Honestly Ben

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Honestly Ben

Title :

Honestly Ben / Bill Konigsberg.

Title:

Honestly Ben

Author:

Konigsberg, Bill

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

326 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9780545858267

Production / Publication Information:

New York : Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2017.

General Note:

Companion to: Openly straight.

Summary:

Ben Carver returns for the spring semester at the exclusive Natick School in Massachusetts determined to put his relationship with Rafe Goldberg behind him and concentrate on his grades and the award that will mean a full scholarship--but Rafe is still there, there is a girl named Hannah whom he meets in the library, and behind it all is his relationship with his distant, but demanding father.

Language:

English

Geographic Term:

Massachusetts -- Fiction.

Subject Term:

Gay teenagers -- Juvenile fiction.

Homosexuality -- Juvenile fiction.

Identity (Psychology) -- Juvenile fiction.

Preparatory schools -- Massachusetts -- Juvenile fiction.

Fathers and sons -- Juvenile fiction.

Young adult fiction.

Gay people -- Fiction.

Identity -- Fiction.

Sexual orientation -- Fiction.

Preparatory schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	YA KONIGS	32116003424336	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	Y/FIC/KONIGSBERG	31480010969365	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dunstable Free Public Library	YA KON	32118000952871	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	YA/KONIGSBERG B	31479006834377	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	YA F KONIGSBERG	39965002056447	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	YA FIC KONIGSBERG	31481005289934	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Merrimac Public Library	YA KON	32125001192589	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	TEEN KONIGSBERG	31478003412484	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	YA KON	32135001363338	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	YA F KONIGSBERG	31990004460551	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

In the companion to Openly Straight , Ben confronts pressure at school, repression at home, and his passion for two very different people in figuring out what it takes to be Honestly Ben . The companion to the award-winning Openly Straight , called "remarkable...deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist" ( Booklist ). Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green! Ben Carver is back to normal. He's working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He's even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past.Except...There's Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighboring school, who attracts him and distracts him. There's his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there's Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else . . . and maybe the real normal that Ben needs.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-Ben Carver works hard trying to please his friends, his teammates, his teachers, and, most important, his father. Barely keeping up with his classwork, extracurricular activities, and friendships, Ben wonders if he does all of these things for himself or just to placate those around him. He grapples with staying true to himself, even if he isn't sure who that self is yet. This follow-up to Openly Straight is told from Ben's perspective as a scholarship student living among privileged classmates as well as a teen wrestling with the consequences of living by other people's expectations. Well-rounded characters take readers from serious, thoughtful discussions to typical teen pranks with ease. A boarding school story along the lines of Andrew Smith's Winger, this is equal parts serious and funny as it addresses homophobia, hazing rituals, and cheating while also delighting readers with a slice-of-life tale set at a private academy. VERDICT A first purchase for public libraries wishing to add diverse titles to their collection; give this to fans of Andrew Smith, Brent Hartinger, and John Knowles.-Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Seventeen-year-old Ben Carver is under a lot of pressure. He's having a hard time in calculus, a subject that could torpedo his stellar GPA and ruin his chances at receiving the prestigious Pappas Award, which would look fantastic on his college résumé and provide a needed scholarship. He's also having difficulty with Rafe Goldberg, his gay former friend (with whom he got quite close in Konigsberg's Openly Straight), and might be falling for a girl named Hannah. The trouble is, Ben is in love with Rafe, but he can't accept the idea of being in love with a boy. Ben isn't homophobic, but that doesn't make it any easier for him to see himself-captain of the baseball team, son of a farmer-as gay or even bisexual. Konigsberg again realistically explores what happens when one's self butts up against who the world's expectations and assumptions. Ben refuses to be labeled, and the result is a refreshingly honest exploration of modern relationships and an understanding that love can take many shapes and forms. Ages 14-up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

After his best friend Rafe comes out (Openly Straight), Ben grapples with his own identity as "gay-for-Rafe"--straight, but still head-over-heels for his friend. Through this lens, the challenges of being openly yourself when you can't yet put a label on who you are come to light. Set at Ben's prestigious Massachusetts boarding school, the multidimensional coming-of-age tale celebrates individuality and interconnection. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Rafe and Ben return in this eagerly awaited sequel to Konigsberg's Openly Straight (2013). The spotlight this time is on Ben, whose intimate friendship with Rafe has ended badly. Ben (straight) and Rafe (gay) are cautiously trying to revive this friendship, but, like so much in Ben's life, it's complicated. Ben now appears to have it all: forging a new relationship with the lovely, outspoken Hannah; being named captain of the baseball team though he's only a junior; and receiving a prestigious award that is accompanied by a college scholarship essential, as Ben comes from an economically challenged farm family. All of this good fortune comes with increasingly onerous stress: Hannah distrusts Ben's growing friendship with Rafe, being captain of the team is a challenge, and Ben needs to pass a vitally important calculus test to retain the award. How will he handle all of this, especially the friendship with Rafe that may again turn into something deeper? The thoughtful, reserved Ben tells his story in his distinctive, introspective voice, and Konigsberg has again done a remarkable job developing characters and inviting readers to consider the meaning of friendship with all its rewards and challenges. Extremely well written, this novel of ideas is deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2017 Booklist

Excerpts

From Honestly Ben : My pulse went rogue on me. Wild, crazy, strange, nonsyncopated beats. I felt my heart soar, and then plunge, and then soar again. I hadn't been pulled toward Toby and Albie; subconsciously it was Rafe I'd wanted to see, and that was just crazy. I slowed my pace but continued walking, and there was Rafe, illuminated by the moonlight, all bundled up, about six inches below the powder surface. He was making a snow angel. He was wearing the same bright red jacket and black hat he'd worn when we'd gone skiing in Colorado over Thanksgiving. I flashed on Rafe skiing in front of me, his legs moving from side to side like a pendulum while his upper body stayed totally still. On the long chairlift rides, his visible breath dissipated into the cold mountain air, while everything around us felt crisp and clear and right. It had been one of the happiest days of my life. But that was then. Now my insides were all messed up about it, and I knew if I let myself feel even a little bit of that it would be a lot, and I didn't have room for a lot anymore. I wished I could just disappear. "Snow angels have no place in an igloo community," Toby said. "Maybe igloos have no place in a snow angel community," Rafe yelled. I shifted my frigid legs, and it made a sound, and I silently cursed my stupid, thick body. Toby looked over, and he gave a tiny, tentative wave. "I think there could be communities of snow angels that have yet to be discovered," Rafe said, hoisting himself up with his arms. That's when he saw me standing there, maybe fifteen feet away. Rafe smiled, a questioning smile, like, Can we be okay, please? No. Yes. No. I didn't know. Excerpted from Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.