Seamus Rafael Goldberg, aka Rafe, is tired. Tired of being “The gay kid” who plays soccer. “The gay kid” who hangs with Claire Olivia. So he decides to reinvent himself without the label. Because he’s more than just that. He goes to a new school, where he finds himself among the jock crowd, and he loves it. But what happens when he falls in love with Ben, who doesn’t know about Rafe’s past? Can he give up a part of who he is, and still be himself?
Openly Straight
Kudos
- Sid Fleischman Award for Humor
- Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalist
- Lambda Literary Award Finalist
- Rave review in The New York Times!
- Starred Reviews from Booklistand The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
- YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2014
- YALSA Teens’ Top Ten nominee, 2014
- ALA’s Rainbow List
- Texas Library Association’s TAYSHAS List (Top Ten Title)
- CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin) Choices Best, 2014
- Best Books of the Year for Children and Young Adults, Children’s Book Committee of the Bank Street College of Education(Starred Title)
- Earphones Awardfor audio book performed by Pete Cross
- Notable Book for a Global Society Award – IRA Children’s Literature and Reading SIG
- Georgia Peach Award nominee
- North Carolina Young Adult Book Award nominee
- Capital Choices Noteworthy Books for Teens List
- Summer ’13 Kids’ Indie Next List
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
- Honorable Mention in the 2015 Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award
Reviews
“An exceptionally intelligent, thought-provoking, coming-of-age novel about the labels people apply to us and that we, perversely, apply to ourselves. A sometimes painful story of self-discovery, it is also a beautifully written, absolutely captivating romance between two boys, Rafe and Ben, who are both wonderfully sympathetic characters. With its capacity to invite both thought and deeply felt emotion, Openly Straight is altogether one of the best gay-themed novels of the last ten years.” —Michael Cart, Booklist Starred Review
“Konigsberg’s lovely novel invites us to walk with Rafe through his season of assumed identity and his costly emergence into honesty. It’s beautiful. It’s a story of salvation.” —Jeff Chu, New York Times
“Openly Straight aims high and succeeds brilliantly. It’s up-to-the-second contemporary, funny, unexpected, peppered with terrific dialogue —and best of all, achingly honest.” —Ned Vizzini, bestselling author of IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, and THE OTHER NORMALS
“An original, thought-provoking, hilarious story about the importance of embracing your true identity, and the cost to yourself and others when you don’t.” —Julie Anne Peters, award-winning author of LUNA and KEEPING YOU A SECRET
“Bill Konigsberg hands a great “high concept” to a really compelling narrator and presents us with a terrific read. Openly Straight is smart, funny and unflinching. Read this book.” —Chris Crutcher, bestselling author of DEADLINE, WHALE TALK and PERIOD 8
“OPENLY STRAIGHT sports a sharp plot with a twist, sympathetic (and totally hot) characters, and universal appeal. It’s a must-read for openly everyone!” —Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the WAKE Trilogy and the VISIONS Series
“A terrific new novel with a very contemporary take on coming out and an age-old look at falling in love.” —Brent Hartinger, award-winning author of GEOGRAPHY CLUB
“For anybody who ever wished they could be someone else (and who hasn’t?), OPENLY STRAIGHT provides a fun and intriguing, twisting-and-turning romp through sexuality, identity, friendship, and love.” —Alex Sanchez, award-winning author of RAINBOW BOYS