Openly Straight [Paperback]

The award-winning novel about being out, being proud, and being ready for something else.

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 breaking 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.

Praise forOpenly Straight:Winner of the Sid Fleischman Award for HumorYALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults SelectionLambda Literary Award Finalist Funny, unexpected, peppered with terrific dialogue -- and best of all, achingly honest. -- Ned Vizzini, author ofIt's Kind of a Funny StoryandHouse of Secrets For anybody who ever wished they could be someone else (and who hasn't?),Openly Straightprovides a fun and intriguing, twisting-and-turning romp through sexuality, identity, friendship, and love. -- Alex Sanchez, author ofRainbow BoysandBoyfriends with Girlfriends Bill Konigsberg hands a great high concept to areallycompelling narrator and presents us with a terrific read.Openly Straightis smart, funny, and unflinching. Read this book. -- Chris Crutcher, author ofDeadline,Whale Talk, andPeriod 8 Konigsberg's lovely novel invites us to wlƒ