling to stand up to his friends when it comes to his own beliefs and he fears that he might not be accepted anymore if he does so. He, for a fictional character, is very human and relatable.
Something else that made this novel such an enjoyable read was the many emotions it brought up. It made me smile, giggle, laugh out loud. It made me read that line again and laugh even harder. It made me want to hug someone (Rafe/Ben!/the book/my pillow). It made me happy.
The only thing that let me down was
There will be a sequel from Ben's point of view which could not make me happier, since he's my favourite character. This also means, that there's the possibility of a future for Ben and Rafe. And I really want it to happen.
I am now officially a fan of Bill Konigsberg!
Find more of my books on Instagram
4.5/5 Stars
This was a (nearly) perfect read. I absolutely enjoyed reading Openly Straight . On one hand because I didn't have any expectations towards it and on the other hand because it exceeded them anway.
I was suprised to like this book so much. The LGBT+ book market is still growing and growing. It's hard to find a book in this category that is able to live up to the readers expectations or to say, is outstanding. This one, along with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, is exceptional.
One of the aspects that makes Openly Straight a great novel is the relatable main character. Rafe is not a stereotype. He lies, breaks his own promises, messes up. He is happy to belong with people, struggling to stand up to his friends when it comes to his own beliefs and he fears that he might not be accepted anymore if he does so. He, for a fictional character, is very human and relatable.
Something else that made this novel such an enjoyable read was the many emotions it brought up. It made me smile, giggle, laugh out loud. It made me read that line again and laugh even harder. It made me want to hug someone (Rafe/Ben!/the book/my pillow). It made me happy.
The only thing that let me down was
There will be a sequel from Ben's point of view which could not make me happier, since he's my favourite character. This also means, that there's the possibility of a future for Ben and Rafe. And I really want it to happen.
I am now officially a fan of Bill Konigsberg!
Find more of my books on Instagram
August 6, 2015
Rafe has already "come out" as being gay. His parents are very accepting, his friends do, and he even does not face bullying because of it.
He just feels like he never truly gets to be a "normal" guy because everyone always sees him as "gay".
So when he gets to go to boarding school he keeps his sexuality a secret. Not that he is ashamed. He just is tired of the labels.
"Back in Boulder, when people saw me, they saw the GAY kid. It was like, every second of my life, I had to be aware of the fact that I was different."
Once he begins the school he realizes that labels happen to everyone after he joins the soccer team. Jock, goth, nerds, they all have labels attached to them.
This book doesn't do the usual teenage angsty stuff, or at least for me it didn't. Rafe actually has a tad bit of sense in his head. Even if he does go the liar path.
I kept expecting the book to try and pull at my heartstrings.
It did, just not in the normal young adult book way. The main character Rafe knows that he is wrong in lying about himself, but he does it in a thoughtful way that makes you think throughout the whole book.
Interspersed throughout the book you have journal pages from Rafe that his teacher (who knows his secret) is grading. You see Rafe grow and change his mind on things that happen.
I think or rather hope that one day labeling people will stop. No one will stop and stare at two gay guys walking down the hall. That no one will think twice about that black guy over in men's clothing.
"My mom has a saying when we ski," I said. "She always says, 'Lean forward, and head on down the mountain.' I love that. It's true, right? About life?"
"It means to be unafraid. Lean into the challenges, don't lean back. I don't always do it, but I love it."
Book source: Library
He just feels like he never truly gets to be a "normal" guy because everyone always sees him as "gay".
So when he gets to go to boarding school he keeps his sexuality a secret. Not that he is ashamed. He just is tired of the labels.
"Back in Boulder, when people saw me, they saw the GAY kid. It was like, every second of my life, I had to be aware of the fact that I was different."
Once he begins the school he realizes that labels happen to everyone after he joins the soccer team. Jock, goth, nerds, they all have labels attached to them.
This book doesn't do the usual teenage angsty stuff, or at least for me it didn't. Rafe actually has a tad bit of sense in his head. Even if he does go the liar path.
I kept expecting the book to try and pull at my heartstrings.
It did, just not in the normal young adult book way. The main character Rafe knows that he is wrong in lying about himself, but he does it in a thoughtful way that makes you think throughout the whole book.
Interspersed throughout the book you have journal pages from Rafe that his teacher (who knows his secret) is grading. You see Rafe grow and change his mind on things that happen.
I think or rather hope that one day labeling people will stop. No one will stop and stare at two gay guys walking down the hall. That no one will think twice about that black guy over in men's clothing.
"My mom has a saying when we ski," I said. "She always says, 'Lean forward, and head on down the mountain.' I love that. It's true, right? About life?"
"It means to be unafraid. Lean into the challenges, don't lean back. I don't always do it, but I love it."
Book source: Library
May 30, 2013
4.5 stars
I really, really, really loved this book (subtracted by) I’m really, really mad at this book. Leaves the total of I really loved this book.
Openly Straight is witty and clever and made me do the laugh-that-turns-into-a-chuckle-that-becomes-a-chortle-whiddled-down-to-a-smile-back-up-to-a-giggle-and-then-ends-with-a-sigh on more than one occasion! The writing is current and engaging and the story a new’ish take on the YA tale. The normal nerdy gay kid and the closeted jock were written in a refreshing way.
Rafe has been growing up gay and out. He’s fully supported by his parents and his community. He’s an advocate for gay youth. But, he’s tired of the labels and decides to go start his junior year of high school at an all-boys boarding school…he also decides not to tell anyone he’s gay. He meets a variety of friends at school…all of whom play a role in your classic YA story, but again, in such a fun and creative way. And he falls in love with Ben, an is-he-straight-is-he-gay-is-he-bi-or-is-he-terrified jock…oh and one who loves philosophy and uses the word “perchance” in regular conversation (love this kid).
Their friendship and their exploration of their feelings for one another were AWESOME. True, I’ve never met, and doubt I ever will meet, 2 more well-adjusted teenaged boys…EVER. But, I can suspend reality in order to be a part of their interactions and conversations that I adored.
My anger towards this book is simply because of this: THAT’S THE END? REALLY????? I felt a little robbed. I get it…not all books need to be stamped with “The End”. I just prefer it. I want…I need to know what happens next. Grrrr…
If you read and enjoyed Almost Like Being in Love, the quirky humor of Openly Straight has a similar feel. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and highly reco this book…
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 19, 2021
Trigger Warning: heavy underage drinking, use of the f word (no, not fuck), a homophobic scene, drunken sex with super dubious consent
Rafe is tired of being The Gay Kid at his school in Boulder, Colorado. He's tired of labels, of the constant eyes and judgement—even if he has a positive support structure, he wants a change of pace. And as a not gay, not straight, just Rafe student at a northeastern all-boys school, Rafe has his new start.
And then he meets Ben.
Cute and funny, there's just one problem: Ben is straight. But Rafe thinks that that could change.
~
Hooooooooooooooooooooooo booooooooooooooooy.
Based on the blurb, I was looking for an insightful, funny and empathetic story about two boys discovering a deep friendship and possibly exploration of sexuality between two boys in a hyper-masculine environment, with a learning curve character arc for Rafe as he realizes the impact of his lies, but not this mess of a book. It had so much potential.
Lemme just put the rest of this review into spoilers, because spoilers are coming!
Okay, so clearly I have ~feelings~ about this book that make this review about as far from objective as possible.
I even made notes while listening to the audiobook, and I hardly ever take notes while reading a book unless I'm doing research.
Two stars because
Edit: knocked down to 1 star because fuck this book
Rafe is tired of being The Gay Kid at his school in Boulder, Colorado. He's tired of labels, of the constant eyes and judgement—even if he has a positive support structure, he wants a change of pace. And as a not gay, not straight, just Rafe student at a northeastern all-boys school, Rafe has his new start.
And then he meets Ben.
Cute and funny, there's just one problem: Ben is straight. But Rafe thinks that that could change.
~
Hooooooooooooooooooooooo booooooooooooooooy.
Based on the blurb, I was looking for an insightful, funny and empathetic story about two boys discovering a deep friendship and possibly exploration of sexuality between two boys in a hyper-masculine environment, with a learning curve character arc for Rafe as he realizes the impact of his lies, but not this mess of a book. It had so much potential.
Lemme just put the rest of this review into spoilers, because spoilers are coming!
Okay, so clearly I have ~feelings~ about this book that make this review about as far from objective as possible.
I even made notes while listening to the audiobook, and I hardly ever take notes while reading a book unless I'm doing research.
Two stars because
Edit: knocked down to 1 star because fuck this book
October 17, 2023
I have been thinking about labels…..a lot. Sometimes, a label seems superfluous (the White girl), while other times it seems to be used as an “explanation” (the Blonde girl). On the other hand, the lack of a label could be seen as misleading (oh, you didn’t say he was a Jock). When, if ever, are labels genuinely applicable?
Openly Straight allows the main character, teen-aged Rafe, to search for an answer to this question. See, Rafe has an opportunity for a do-over. Because he is openly Gay, he believes that he knows the perception and stigma that can accompany that label. He desperately wishes to know if he would be viewed differently without it. Will he find an answer, or will he find himself with even more complicated questions and fewer answers than he started with? Either way, it is a fabulously interesting journey on which we embark, as we accompany Rafe through his year of going from openly gay to slipping back into the closet….well, sort-of.
Even in a relatively controlled experiment, all things won’t be equal. Rafe was The Gay Boy with no adverse affects in his charmingly indulgent Colorado town. He begins to question the wisdom of coming out. His acceptance into an East Coast boarding school seems to be the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. There is simply no way he could have anticipated the devastation that can accompany a perceived secret.
Mr. Konigsberg tackles this somewhat sensitive topic head-on, honestly, and well…..openly. The characters are realistically flawed. They make mistakes, and don’t necessarily learn from them. The dialogues, relationships and rivalries are quintessential teen behaviors; while Rafe’s parents are affably atypical. Rafe’s story is certainly plausible; making his experiences feel very real to this reader. I had a vested interest in the outcome of his “experiment”.
This book is amazingly written. Mr. Konigsberg brings up points that, despite my mulling, I had never considered. The most important thing that I learned from reading this book is that my issue isn’t with labels, it is with the stereo-typing that often accompanies the labels. I believe that this story translates well for any label, but I am afraid that the audience may be limited simply because the label in Rafe’s life is Gay, rather than Jock, or Geek. This is one time that I certainly hope I am mistaken, because this is a book that I believe any reader would enjoy.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
Openly Straight allows the main character, teen-aged Rafe, to search for an answer to this question. See, Rafe has an opportunity for a do-over. Because he is openly Gay, he believes that he knows the perception and stigma that can accompany that label. He desperately wishes to know if he would be viewed differently without it. Will he find an answer, or will he find himself with even more complicated questions and fewer answers than he started with? Either way, it is a fabulously interesting journey on which we embark, as we accompany Rafe through his year of going from openly gay to slipping back into the closet….well, sort-of.
Even in a relatively controlled experiment, all things won’t be equal. Rafe was The Gay Boy with no adverse affects in his charmingly indulgent Colorado town. He begins to question the wisdom of coming out. His acceptance into an East Coast boarding school seems to be the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. There is simply no way he could have anticipated the devastation that can accompany a perceived secret.
Mr. Konigsberg tackles this somewhat sensitive topic head-on, honestly, and well…..openly. The characters are realistically flawed. They make mistakes, and don’t necessarily learn from them. The dialogues, relationships and rivalries are quintessential teen behaviors; while Rafe’s parents are affably atypical. Rafe’s story is certainly plausible; making his experiences feel very real to this reader. I had a vested interest in the outcome of his “experiment”.
This book is amazingly written. Mr. Konigsberg brings up points that, despite my mulling, I had never considered. The most important thing that I learned from reading this book is that my issue isn’t with labels, it is with the stereo-typing that often accompanies the labels. I believe that this story translates well for any label, but I am afraid that the audience may be limited simply because the label in Rafe’s life is Gay, rather than Jock, or Geek. This is one time that I certainly hope I am mistaken, because this is a book that I believe any reader would enjoy.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
June 23, 2015
POR FIN PUEDO HABLAR DE ÉL.
Menuda novela, por Dios. Sin duda, una de mis favoritas de este año y sin duda, una de mis favoritas en general. En la línea del gran Levithan o Chbosky, tenemos una historia realista sobre un romance de un gay haciéndose pasar por heterosexual con su mejor amigo heterosexual. Todo muy normal. La palabra que define a Openly Straight es REALISTA. Sin duda. Un estilo y un ritmo endiabladamente buenos, lleno de conflictos verosímiles y con una pareja que va surgiendo poco a poco, cuidada al más mínimo detalle y que te hace MORIR: eso es Openly Straight Además, es una novela que ayudaría a tantas personas en el armario... Dadle una oportunidad, de verdad, abre mucho los ojos.
HE MUERTO CON ESTA NOVELA POR DIOS LEEDLA.
NOTA: Algún día haré una review en condiciones, pero bastante que me han dejado comentarla un poquito.
NOTA 2: Cojones, leedla.
Menuda novela, por Dios. Sin duda, una de mis favoritas de este año y sin duda, una de mis favoritas en general. En la línea del gran Levithan o Chbosky, tenemos una historia realista sobre un romance de un gay haciéndose pasar por heterosexual con su mejor amigo heterosexual. Todo muy normal. La palabra que define a Openly Straight es REALISTA. Sin duda. Un estilo y un ritmo endiabladamente buenos, lleno de conflictos verosímiles y con una pareja que va surgiendo poco a poco, cuidada al más mínimo detalle y que te hace MORIR: eso es Openly Straight Además, es una novela que ayudaría a tantas personas en el armario... Dadle una oportunidad, de verdad, abre mucho los ojos.
HE MUERTO CON ESTA NOVELA POR DIOS LEEDLA.
NOTA: Algún día haré una review en condiciones, pero bastante que me han dejado comentarla un poquito.
NOTA 2: Cojones, leedla.
February 24, 2014
4.5 stars
Is it every gay guy's duty to get out of the closet? Rafe doesn't want to deceive people, but he hates being "that one gay kid" back in his hometown. When he moves from Boulder, Colorado to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he keeps his homosexuality a secret and pretends to like girls - soon enough, he's part of the jock pack, and he really likes it. But being openly straight isn't as easy as Rafe thinks, and he feels the pressure when he develops feelings for his teammate Ben, who might be the only guy who really understands him.
Rafe took awhile to grow on me, but about halfway through the novel I found myself rooting for him. Konigsberg addresses a multitude of real issues: the conflict between ingroups and outgroups, the effects of labeling, the importance of your sexuality in regard to your identity, and more. Konigsberg gives Rafe an honest voice to delve into these topics - his confusion and search for self never felt forced or scripted, and the second half of this novel almost pushed it to a 5-star rating. Contemporary YA fans will love Openly Straight for its quality writing and its quirky, fresh teenage perspective.
I also adored the side characters in this novel. Rafe's friendship with Claire Olivia improved as the novel progressed, a great feat for a platonic relationship within a YA novel. Many people will appreciate the presence of Rafe's ultra-liberal parents; his bond with them and how it was sometimes strained but always loving made me smile. Rafe's relationship with Ben as a whole won me over with great speed - its development and denouement served as my favorite parts of the book. Their bromance triggered most of my fanboy-like squeals of joy.
Overall, highly recommended for fans of realistic YA, glbt books, or a well-written teenage voice in general. One of my favorites of this year so far.
*review cross-posted on my blog, the quiet voice.
Is it every gay guy's duty to get out of the closet? Rafe doesn't want to deceive people, but he hates being "that one gay kid" back in his hometown. When he moves from Boulder, Colorado to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he keeps his homosexuality a secret and pretends to like girls - soon enough, he's part of the jock pack, and he really likes it. But being openly straight isn't as easy as Rafe thinks, and he feels the pressure when he develops feelings for his teammate Ben, who might be the only guy who really understands him.
Rafe took awhile to grow on me, but about halfway through the novel I found myself rooting for him. Konigsberg addresses a multitude of real issues: the conflict between ingroups and outgroups, the effects of labeling, the importance of your sexuality in regard to your identity, and more. Konigsberg gives Rafe an honest voice to delve into these topics - his confusion and search for self never felt forced or scripted, and the second half of this novel almost pushed it to a 5-star rating. Contemporary YA fans will love Openly Straight for its quality writing and its quirky, fresh teenage perspective.
I also adored the side characters in this novel. Rafe's friendship with Claire Olivia improved as the novel progressed, a great feat for a platonic relationship within a YA novel. Many people will appreciate the presence of Rafe's ultra-liberal parents; his bond with them and how it was sometimes strained but always loving made me smile. Rafe's relationship with Ben as a whole won me over with great speed - its development and denouement served as my favorite parts of the book. Their bromance triggered most of my fanboy-like squeals of joy.
Overall, highly recommended for fans of realistic YA, glbt books, or a well-written teenage voice in general. One of my favorites of this year so far.
*review cross-posted on my blog, the quiet voice.
July 8, 2013
3.5 stars. I'm curious if Bill Konigsberg ever sat at a lunch table with John Green and David Levithan. Why, you ask? I can't really quite put my finger on the why or how but I felt like Konigsberg was channeling some of the offbeat vibe that the other two authors have been known to use in their own style of writing.
Before you groan and say that all three authors are male, or have tackled writing about similar subjects, just hear me out. Or read me out, since you can't actually hear me saying anything.
Openly Straight just has this weirdly wonderful thing going on. It's funny, candid, and uncomfortable at times. Have we not seen this method of madness with Green or Levithan before? Yes? Okay, so maybe I'm not completely off-base.
Granted, Openly Straight stands on its own because the story is not one you see every day. I might have seen similar ideas before but not with the added bizarre personalities. Past similarities came with Lifetime-movie serious sadface moments. There were no dads karaoke-rapping or moms doing naked yoga. Rafe's parents reminded me of Gaylord (Greg) Focker's parents from Meet the Fockers. It's all I could picture, and it had me grinning inside of my head.
I know that I need to close my window shades, unless I want to see a show that no son should see.
Can a gay kid pretend to be straight and get away with it? This is what we readers are here to find out. Rafe moves away to an all-boys school (odd choice, perhaps?) in order to get away from his "out" life in Boulder, CO, where everyone knows and labels him as the gay kid.
I get it. I really do. It's got to suck for people to see your sexual orientation instead of seeing you.
So maybe being openly gay isn't a curse, but it's fucking exhausting.
However, I sort of lost sympathy for Rafe after a while when he realized that he was badly deceiving everyone, and it wasn't going to be pretty when people found out. Yes, I get that the story has to go for x amount of pages and that you can't just spill the beans and be done with it, but maybe Rafe needed to be clueless just a little while longer, so I wouldn't be as frustrated with him for not wising up and dealing with reality.
But this was readable, and it was quirky, so I liked it. After all, where else are you going to read lines such as : Are you, like, a Republican now too? or ground turkey that tasted like sadness, or even I have a long-standing agreement with cows that I won't eat their balls if they won't eat mine?
While there's nothing new or life-changing between the pages and the message might have gotten to be a little too overzealous at times, when you got down to the heart of the matter, it's really all about someone needing to learn to love himself. That's a pretty familiar subject for most everyone. I think we've all been there at one point or another. Kudos to the author for tackling this tough subject with humor and sincerity.
July 25, 2017
BooktubeAThon Challenge #1: Read a book about a character that is different from you - COMPLETE!
I think this is more of a 3.5 stars, but I'm feeling really wishy washy about this one. I really enjoyed this and I loved all of the characters, but some of the way things were handled in this didn't necessarily sit well with me. Wompppppppppaodk;jfashkdfjhd
I think this is more of a 3.5 stars, but I'm feeling really wishy washy about this one. I really enjoyed this and I loved all of the characters, but some of the way things were handled in this didn't necessarily sit well with me. Wompppppppppaodk;jfashkdfjhd
January 21, 2015
Dear friends,
Look at the list of literary awards this book has been honoured with:
Sid Fleischman Humor Award (2014)Lambda Literary Award Nominee (2014)Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (ALAN/NCTE) Nominee (2014)American Library Association Rainbow List (2014)Texas Library Association's Tayshas List (Top Ten Title) (2014)Georgia Peach Award Nominee (2014)Yalsa's Best Fiction for Young Adults (2014)And then ask yourselves WHY FGS I HAVE NOT YET READ IT?! Though you don't have to do the same. It was ME who asked myself this question. It was ME who swallowed 336 pages in one sitting. It was ME who laughed highlighted laughed highlighted highlighted highlighted laughed smiled laughed highlighted highlighted highlighted highlighted dropped some tears laughed highlighted and then - WTF??!!
I ADORE the first 90%. LOVELOVELOVE IT! I don't really know what to think about the last 10%. Right now I'm trying to find a reasonable explanation for that ending. Didn't this book win Sid Fleischman Humor Award? THE LAST 10% WAS NOT FUNNY! I read even the Acknowledgements and About the author at the end of the book searching for an explanation!
But one after another:
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write. And he is gay. Openly gay in Boulder, Colorado. His parents love him, his neighbours love him, he is a beloved 'gay kid' in Boulder, Colorado. "But growing up in Boulder is like growing up in a bubble." It's why he goes to Natick, an all-boys school, almost 3.000 miles away from his home town. He wants to start everything from the very beginning.
Finally, here it was. My chance for a do-over. Here at Natick, I could be just Rafe. Not crazy Gavin and Opal’s colorful son. Not the "different" guy on the soccer team. Not the openly gay kid who had it all figured out.
He doens't plan to go back in the closet,he is just tired of feeling different. He decided to stop be open about it. He just wants to feel like one of the guys for once.
I was going to be label-free. Don’t ask, and I won’t tell. The only way I would actually lie was if I were asked directly, "Are you gay?" In that case, I’d say no. But even then I wouldn’t go on about being straight. I didn’t want to lie; I just wanted to not be the guy whose main attribute was liking other guys. Been there, done that.
But how long can something like THIS stay unnoticeable? As he's fallen in love with Ben, a tiny insignificance of NOT-OPENLY-BEING-GAY turns into a BIG LIE. And lying to a friend sucked. Of course, he'll come to the point when he ought to tell the truth, when he has to stop to pretend to be someone else. Will it end good?
As soon as I tried to remove the label, a lie formed. In the end, that lie created a barrier way worse than the original one. How crazy is that? Ironic, I mean. I created a barrier getting rid of a barrier.
It's soooooooo worth to read the book to find out what happened here.
So, read it and for now I shut my mouth.
The ending:
To all HEA-junkies: It is not a NOT-HEA. It is real. Like real life. I'd say that it is a good ending. So don't afraid to read it. Only...I was sure that I knew at around 50% already EXACTLY how the story would end, and I was OKAY with it. Because it is one of those book where "the journey is the reward". So, when suddenly I got the different ending from that I'd predicted, I was...
It was like a Disney Movie that suddenly becomes an open ending.
But I think that slowly I start to understand WHY the author did it. And I appreciate his courage and his way of thinking.
Can you just put a part of yourself on hold? And if you do, does it cease to be true?
How was I expecting to get closer to someone by not being truly me?
The writing:
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC GREAT AMAZING FUNNY POIGNANT CLEVER WARM-HEARTED!
Great characters, witty, sweet, it goes straightly to my FAVOURITE shelf. NO HESITATION.
I utterly totally understand WHY this book has such a lot of literary awards. It is a literary juwel. A MUST READ. Better now than tomorrow.
Highly highly highly recommended!
September 15, 2017
This is one of those 3 star ratings, that feel a bit weird, because I actually really enjoyed reading this book. It's way ahead in the entertainment level and quality of writing compared to quite a few other books on my 3 star list.
There were just a few things that bothered me. Sure, you might say that every book has those and what are they compared to all the things you loved about it... but they just REALLY bothered me A LOT. They took me out of the story.
(I also actually expect the sequel to be awesome, so I'm totally prepared to rate it higher! Fingers crossed.)
But before I start complaining, let me tell you what I liked first:
- I thought Rafe was a totally believable teenage first person voice. From his perspective, he made perfect sense. He was wrong quite a lot of the time and said cringe worthy stuff, but he read as a real human teenager with lots of complicated things going on in his life. He wasn't always likeable, but teenage me kept nodding along with him, going "Jep, sounds familiar." in my head.
- I also loved that at all times during this book, Rafe had other people important to him. He had a family, he had friends (and sort-of-friends) and he had a teacher he liked. Granted, the chapters were really short, but there were some where he just hung out with friends or talked to his mother and no love interest in sight. That was refreshing.
- Ben was a great love interest. Give me all the love interests that are actually kind and decent people! Nice people can be sarcastic or snarky at times, too!
- This book was funny. It honestly cracked me up quite a few times. I'm one of those readers who reads all books with the same stoic face. If a book makes me smile or laugh or even cry, it's always a feat and this book did the first two things more than once.
So basically this book had humor, it had charme and it had some really nice characters... and here comes the big BUT:
At first, I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to agree with Rafe's parents and his childhood friend at all. Most of the time, I figured I wasn't supposed to. I kept waiting for the moment where they went: "Wait a minute. Maybe we should take a step back here and try to understand Rafe better..." but it never happened, so I must assume that I was supposed to root for them all this time and just ... no?
Yes, I get that Rafe's "Okay, I'm straight at this school and clearly nothing could go wrong." plan was bewildering. I get that especially his super liberal parents weren't the biggest fan of it. But how all three of his closest people reacted was just ... terrible?
The childhood friend reacted with such an anger, it was honestly so weird? She didn't even try to understand where Rafe was coming from. It was like he was insulting her personally.
And the parents? It was like they were defining themselves via their son's sexuality and were insulted that they couldn't be the 'parents to a gay son' anymore for like... one weekend? Just imagine your son asks you not to mention that he's gay for one weekend, while you're visiting the school. Should be easy right? Just don't ask your son if he has been (or thinking of) banging other dudes and you're fine. Ask him about his friends or about his classes. Talk to him about literally anything else. He's your son. You're close to each other. You can find other topics.
But Rafe's parents acted like it was the hardest thing in the world. It made me uncomfortable.
Not to mention that they were kind of creepy about their son's sexuality in general. Especially the mother... taking it in a stride that your son is gay is one (good) thing, but wishing for it is... eh? And then dragging him to all the PFLAG meetings he doesn't want to go to, become president of said group, buying him books he should read essentially like homework because 'one needs to know their own history' is just a tad too much. They and the childhood friend (Who says she has suuuch a good gaydar btw. Yikes.) honestly acted like screaming teenage slash fans.
It was like in trying to avoid the label, Rafe had to talk about his sexuality more than he usually had to (and it seems like he had to a lot before). It was a topic in every damn conversation he had with people from home. It was mindboggling.
Like damn, let your son try this thing. He's not doing drugs or out to murder people. You know and trust him, so let him figure himself out instead of repeating again and again who you think he is. Not to mention the guilt tripping about how "good" Rafe has it. Had he just been born 10 years earlier, he'd have suffered more! If his family/friends/town weren't so open, he'd have suffered more! Not everyone is as lucky as you, my gay son!PRAISE US!
As funny and heartwarming as they were sometimes, they were honestly exhausting to read about.
The other two things that I didn't love are tiny in comparison:
1. While I think that Ben was an excellent love interest, I thought the development was a bit lackluster. Rafe sees that Ben has kind eyes when they first meet, but actually thinks he's kind of a jerk? There is an awkward bathroom encounter, a less awkward party encounter and... suddenly they're close? And then suddenly even closer? I've seen better written development (But also worse.). And I was totally on Ben's side in the end.
(Another reason why I assume I'll like the sequel better is because all the feelings will already be in place.)
2. I didn't really like the resolution regarding the soccer team.
I have lots of more thoughts about this book (ha, don't you like a book that makes you think?) but I don't know how to put them into coherent sentences. It was an enjoyable journey with one big roadblock. I'm nonetheless looking very much forward to the sequel.
There were just a few things that bothered me. Sure, you might say that every book has those and what are they compared to all the things you loved about it... but they just REALLY bothered me A LOT. They took me out of the story.
(I also actually expect the sequel to be awesome, so I'm totally prepared to rate it higher! Fingers crossed.)
But before I start complaining, let me tell you what I liked first:
- I thought Rafe was a totally believable teenage first person voice. From his perspective, he made perfect sense. He was wrong quite a lot of the time and said cringe worthy stuff, but he read as a real human teenager with lots of complicated things going on in his life. He wasn't always likeable, but teenage me kept nodding along with him, going "Jep, sounds familiar." in my head.
- I also loved that at all times during this book, Rafe had other people important to him. He had a family, he had friends (and sort-of-friends) and he had a teacher he liked. Granted, the chapters were really short, but there were some where he just hung out with friends or talked to his mother and no love interest in sight. That was refreshing.
- Ben was a great love interest. Give me all the love interests that are actually kind and decent people! Nice people can be sarcastic or snarky at times, too!
- This book was funny. It honestly cracked me up quite a few times. I'm one of those readers who reads all books with the same stoic face. If a book makes me smile or laugh or even cry, it's always a feat and this book did the first two things more than once.
So basically this book had humor, it had charme and it had some really nice characters... and here comes the big BUT:
At first, I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to agree with Rafe's parents and his childhood friend at all. Most of the time, I figured I wasn't supposed to. I kept waiting for the moment where they went: "Wait a minute. Maybe we should take a step back here and try to understand Rafe better..." but it never happened, so I must assume that I was supposed to root for them all this time and just ... no?
Yes, I get that Rafe's "Okay, I'm straight at this school and clearly nothing could go wrong." plan was bewildering. I get that especially his super liberal parents weren't the biggest fan of it. But how all three of his closest people reacted was just ... terrible?
The childhood friend reacted with such an anger, it was honestly so weird? She didn't even try to understand where Rafe was coming from. It was like he was insulting her personally.
And the parents? It was like they were defining themselves via their son's sexuality and were insulted that they couldn't be the 'parents to a gay son' anymore for like... one weekend? Just imagine your son asks you not to mention that he's gay for one weekend, while you're visiting the school. Should be easy right? Just don't ask your son if he has been (or thinking of) banging other dudes and you're fine. Ask him about his friends or about his classes. Talk to him about literally anything else. He's your son. You're close to each other. You can find other topics.
But Rafe's parents acted like it was the hardest thing in the world. It made me uncomfortable.
Not to mention that they were kind of creepy about their son's sexuality in general. Especially the mother... taking it in a stride that your son is gay is one (good) thing, but wishing for it is... eh? And then dragging him to all the PFLAG meetings he doesn't want to go to, become president of said group, buying him books he should read essentially like homework because 'one needs to know their own history' is just a tad too much. They and the childhood friend (Who says she has suuuch a good gaydar btw. Yikes.) honestly acted like screaming teenage slash fans.
It was like in trying to avoid the label, Rafe had to talk about his sexuality more than he usually had to (and it seems like he had to a lot before). It was a topic in every damn conversation he had with people from home. It was mindboggling.
Like damn, let your son try this thing. He's not doing drugs or out to murder people. You know and trust him, so let him figure himself out instead of repeating again and again who you think he is. Not to mention the guilt tripping about how "good" Rafe has it. Had he just been born 10 years earlier, he'd have suffered more! If his family/friends/town weren't so open, he'd have suffered more! Not everyone is as lucky as you, my gay son!
As funny and heartwarming as they were sometimes, they were honestly exhausting to read about.
The other two things that I didn't love are tiny in comparison:
1. While I think that Ben was an excellent love interest, I thought the development was a bit lackluster. Rafe sees that Ben has kind eyes when they first meet, but actually thinks he's kind of a jerk? There is an awkward bathroom encounter, a less awkward party encounter and... suddenly they're close? And then suddenly even closer? I've seen better written development (But also worse.). And I was totally on Ben's side in the end.
(Another reason why I assume I'll like the sequel better is because all the feelings will already be in place.)
2. I didn't really like the resolution regarding the soccer team.
I have lots of more thoughts about this book (ha, don't you like a book that makes you think?) but I don't know how to put them into coherent sentences. It was an enjoyable journey with one big roadblock. I'm nonetheless looking very much forward to the sequel.
Want to read
September 15, 2017Audible deal of the day for $2.95, 9/15/17
May 30, 2013
Bill Konigsberg's first novel, Out of the Pocket, was one of my earliest experiences with LGBT Young Adult -- and I loved it so very much. So I was so excited when I learned that Mr. Konisgberg was releasing his sophomore novel.
Seamus Rafael Goldberg (and no, none of his parents are Irish!) or Rafe is tired with being an openly gay kid in Boulder, Colorado. Rafe gets it easy, his hippie parents embrace him being gay and love him still. His mother is the president of PFLAG. His best friend, Claire Olivia, also doesn't mind. But at the same time, Rafe feels like it limits him. That he is seen only as "the gay kid" instead of "Rafe". So, in his new school in Natick, Massachusetts, Rafe decides that he wants to "take a break" from being gay.
Except that it doesn't go exactly as he plans. Yes, at first Rafe enjoys the 'freedom' of being the 'normal' kid -- be part of the soccer posse, seen as a jock. But Rafe realizes that being a 'jock' is just a different label, with consequences that come with it. It becomes more difficult when Rafe likes this boy, Ben, and he cannot even be honest about himself.
I really, REALLY love this story for being unique and refreshing and thoughtful. I love how it questions labels in society; that what is seen as 'good label' doesn't always mean positive (there is this kid, Robinson, who is not a stereotype gay, and he is tired of being seen as not gay, and he cannot wait to be able to "be gay"). I love all the characters and their different traits. I love the little project that the teacher gives Rafe to write a journal about himself, so he can assess himself and why he makes his choices.
A couple of friends who did buddy read with me don't like the ending. I know that the ending seems to be, well, unfinished: and that there is this sense of "So what then?" ... However, for me, it is perfect.
Because when it comes to the journey of what he learns by being 'openly straight' in his first semester in Natick, Rafe gets it. He learns that trying to shed a label doesn't mean that he's free to do everything. Rafe learns that sometimes people who are looking at him might not really thinking about him. Rafe learns that trying to pass as normal (or what society thinks as normal) might not worth losing a part of himself, and that by lying to himself, he hurts others in process.
And ... Rafe finally understands that he can stand still while the others are dancing. Because being different, well, that is just another reason for celebration, isn't it?
With this, Mr. Konigsberg, I can tell you that I am now a fan of yours. Thank you for this thoughtful story...
PS: There's this tidbit about a gay quarterback who talks at Natick early in the book. While there's no name mentioned, isn't it wonderful if that quarterback turns out to be Bobby Framingham (from Out of the Pocket) :p
Seamus Rafael Goldberg (and no, none of his parents are Irish!) or Rafe is tired with being an openly gay kid in Boulder, Colorado. Rafe gets it easy, his hippie parents embrace him being gay and love him still. His mother is the president of PFLAG. His best friend, Claire Olivia, also doesn't mind. But at the same time, Rafe feels like it limits him. That he is seen only as "the gay kid" instead of "Rafe". So, in his new school in Natick, Massachusetts, Rafe decides that he wants to "take a break" from being gay.
Except that it doesn't go exactly as he plans. Yes, at first Rafe enjoys the 'freedom' of being the 'normal' kid -- be part of the soccer posse, seen as a jock. But Rafe realizes that being a 'jock' is just a different label, with consequences that come with it. It becomes more difficult when Rafe likes this boy, Ben, and he cannot even be honest about himself.
I really, REALLY love this story for being unique and refreshing and thoughtful. I love how it questions labels in society; that what is seen as 'good label' doesn't always mean positive (there is this kid, Robinson, who is not a stereotype gay, and he is tired of being seen as not gay, and he cannot wait to be able to "be gay"). I love all the characters and their different traits. I love the little project that the teacher gives Rafe to write a journal about himself, so he can assess himself and why he makes his choices.
A couple of friends who did buddy read with me don't like the ending. I know that the ending seems to be, well, unfinished: and that there is this sense of "So what then?" ... However, for me, it is perfect.
Because when it comes to the journey of what he learns by being 'openly straight' in his first semester in Natick, Rafe gets it. He learns that trying to shed a label doesn't mean that he's free to do everything. Rafe learns that sometimes people who are looking at him might not really thinking about him. Rafe learns that trying to pass as normal (or what society thinks as normal) might not worth losing a part of himself, and that by lying to himself, he hurts others in process.
And ... Rafe finally understands that he can stand still while the others are dancing. Because being different, well, that is just another reason for celebration, isn't it?
With this, Mr. Konigsberg, I can tell you that I am now a fan of yours. Thank you for this thoughtful story...
PS: There's this tidbit about a gay quarterback who talks at Natick early in the book. While there's no name mentioned, isn't it wonderful if that quarterback turns out to be Bobby Framingham (from Out of the Pocket) :p
August 9, 2020
One of my favourite YA books. I love the characters, and the story is lovely and feels very real. I've re-listened to it many times, the audiobook is excellent.
August 25, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Being gay isn’t a choice, but being out definitely is. Raised by some seriously hippie-dippie parents, Rafe’s coming out was a breeze. We’re talking the school held a special celebration, his mother became the president of the local PFLAG and Rafe began traveling to different schools in the area to mentor other kids. It was wonderful – until Rafe became JUST the gay guy. No one except his best friend, Claire Olivia, was interested in just knowing HIM – they always wanted to know the GAY him. In an effort to shed all labels, Rafe transfers across the country to an all-boys boarding school. There he will play soccer, study hard in hopes of getting accepted to an Ivy league college and have a chance to just be Rafe. The plan of being “openly straight” and not discussing his sex life works out great, until he starts developing deeper feelings for one of his teammates.
Now let me tell you what I thought of this book:
“Did you know that LGBT kids are 8.4 times more likely than straight kids to attempt suicide? And 50 percent of LGBT kids are rejected by their parents? That between 20 and 40 percent of homeless teens say they’re gay, lesbian, or transgender, and that up to 50 percent of the guy teens have sold their bodies to support themselves?”
I have no idea if the above statement is true or not. It’s a quote from the book and the stats seem realistic. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to come out – to be labeled by many without them even getting to know you. That’s why books like Openly Straight resonate so deeply with me. This book pushes no agenda – it’s just what a romantic comedy YA book should be. It shows that characters are just like people and come in all varieties – gay, straight, funny, sympathetic, even vile. People are just people, a memorable character is a memorable character, a good author is a good author, and a good book is a good book. This is a good book. It was adorably funny and made me have some feely-feels too.
“Perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.”
Being gay isn’t a choice, but being out definitely is. Raised by some seriously hippie-dippie parents, Rafe’s coming out was a breeze. We’re talking the school held a special celebration, his mother became the president of the local PFLAG and Rafe began traveling to different schools in the area to mentor other kids. It was wonderful – until Rafe became JUST the gay guy. No one except his best friend, Claire Olivia, was interested in just knowing HIM – they always wanted to know the GAY him. In an effort to shed all labels, Rafe transfers across the country to an all-boys boarding school. There he will play soccer, study hard in hopes of getting accepted to an Ivy league college and have a chance to just be Rafe. The plan of being “openly straight” and not discussing his sex life works out great, until he starts developing deeper feelings for one of his teammates.
Now let me tell you what I thought of this book:
“Did you know that LGBT kids are 8.4 times more likely than straight kids to attempt suicide? And 50 percent of LGBT kids are rejected by their parents? That between 20 and 40 percent of homeless teens say they’re gay, lesbian, or transgender, and that up to 50 percent of the guy teens have sold their bodies to support themselves?”
I have no idea if the above statement is true or not. It’s a quote from the book and the stats seem realistic. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to come out – to be labeled by many without them even getting to know you. That’s why books like Openly Straight resonate so deeply with me. This book pushes no agenda – it’s just what a romantic comedy YA book should be. It shows that characters are just like people and come in all varieties – gay, straight, funny, sympathetic, even vile. People are just people, a memorable character is a memorable character, a good author is a good author, and a good book is a good book. This is a good book. It was adorably funny and made me have some feely-feels too.
“Perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.”
March 18, 2017
“It’s hard to be different,” Scarborough said. “And perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.”
There are two things you should know about this book:
1. Mr. Scarborough is the best character to ever exist.
2. It will take your beliefs apart, and question them.
“We’re a pretty tolerant place,” Steve said, an edge to his voice.
“Ah, interesting word. Tolerant. What does tolerant mean?”
“It means we tolerate,” Steve said, flat. “We accept people.”
“Actually, tolerance and acceptance are different. To tolerate seems to mean that there is something negative to tolerate, doesn't it? Acceptance, though, what's that?”
“Well, if you need to accept something, that means it's not like it should be, right? Like you accept something as it is. Acceptance is an affirmation you're good enough.”
And in these two quotes, lies the crux of this novel. It doesn't tell us what to believe, the main character isn't preachy about anything. He's just trying to figure things out for himself. He's trying to understand labels, and why they're (not) important. And it's important that we, as readers, try to figure this out along with him.
Rafe is tired of being the gay kid. He's tired of people expecting him to be different. Tired of people expecting him to be special. When someone else crossdresses on halloween - they're a travestite. When Rafe does the same - he's a drag queen. This book left me thinking about a hell lot of things. If being gay was the "norm", would we objectify men the way we talk about women as things? (We = society in general) Or is that treatment reserved only for women?
Why do we have labels for everything?
"I'm so tired of being a type," I repeated.
"It's not just a black and white thing. Jock. Geek. Stoner. No one is considered just a human being, it seems like."
I don't have the answers. Nor does Bill Konigsberg. But it's important that we think about this.
August 10, 2016
In Openly Straight, Mr Konigsberg explores, among other things, labeling and stereotyping, identity and self-perception, and the triptych 'tolerance-acceptance-celebration' when it comes to difference/diversity.
The book is well-written, in a fresh and funny and a largely non-sententious way.
The thing is, though, I didn't like Rafe, the main character. I enjoyed certain parts of him, but I didn't really like him as a person and my opinion of him didn't improve in the last quarter of the book, either. I understand that to a certain degree, we all learn to navigate life by trial and error, and that he came out of the whole experience a better person, but that didn't help him come across as less of an impostor.
Also, for me, if you took Rafe and his (extended) family aside, almost everything else in the story felt stereotypical. The jocks posse (which, of course, included at least one deeply closeted homosexual and at least one homophobic member,) the geeky roommate, the one openly gay student, the progressive English professor (who reminded me of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society,) the unsophisticated sports coach, the love interest who couldn't take the step forward and come out as gay (or bi) because of all the things that held him back (mostly his family—naturally.)
The book is about Rafe, so I understand why it had to end the way it did. Though I would have enjoyed it more had it been a dual POV story. That way, I could have spent some time in Ben's head, too, seen how he struggled with his own issues of identity and self-perception.
The book is well-written, in a fresh and funny and a largely non-sententious way.
The thing is, though, I didn't like Rafe, the main character. I enjoyed certain parts of him, but I didn't really like him as a person and my opinion of him didn't improve in the last quarter of the book, either. I understand that to a certain degree, we all learn to navigate life by trial and error, and that he came out of the whole experience a better person, but that didn't help him come across as less of an impostor.
Also, for me, if you took Rafe and his (extended) family aside, almost everything else in the story felt stereotypical. The jocks posse (which, of course, included at least one deeply closeted homosexual and at least one homophobic member,) the geeky roommate, the one openly gay student, the progressive English professor (who reminded me of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society,) the unsophisticated sports coach, the love interest who couldn't take the step forward and come out as gay (or bi) because of all the things that held him back (mostly his family—naturally.)
The book is about Rafe, so I understand why it had to end the way it did. Though I would have enjoyed it more had it been a dual POV story. That way, I could have spent some time in Ben's head, too, seen how he struggled with his own issues of identity and self-perception.
December 16, 2015
Loved the book, but you've gotta give us SOME hope for Rafe and Ben -- especially after the whole 'agape' thing. : (
➍ ½ ★
➍ ½ ★
September 10, 2017
Loved this book so much! Check out my full review on my booktube channel at http://youtube.com/peterlikesbooks
November 15, 2014
BR with Mishy!
Rafe is an out and proud high school student who decides to go back into the closet because he's tired of being "the gay kid." He enrolls in an all-boys prep school and tries to live as himself without the gay label.
I really enjoyed this book. The MC is charming and witty. The supporting characters, particularly Rafe's parents, are very entertaining. The love story is poignant and felt just right for a YA book.
I deducted 1 star because the book does drag at times, but the payoff is definitely worth the slow spots.
Rafe is an out and proud high school student who decides to go back into the closet because he's tired of being "the gay kid." He enrolls in an all-boys prep school and tries to live as himself without the gay label.
I really enjoyed this book. The MC is charming and witty. The supporting characters, particularly Rafe's parents, are very entertaining. The love story is poignant and felt just right for a YA book.
I deducted 1 star because the book does drag at times, but the payoff is definitely worth the slow spots.
June 21, 2013
4 STARS
There are books that will make you think, books that will make you laugh and a book that will change the way you listen to "Hollaback Girl".
But only one can give you all that… and moar.
I don't think I can write a review worthy of this book's wit and brilliance. I love how I never once stopped functioning as a thinking reader but it didn't cause me serious, debilitating pain in the process. No one got beaten up, no one nearly got raped, there was no crying in the rain while clutching someone's soccer jersey. This was an absolute joy to experience.
It's tough to be Seamus Rafe Goldberg. To be openly gay in Boulder, Colorado since his freshman year; to be the only son of the president of Boulder PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays); to have a best friend who calls you Shay Shay; to be a charming, complex and interesting young man boxed in a single word: GAY. Tough enough to leave this sheltered environment, pack his bags to an all-boys school in Natick with the singular purpose of reinventing himself to someone who's not just gay . Not necessarily play the "Pretend Straight" game, just the "Maybe Not Mention" it to anyone.
Can you really extricate that part of yourself without losing who you are?
I have only read a handful of LGBT books but none of them satisfied what I was looking for as much as this one. Rafe's story is one of self-discovery, one that goes beyond his proclamation that he is gay. I liked that about this book. How a person is a person and not his sexual preference is a topic that should be heavy but the clever presentation of Rafe in this journey kept the drama to a minimum, the LOLs flowing freely and the wisdom in tofu pigs vividly painted.
Rafe should've really come across a whiner, a young man who cannot fully appreciate the gift of being gay in the 21st century. But his conflict and the questions he seeks answers from were fitting and valid for someone who is gay in the 21st century: when acceptance can easily translate to isolation, when someone's sexual orientation can be used as a weapon and when a guy just wants to be a guy who just happens to be gay.
The secondary characters were absolutely endearing. I covet Rafe's parents especially his mom (the gay guys gets the best moms, I think).
I'm torn between Albie and Toby on who to trail in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Albie invented scanner pong but Toby dresses up like Michael Jackson and does a mean Oprah ("You get a car! You get a car!") so I guess I'll have to settle with Coach Donnelly who sounds like a cross between Ron Burgundy and Stephen Colbert.
If I have to gripe about some thing it would be that some of Rafe's motives were questionable. Did he really have to transfer to New England in an All-Boys' School to not be just "the gay guy"? Wouldn't that have worked as well in ANY school outside of Rawbridge? I actually liked how things ended, especially the chapter before the last. It was out of left field, very witty. But I'm not sure how I feel about I'm not a fan of how and when Rafe realized how he didn't like Steve who was depicted stereotypically as the testosterone-fueled jock. For a book with rich, multi-dimensional characters, Steve drew the shortest stick and got just one. I had to pause and think what didn't work for me in this one because it truly was a very well-written, entertaining story.
There's always going to be that one book for every genre that you'd auto-rec to anyone who asks. This is the one I'd recommend for anyone who wants to think and laugh while doing it.
There are books that will make you think, books that will make you laugh and a book that will change the way you listen to "Hollaback Girl".
But only one can give you all that… and moar.
I don't think I can write a review worthy of this book's wit and brilliance. I love how I never once stopped functioning as a thinking reader but it didn't cause me serious, debilitating pain in the process. No one got beaten up, no one nearly got raped, there was no crying in the rain while clutching someone's soccer jersey. This was an absolute joy to experience.
It's tough to be Seamus Rafe Goldberg. To be openly gay in Boulder, Colorado since his freshman year; to be the only son of the president of Boulder PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays); to have a best friend who calls you Shay Shay; to be a charming, complex and interesting young man boxed in a single word: GAY. Tough enough to leave this sheltered environment, pack his bags to an all-boys school in Natick with the singular purpose of reinventing himself to someone who's not just gay . Not necessarily play the "Pretend Straight" game, just the "Maybe Not Mention" it to anyone.
Can you really extricate that part of yourself without losing who you are?
I have only read a handful of LGBT books but none of them satisfied what I was looking for as much as this one. Rafe's story is one of self-discovery, one that goes beyond his proclamation that he is gay. I liked that about this book. How a person is a person and not his sexual preference is a topic that should be heavy but the clever presentation of Rafe in this journey kept the drama to a minimum, the LOLs flowing freely and the wisdom in tofu pigs vividly painted.
Rafe should've really come across a whiner, a young man who cannot fully appreciate the gift of being gay in the 21st century. But his conflict and the questions he seeks answers from were fitting and valid for someone who is gay in the 21st century: when acceptance can easily translate to isolation, when someone's sexual orientation can be used as a weapon and when a guy just wants to be a guy who just happens to be gay.
The secondary characters were absolutely endearing. I covet Rafe's parents especially his mom (the gay guys gets the best moms, I think).
"…Nothing that comes from love could ever be wrong."
It was just such a thing my mother would say. Then she started singing 'All You Need Is Love' and I excused myself because there's a certain level of cheese that's too goopy even for me.
I'm torn between Albie and Toby on who to trail in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Albie invented scanner pong but Toby dresses up like Michael Jackson and does a mean Oprah ("You get a car! You get a car!") so I guess I'll have to settle with Coach Donnelly who sounds like a cross between Ron Burgundy and Stephen Colbert.
If I have to gripe about some thing it would be that some of Rafe's motives were questionable. Did he really have to transfer to New England in an All-Boys' School to not be just "the gay guy"? Wouldn't that have worked as well in ANY school outside of Rawbridge? I actually liked how things ended, especially the chapter before the last. It was out of left field, very witty. But I'm not sure how I feel about I'm not a fan of how and when Rafe realized how he didn't like Steve who was depicted stereotypically as the testosterone-fueled jock. For a book with rich, multi-dimensional characters, Steve drew the shortest stick and got just one. I had to pause and think what didn't work for me in this one because it truly was a very well-written, entertaining story.
There's always going to be that one book for every genre that you'd auto-rec to anyone who asks. This is the one I'd recommend for anyone who wants to think and laugh while doing it.
March 7, 2015
Absolutely awful.
Rafe as a person is impossible to relate to, despite how easy it should be. But a gay kid who feels so accepted he has to move to an all boys' school to pretend to be straight? Sounds like a poorly written fanfiction. (And yes, I am aware that Rafe felt he was just becoming "that gay kid" but he realizes at the end this wasn't true. So the point of this all was???)
Rafe is a detestable human being, made even worse by the fact that we're supposed to like him. His relationships with others are despicable (everything with Ben was horrid, and Ben deserves so much better) and his humor is dry.
PS,
"It was like when you approach a woman whom you think is beautiful and you see the caked-on blush and mascara, and you realize what you are seeing isn't her; it's her vanity. You're seeing her attempt at beauty, and it's the opposite of beauty that you're looking at."
really? Comparing women to tofu pigs because of their makeup? Konigsberg, women get enough of this horse manure from straight men who think they know what's best. People who wear makeup don't need it from you, too. Makeup is not a mask. It is not vanity. It is not a false face. People do not wear makeup because they don't want you to know what they really look like. Makeup is not the opposite of beauty or the attempt at beauty. It is makeup. It's been around for a long time. It's not evil. And people who chose to wear it do not need or deserve your or your character's scorn. It's a disgusting concept, that people who wear makeup are somehow hiding themselves or trying to achieve something they don't have.
Rafe as a person is impossible to relate to, despite how easy it should be. But a gay kid who feels so accepted he has to move to an all boys' school to pretend to be straight? Sounds like a poorly written fanfiction. (And yes, I am aware that Rafe felt he was just becoming "that gay kid" but he realizes at the end this wasn't true. So the point of this all was???)
Rafe is a detestable human being, made even worse by the fact that we're supposed to like him. His relationships with others are despicable (everything with Ben was horrid, and Ben deserves so much better) and his humor is dry.
PS,
"It was like when you approach a woman whom you think is beautiful and you see the caked-on blush and mascara, and you realize what you are seeing isn't her; it's her vanity. You're seeing her attempt at beauty, and it's the opposite of beauty that you're looking at."
really? Comparing women to tofu pigs because of their makeup? Konigsberg, women get enough of this horse manure from straight men who think they know what's best. People who wear makeup don't need it from you, too. Makeup is not a mask. It is not vanity. It is not a false face. People do not wear makeup because they don't want you to know what they really look like. Makeup is not the opposite of beauty or the attempt at beauty. It is makeup. It's been around for a long time. It's not evil. And people who chose to wear it do not need or deserve your or your character's scorn. It's a disgusting concept, that people who wear makeup are somehow hiding themselves or trying to achieve something they don't have.
December 6, 2014
ARE YOU KIDDING?????????
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???????
THERE BETTER BE A SEQUEL . . .
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???????
THERE BETTER BE A SEQUEL . . .
April 22, 2017
This is a book about learning that sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself again.
Thanks to my friend Dylan for the recommendation. Follow his BookTube Channel! Dylanthereader5!
Thanks to my friend Dylan for the recommendation. Follow his BookTube Channel! Dylanthereader5!
June 12, 2023
me metí al libro pensando que iba a ser full romance y la trama terminó girando en torno al auto descubrimiento del protagonista, entré buscando cobre y encontré oro 🙌🏻
September 1, 2015
Spoiler-ish note: the following discusses what happens to Rafe and Ben, but i think it's pretty clear that it becomes a cluster-fuck
As a middle schooler Rafe was out to his family, friends, and the entire community. His mother, stereotypically overbearing and insanely well adjusted to her son’s sexuality, Boudia-ed off her old life and into the life of a gay parent. Equally annoying—annoying because it stereotyped the type of man who accepts his son’s homosexuality—was his father, a man in-touch with his feelings, overly zealous with recording movies on his cell phone, was a walking advertisement for a sedative. His best friend, Claire-Olivia (because we just needed an annoying name), is supportive, but also very much centered on her own life. There is a very stereotypical, feminine gay, because, well contrast.
That was the life in Boulder, a life Raff left behind to attend a pre-school. He didn’t do this to advance his intellectual prowess. Oh no, he did it because he was fed up with his sexuality dictating his life. In Boulder people first and foremost identified him as gay, with all his other virtues and strengths secondary. He was a principle actor in the development of the community’s constricted vision of himself, and while Rafe fell to the pressure of his parents to out himself completely and participate in gay themed lectures, he was clearly adept at practicing self-agencies and self-determination.
Secret Agent Straight was thrust into the world of an all male, and mostly straight, cohort, and was further imbedded into the jock scene. He assimilated quite well into this new role, and the novel doesn’t refrain from reinforcing his Secret Agent Straight status as being casual to his new affinity for sports, as well as his peers’ level of acceptance. Take home…. while in Boulder, gayness was a principle attribute in his exclusion from ‘being one of the guys’.
Zoom forward with parties, drunkenness, awkwardness with a stereotypically weird and effeminate gay to contrast sharply with his otherwise Chameleon sexuality, dorks, lots of slut-shamming, various instances of homophobia and dangerously vapid discussions of it, some unexpected friends, and Secret Agent Straight all comfortable in his new factitious self.
Pause in your zooming…… Secret Agent Straight find himself at the cusp of a budding male-bonding experience, the likes he never, according to him, would be able to have as a self identifying gay dude. Of course Ben, who sounds utterly adorable, yet a bit bottom heavy, was difficult to gauge earlier on in the book. I guess we needed that tension. But Ben loosens up as they romp among the unthinkable. Ben’s character develops clearer as the story progresses, and we find him to be a traitor to a childhood steeped in rigid conformity and all things republican. He is a lovable teddy bear and his interactions with Rafe were sooooo reminiscent of Ben and Tim in Something like Summer/Winter.
There relationship blooms into something—if not tragically trite and expected. Both are left to navigate a situation that is uncomfortable. And duh, Secret Agent Straight feels incredibly guilty. Guilt swarms as he recognizes his actions and behavior have had a ripple effect on most, if not all of the systems of his life.
I had my reservations when reading the blurb. I questioned whether this would be a successful look at a world flooded with heterosexual stereotypes and hypocrisies— metrosexual and bromance come to mine—, but I also wondered, ‘could and would this book become a vehicle for deconstructing, analyzing, and opening the door for dialog of all of the above?’. I was also fearful that it would sensationalize, that it would monopolize on some very challenging and contentious issues and that it would preach a position. Unfortunately at the conclusion of this book I realized that the latter was true. At face value this book offered a new and novel approach to the all to familiar gay coming of age book. However, peering deeper within the narrative and overall context revealed a few things that I found troubling.
One of the clearest offenses was the loving and accepting family. Now, I realize these family units do exist (mine is), however I feel strongly that they engulf YA gay coming of age novels. I think this is a disservice to teenagers challenged by their sexual identify. It was further troubling to see the author construct a plot that had Rafe’s query of his own sexuality and the meaning of it, and all his support systems railing against Rafe. This is a huge double standard. At one point his family is ubber supportive, and then, when it doesn’t fit their specific needs or perceptions of sexuality, they fortify against him. Either way they are applying their lens to a very personal and individual thing. I was aghast. What does this tell young adults who are having a difficult time understanding their own sexuality and navigating the ways their family and friends may or are reacting to it? What does this reinforce for the child that has been ostracized for coming out? What does this tell a child who feels isolated and seeks out novels like this one for answers, only to find that maybe there aren’t people that will accept him if he doesn’t mend his sexual identity to their standards?
Then we have another author subjecting his readers to the notion that being gay is an ugly, jagged collection of failures, fractured hopes, and a life of conformity (I’ll get into this sucker later!). Of course at the center of this novel is a relationship, what would a coming of age novel be without one? In this case we have Secret Agent Straight and Ben. Their relationship is inevitably hindered and restricted by Rafe’s hidden sexuality. Rafe find himself cornered by the life he created, unable to completely venture into a genuine intimate relationship. Yet, Rafe does find a semblance of one, and that is a hell of a lot better than forcing himself to endure sexual activity with people that neither deserved nor understood him. I question, again, what this tells a YA who is lonely and desperate for touch, intimacy, and a partner. What do you put up with? Being in a relationship that doesn’t fulfill you because you know you deserve more? Or being in a relationship that gives you some of the things you deserve, but because you are pretending to be someone you aren’t, you don’t get the whole apple pie? Hmmmm, which sounds worse? .
Beyond the inescapable realization that Rafe’s dating life provided him something of substance when he was closeted—mind you an attribute that disgusted him when he was out—, we have that fucking concept that life will never be fulfilling, peaceful, and that the fear of being lonely or ostracized will never abate. Again, what the fuck are we telling teenagers when we illustrate this time and time again in books? . Oh but wait, he learned something about himself from his relationship with Ben, like every other book with a similar climax. Yet, what exactly did he learn? Because it was so freaking illusive, that when splatter painted on the wall of other gay coming of age novels, and from affair, it is really difficult to see the subtle nuances.
But, mostly, I felt saddened that it rejected its own premise. I assumed that it was attempting to decode the nature of labels, and that its final goal was to establish that one can have many different lenses. Unfortunately, once his life ruptured he was thrust back into his former existence. There were some philosophical discussions on the differences of self, specifically how he perceives himself in relation to others, but these were scant, and I felt rushed and under-developed. He left a life of a prominent label, being gay, and with it a life of stereotypes and forced ideology, and entered a life where he found love, comradery, and acceptance. Now, the argument will be that he ended up understanding that the foundation of those changes was false and he further felt that he betrayed himself, however, isn’t there a way he could have maintained some of these while also believing in himself and being happy? The problem is it ignores its own objective, that one can have multiple lenses and, through integrating them, be other than one’s sexuality. I get it, he learned that his former self wasn’t that bad, and in extracting some of Secret Agent Straight’s life, developed into this more self-enlightened individual, but I didn’t think this transformation varied from his original self, at least not by much.
The scenario is troubling, specifically where stereotypes weren’t completely dismantled. Sports, an area that is plagued by homophobia, are the most prominent example. In Boulder Rafe felt anchored to a position of separate but equal. In MA, absent of the confines of his sexuality, he was easily accepted into this world. Bill really needs to have a sit down with Mr. Scarborough—I’d mock this more, but it was simply just a huge cop out to developing Rafe—because there is some serious meaning behind this message that requires some heavy probing.
In the same vein there were additional troubling remarks made about masculinity. One of the larger was, “I hadn’t understood that desire in you, the desire to do those sort of boy things. I don’t know how I missed that”. My mouthed dropped as I felt the implications. It tied masculinity to being straight, and the exclusion of masculinity as an attribute of being gay. It also reinforced the deeply imbedded notion that some sports are gender specific. I felt that it also quite clearly implicated gays as girls, rather than boys. Likewise, with little discussion of the stereotypes that gays aren’t as able to participate in sports, it more than anything reinforced that Secret Agent Straight found the antidote to all these things; forfeiting one’s expression of his sexual identity. Ultimately it was a loss for an opportunity to explore these things in a way that was meaningful and constructive.
We also had Rafe ignoring the all too familiar narrative that all homos are horny and want to fuck all straight people. Let me clear this up for you, we are, and we don’t. In not commenting when Steve said, “ I mean, we would have to figure out some other shower arrangement”, to which Rafe thinks, “I wanted to say: No, I don’t know. Not every guy wants to go to bed with you”, the author just really applied some sheet-rock to those perceptions. What a total fucking failure by the author. Lets not even talk about how it negates one’s ability to confront stereotypes.
Overall it was well written, and the Ben and Rafe portions were so cuddly and adorable. It had some issues where it ignored sex, rather than exploring it tastefully. The addition of Mr. Scarborough caused pacing issues, seemed rather random, and was a cop-out to developing Rafe. But mostly I was left with a Rafe that was caught between embracing his sexuality in a manner he felt was his own and still relishing in the cold hard fact that Secret Agent Straight had it every so slightly good, minus having to jeopardize his integrity. This made me sad.
PS: why you gotta hate on a hairy butt, yo!
As a middle schooler Rafe was out to his family, friends, and the entire community. His mother, stereotypically overbearing and insanely well adjusted to her son’s sexuality, Boudia-ed off her old life and into the life of a gay parent. Equally annoying—annoying because it stereotyped the type of man who accepts his son’s homosexuality—was his father, a man in-touch with his feelings, overly zealous with recording movies on his cell phone, was a walking advertisement for a sedative. His best friend, Claire-Olivia (because we just needed an annoying name), is supportive, but also very much centered on her own life. There is a very stereotypical, feminine gay, because, well contrast.
That was the life in Boulder, a life Raff left behind to attend a pre-school. He didn’t do this to advance his intellectual prowess. Oh no, he did it because he was fed up with his sexuality dictating his life. In Boulder people first and foremost identified him as gay, with all his other virtues and strengths secondary. He was a principle actor in the development of the community’s constricted vision of himself, and while Rafe fell to the pressure of his parents to out himself completely and participate in gay themed lectures, he was clearly adept at practicing self-agencies and self-determination.
Secret Agent Straight was thrust into the world of an all male, and mostly straight, cohort, and was further imbedded into the jock scene. He assimilated quite well into this new role, and the novel doesn’t refrain from reinforcing his Secret Agent Straight status as being casual to his new affinity for sports, as well as his peers’ level of acceptance. Take home…. while in Boulder, gayness was a principle attribute in his exclusion from ‘being one of the guys’.
Zoom forward with parties, drunkenness, awkwardness with a stereotypically weird and effeminate gay to contrast sharply with his otherwise Chameleon sexuality, dorks, lots of slut-shamming, various instances of homophobia and dangerously vapid discussions of it, some unexpected friends, and Secret Agent Straight all comfortable in his new factitious self.
Pause in your zooming…… Secret Agent Straight find himself at the cusp of a budding male-bonding experience, the likes he never, according to him, would be able to have as a self identifying gay dude. Of course Ben, who sounds utterly adorable, yet a bit bottom heavy, was difficult to gauge earlier on in the book. I guess we needed that tension. But Ben loosens up as they romp among the unthinkable. Ben’s character develops clearer as the story progresses, and we find him to be a traitor to a childhood steeped in rigid conformity and all things republican. He is a lovable teddy bear and his interactions with Rafe were sooooo reminiscent of Ben and Tim in Something like Summer/Winter.
There relationship blooms into something—if not tragically trite and expected. Both are left to navigate a situation that is uncomfortable. And duh, Secret Agent Straight feels incredibly guilty. Guilt swarms as he recognizes his actions and behavior have had a ripple effect on most, if not all of the systems of his life.
I had my reservations when reading the blurb. I questioned whether this would be a successful look at a world flooded with heterosexual stereotypes and hypocrisies— metrosexual and bromance come to mine—, but I also wondered, ‘could and would this book become a vehicle for deconstructing, analyzing, and opening the door for dialog of all of the above?’. I was also fearful that it would sensationalize, that it would monopolize on some very challenging and contentious issues and that it would preach a position. Unfortunately at the conclusion of this book I realized that the latter was true. At face value this book offered a new and novel approach to the all to familiar gay coming of age book. However, peering deeper within the narrative and overall context revealed a few things that I found troubling.
One of the clearest offenses was the loving and accepting family. Now, I realize these family units do exist (mine is), however I feel strongly that they engulf YA gay coming of age novels. I think this is a disservice to teenagers challenged by their sexual identify. It was further troubling to see the author construct a plot that had Rafe’s query of his own sexuality and the meaning of it, and all his support systems railing against Rafe. This is a huge double standard. At one point his family is ubber supportive, and then, when it doesn’t fit their specific needs or perceptions of sexuality, they fortify against him. Either way they are applying their lens to a very personal and individual thing. I was aghast. What does this tell young adults who are having a difficult time understanding their own sexuality and navigating the ways their family and friends may or are reacting to it? What does this reinforce for the child that has been ostracized for coming out? What does this tell a child who feels isolated and seeks out novels like this one for answers, only to find that maybe there aren’t people that will accept him if he doesn’t mend his sexual identity to their standards?
Then we have another author subjecting his readers to the notion that being gay is an ugly, jagged collection of failures, fractured hopes, and a life of conformity (I’ll get into this sucker later!). Of course at the center of this novel is a relationship, what would a coming of age novel be without one? In this case we have Secret Agent Straight and Ben. Their relationship is inevitably hindered and restricted by Rafe’s hidden sexuality. Rafe find himself cornered by the life he created, unable to completely venture into a genuine intimate relationship. Yet, Rafe does find a semblance of one, and that is a hell of a lot better than forcing himself to endure sexual activity with people that neither deserved nor understood him. I question, again, what this tells a YA who is lonely and desperate for touch, intimacy, and a partner. What do you put up with? Being in a relationship that doesn’t fulfill you because you know you deserve more? Or being in a relationship that gives you some of the things you deserve, but because you are pretending to be someone you aren’t, you don’t get the whole apple pie? Hmmmm, which sounds worse? .
Beyond the inescapable realization that Rafe’s dating life provided him something of substance when he was closeted—mind you an attribute that disgusted him when he was out—, we have that fucking concept that life will never be fulfilling, peaceful, and that the fear of being lonely or ostracized will never abate. Again, what the fuck are we telling teenagers when we illustrate this time and time again in books? . Oh but wait, he learned something about himself from his relationship with Ben, like every other book with a similar climax. Yet, what exactly did he learn? Because it was so freaking illusive, that when splatter painted on the wall of other gay coming of age novels, and from affair, it is really difficult to see the subtle nuances.
But, mostly, I felt saddened that it rejected its own premise. I assumed that it was attempting to decode the nature of labels, and that its final goal was to establish that one can have many different lenses. Unfortunately, once his life ruptured he was thrust back into his former existence. There were some philosophical discussions on the differences of self, specifically how he perceives himself in relation to others, but these were scant, and I felt rushed and under-developed. He left a life of a prominent label, being gay, and with it a life of stereotypes and forced ideology, and entered a life where he found love, comradery, and acceptance. Now, the argument will be that he ended up understanding that the foundation of those changes was false and he further felt that he betrayed himself, however, isn’t there a way he could have maintained some of these while also believing in himself and being happy? The problem is it ignores its own objective, that one can have multiple lenses and, through integrating them, be other than one’s sexuality. I get it, he learned that his former self wasn’t that bad, and in extracting some of Secret Agent Straight’s life, developed into this more self-enlightened individual, but I didn’t think this transformation varied from his original self, at least not by much.
The scenario is troubling, specifically where stereotypes weren’t completely dismantled. Sports, an area that is plagued by homophobia, are the most prominent example. In Boulder Rafe felt anchored to a position of separate but equal. In MA, absent of the confines of his sexuality, he was easily accepted into this world. Bill really needs to have a sit down with Mr. Scarborough—I’d mock this more, but it was simply just a huge cop out to developing Rafe—because there is some serious meaning behind this message that requires some heavy probing.
In the same vein there were additional troubling remarks made about masculinity. One of the larger was, “I hadn’t understood that desire in you, the desire to do those sort of boy things. I don’t know how I missed that”. My mouthed dropped as I felt the implications. It tied masculinity to being straight, and the exclusion of masculinity as an attribute of being gay. It also reinforced the deeply imbedded notion that some sports are gender specific. I felt that it also quite clearly implicated gays as girls, rather than boys. Likewise, with little discussion of the stereotypes that gays aren’t as able to participate in sports, it more than anything reinforced that Secret Agent Straight found the antidote to all these things; forfeiting one’s expression of his sexual identity. Ultimately it was a loss for an opportunity to explore these things in a way that was meaningful and constructive.
We also had Rafe ignoring the all too familiar narrative that all homos are horny and want to fuck all straight people. Let me clear this up for you, we are, and we don’t. In not commenting when Steve said, “ I mean, we would have to figure out some other shower arrangement”, to which Rafe thinks, “I wanted to say: No, I don’t know. Not every guy wants to go to bed with you”, the author just really applied some sheet-rock to those perceptions. What a total fucking failure by the author. Lets not even talk about how it negates one’s ability to confront stereotypes.
Overall it was well written, and the Ben and Rafe portions were so cuddly and adorable. It had some issues where it ignored sex, rather than exploring it tastefully. The addition of Mr. Scarborough caused pacing issues, seemed rather random, and was a cop-out to developing Rafe. But mostly I was left with a Rafe that was caught between embracing his sexuality in a manner he felt was his own and still relishing in the cold hard fact that Secret Agent Straight had it every so slightly good, minus having to jeopardize his integrity. This made me sad.
PS: why you gotta hate on a hairy butt, yo!
March 23, 2017
3.5 stars. Very mixed feelings; this book and the second book don’t form a coherent enough narrative, yet the romance plot and characters are certainly worthwhile.
In terms of character, this book absolutely suceeds. Rafe has a realistic, believable voice, and isn’t too perfect while also not being an asshole. Ben is a sweet guy while also not being a manic pixie dream boy. Their relationship is built up slowly in a great way. I hated the ending, but I understand why it was written. (Yay for their ending in the sequel!)
Openly Straight has some great exploration of labels and what they mean.
Quotes like this landed perfectly. I also loved that Konigsberg never acted as if he had all the answers about sexuality and heteronormativity. However, this aspect fails in several ways.
First of all, Rafe’s decision to closet himself is treated as a personal offense by both his best friend and his parents, and they are all presented as correct in their anger at Rafe. While he’s definitely denying himself, his closest friends all act as if he is personally attacking them by being closeted. That’s not a good message. Being in or out of the closet is a personal decision. Rafe wanted to make friends with dudebro guys without being judged. That’s an understandable decision; even many purportedly non-homophobic people really do treat gay people differently, conciously or not. You have no idea how many of my friends started cringing at hugs after I came out. Rafe’s motivations were understandable! He just wanted to be thought of as himself, rather than as “that gay dude.” I do want to applaud the realness of this narrative; unfortunately, the “lessons” Openly Straight teaches us about that desire aren’t exactly flawless.
The narrative of the book seems to revolve more around whether Rafe is "labeling himself” rather than closeting himself. It’s confusing and odd, because Rafe isn’t confused about his sexuality; he’s just in the closet for safety reasons. Again, being in the closet is a personal decision, and the way the narrative handled it… wasn’t perfect.
I also disliked the resolution of the soccer sideplot. The ending essentially implies that gay guys actually can't be friends with the popular jocks. Why couldn't at least some of the soccer guys have been cool?
The book also uses the word “retard” without calling it out, which strikes me as kind of terrible for being written in 2013. There’s also the quote “It was like when you approach a woman whom you think is beautiful and you see the caked-on blush and mascara, and you realize what you are seeing isn’t her; it’s her vanity.” That’s… um, a little sexist. Yes, these are nitpicks, but seriously, way to make me cringe.
I do recommend this duology, despite my mixed feelings, if only for the strength of the characters.
In terms of character, this book absolutely suceeds. Rafe has a realistic, believable voice, and isn’t too perfect while also not being an asshole. Ben is a sweet guy while also not being a manic pixie dream boy. Their relationship is built up slowly in a great way. I hated the ending, but I understand why it was written. (Yay for their ending in the sequel!)
Openly Straight has some great exploration of labels and what they mean.
“We’re a pretty tolerant place,” Steve said, an edge to his voice.
“Ah, interesting word. Tolerant. What does tolerant mean?”
“It means we tolerate,” Steve said, flat. “We accept people.”
“Actually, tolerance and acceptance are different. To tolerate seems to mean that there is something negative to tolerate, doesn't it? Acceptance, though, what's that?”
“Well, if you need to accept something, that means it's not like it should be, right? Like you accept something as it is. Acceptance is an affirmation you're good enough.”
Quotes like this landed perfectly. I also loved that Konigsberg never acted as if he had all the answers about sexuality and heteronormativity. However, this aspect fails in several ways.
First of all, Rafe’s decision to closet himself is treated as a personal offense by both his best friend and his parents, and they are all presented as correct in their anger at Rafe. While he’s definitely denying himself, his closest friends all act as if he is personally attacking them by being closeted. That’s not a good message. Being in or out of the closet is a personal decision. Rafe wanted to make friends with dudebro guys without being judged. That’s an understandable decision; even many purportedly non-homophobic people really do treat gay people differently, conciously or not. You have no idea how many of my friends started cringing at hugs after I came out. Rafe’s motivations were understandable! He just wanted to be thought of as himself, rather than as “that gay dude.” I do want to applaud the realness of this narrative; unfortunately, the “lessons” Openly Straight teaches us about that desire aren’t exactly flawless.
The narrative of the book seems to revolve more around whether Rafe is "labeling himself” rather than closeting himself. It’s confusing and odd, because Rafe isn’t confused about his sexuality; he’s just in the closet for safety reasons. Again, being in the closet is a personal decision, and the way the narrative handled it… wasn’t perfect.
I also disliked the resolution of the soccer sideplot. The ending essentially implies that gay guys actually can't be friends with the popular jocks. Why couldn't at least some of the soccer guys have been cool?
The book also uses the word “retard” without calling it out, which strikes me as kind of terrible for being written in 2013. There’s also the quote “It was like when you approach a woman whom you think is beautiful and you see the caked-on blush and mascara, and you realize what you are seeing isn’t her; it’s her vanity.” That’s… um, a little sexist. Yes, these are nitpicks, but seriously, way to make me cringe.
I do recommend this duology, despite my mixed feelings, if only for the strength of the characters.
April 30, 2018
* * * *
4 / 5
~mini review~
Openly Straight was emotional and angry and sad and such a fantastic read. Our main character Rafe has been out of the closet for a number of years and his parents have been massively supportive (perhaps overly so), but now it's gotten to the point where Rafe feels like being gay has become his sole defining quality. So when he transfers to an all-boys boarding school, Rafe decides that he isn't going to be as open about his sexuality as before. But then he meets Ben, questioning, uncertain, Ben. And it all falls apart.
Rafe is a great main character. He's uncertain, irrational, sweet, angry, kind, and determined not to just be viewed as "the gay guy". But it seems like no one understands his desire - his mum thinks it's a personal attack that he wants to "retreat back into the closet", his best friend thinks he's lying to himself and others, and he's internally conflicted. Openly Straight really made me think, and it became clear that there really isn't any easy answers.
http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
4 / 5
~mini review~
Openly Straight was emotional and angry and sad and such a fantastic read. Our main character Rafe has been out of the closet for a number of years and his parents have been massively supportive (perhaps overly so), but now it's gotten to the point where Rafe feels like being gay has become his sole defining quality. So when he transfers to an all-boys boarding school, Rafe decides that he isn't going to be as open about his sexuality as before. But then he meets Ben, questioning, uncertain, Ben. And it all falls apart.
Rafe is a great main character. He's uncertain, irrational, sweet, angry, kind, and determined not to just be viewed as "the gay guy". But it seems like no one understands his desire - his mum thinks it's a personal attack that he wants to "retreat back into the closet", his best friend thinks he's lying to himself and others, and he's internally conflicted. Openly Straight really made me think, and it became clear that there really isn't any easy answers.
http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
August 14, 2020
I want to read this over and over again just for the quotes.
March 27, 2017
I created a barrier getting rid of a barrier.
Openly Straight is primarily an important book.
It’s also a pretty enjoyable read, and it can be read as just that, but I think where it shines is its ability to make you think about the way we label ourselves and others.
Does it give you a definite answer? No. If you’re looking for a book that will hand you an easy, universal truth, this book is not it.
But let’s talk about the content first.
Rafe is out of the closet, and in his hometown everyone is pretty cool with it, his parents most of all. They go as far as throwing him coming out parties and whatever, and Rafe was both aware that this is much better than being rejected by his family, like many LGBT+ teens are, and fed up with the way they handled the whole thing.
“I know, I’m gay. I’m your gay son. But could you just give me a fucking break for two minutes so I can be just me too?”
When a label becomes all you are in the eyes of the world, that’s pretty tough, whether you are in a welcoming environment or not. Especially if you’re still a teen and you’re trying to figure out who you are, like all the teens in the world. That’s not easy, ever, and it doesn’t help to see everybody remind you that “you’re the gay guy”.
Like when a reporter comes at you after a soccer game with a microphone in your face and all he says is, “The gay guy won the game!” Like that has anything to do with the way you kick a ball.
That’s why Rafe decided to switch high school and not come out as gay there, effectively returning to the closet.
Without the barrier (his words, not mine) of the gay-label, he feels like he can enjoy his male friendships in a way that he wasn’t able to do before.
Soon enough, he finds true friendship in Ben.
“I guess I’d like to think of what we have as agape. A higher love. Something that transcends. Something not about sex or brotherhood but about two people truly connecting.”
But that’s when things start to backfire, because not coming out becomes lying, and not just a simple omission.
This brings me back to what I said in the beginning.
Openly Straight gives you two sides to reflect on: a kid who wants to “go back to the closet” and a family and friends that call him out because of it.
Granted that being in or out is a personal decision, I feel like I could, in a way, relate to his family as well when they didn’t agree with his decision. However, I also really despised his family for the way they called him out, essentially making it about themselves most of the time, just the way they made it about themselves when he first came out to them.
While this behavior is perhaps not clearly called out right away, I could feel Rafe’s annoyance fuse with mine while I was reading these scenes, but I also found it good that he didn’t completely shut them out of his life.
As you can see, it’s not that I’m conflicted about what side to be on, it’s more than the author did a good job at letting me see the positives and negatives of both sides, because this is not a black and white issue (like many things in life).
Some people might argue that this is a YA work destined to teens that might want a straight-up answer, but I think teens and young adults are clever enough to be able to discern positive and negative behaviors by themselves. This book gives you some food for thought and I think that’s one of the best way to make you an aware adult who can, you know, think.
Speaking of the characters, they were all pretty great (except the problems I have with Rafe’s family).
The best ones besides Rafe himself (who is a normal, imperfect character) were Mr. Scarborough and Ben.
“It’s hard to be different,” Scarborough said. “And perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.”
Listen, my mom is a teacher, my grandpa was a teacher, I hate it when teachers are only portrayed as evil beings. Of course those exist as well (I’ve had too many in school and uni), but there so many awesome teachers as well and I melt whenever there’s a positive representation of them in a YA book.
Rafe’s other friends, Toby and Albie, were pretty amazing as well, and I loved that Rafe didn’t ignore them or make fun of them for being a bit “weird” even when he was in the jocks group. I loooove positive friendships and this book excelled at them.
The sequel is coming out soon (tomorrow!) and it will be Ben’s PoV and I can’t wait to read it.
Overall this was a pretty solid 4,5 stars (rounded down because I don't feel like it can compete with other 5-stars favorites of mine)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,362 reviews