The boarding high school was depicted in a way that felt very college with drinking, partying, and sex abounding.Īfter being openly gay for years with a supportive family, Rafe decides he wants to shed “the gay kid” label and move cross-country to an all-boys boarding school. The tone is real with humor and heartache up front. The vocabulary and writing style is sophisticated, not dumbed down or artificially inflated. This book is written as a strict chronological progression, with a few excerpts from Rafe’s writing assignments reflecting on his past, in the first person. It is a real, vulnerable, and authentic look into the life of a teenager who just wishes to live his life. Through an emotionally disastrous situation, Rafe begins to understand who he truly is and to deal with all the hurt he caused himself and others.ĭespite being strongly pro-gay, this book is not preachy. But as the semester goes by and he makes close friends, his parents and friend at home find out he has gone “back in the closet,” and he begins to lie to someone he starts to love, Rafe begins to question his decision. His parents are supportive and he has a good friend, but he is tired of being seen as “the gay kid.” At Natick, he enjoys finding a new identity as a jock as everyone assumes he is straight. At home, Rafe is a proud member of the gay community. He doesn’t go for the education or academic opportunity, he goes to shed a label. He has decided to move across country from Colorado to Massachusetts to attend an all-boys boarding school.

Rafe is going into his junior year of high school and wants a change.

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg