REVIEW for Openly Straight

Thank you to Scholastic Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                  Openly Straight

AUTHOR:           Bill Konigsberg

GENRE:              YA

RATING:            

I have been reading my entire life.  Unfortunately, when I was a YA, the selection of books was very sterile and sanitized – god forbid we should read about real life.

Fortunately, this has significantly changed over the course of the years and this is, in part, thanks to books such as Openly Straight.  Yes, this book is extremely entertaining.  I love the main character and his description of his parents (especially his father in the opening chapter) are absolutely hilarious.  

But this book also works as a backdrop for acceptance, as well as for exposing, without drama one way or the other, some very real facts of life in today’s world – mainly that sexuality is complicated and there is no ‘one size fits all’.

Thankfully, young adults don’t have to question themselves and wonder if they are ‘different’ because books – fiction and non fiction, tell them that things are okay.

Openly Straight tackles the concept that too much acceptance can actually be almost as hard as not enough acceptance and does it in, at times, funny ways and, at times, touching ways.

What definitely worked best for me in this book was the family dynamics.  I just could not get enough of those parents – loved them!!!

Read this book and then give it to your children to read.