Honestly Ben
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Honestly Ben
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Narrated by:
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Dan Bittner
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By:
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Bill Konigsberg
About this listen
In this 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.
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.
Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green, Honestly Ben is a smart, laugh-out-loud novel that will speak to anyone who's struggled to be "honestly ____" in some part of their lives.
©2017 Bill Konigsberg (P)2017 Scholastic Inc.Critic Reviews
"Dan Bittner's narration develops the unique personality of 17-year-old Ben, a secondary character in Konigsberg's earlier book Openly Straight.... In this follow-up, Bittner quickly reveals Ben's intelligence and introspection.... In a complex portrait, Bittner captures Ben's confused central conflict - is he gay, or straight, or is he only 'gay-for-Rafe'? Keeping the plot engaging, Bittner highlights Ben's search for his identity." (AudioFile)
What listeners say about Honestly Ben
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Wide Eyes, Big Ears!
- 28-12-2019
Moving sequel to Openly Straight!
I had to think about why I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first book, Openly Straight. Maybe just too much of a good thing as I listened to them back to back, maybe the identity struggle was tougher as a straight guy comes to terms with his feelings for another guy. It contained the same great characters but was told from Ben’s POV, rather than Rafe’s. Ben is a quiet complex character who has a good moral compass but has to unpick the toxic messages about manhood that his father has always said and modelled. Moving!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joshua
- 06-07-2018
Beautiful Book
I hope some young people struggling with their sexuality pick up this book. I also hope people not struggling with their sexuality (heterosexuals included) read this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-04-2017
Awesome and spot on!
Would you consider the audio edition of Honestly Ben to be better than the print version?
There were parts of the book where the audio version emmited phrases more clearly than the book version did, this worked well with jokes, sarcasm and emphasizing phrases. But overall, the audio version was pretty much on par with the printed version; both were amazing.
Who was your favorite character and why?
My favorite character is Ben Carver, I love him.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The bathroom part where Ben admits to Rafe that he loves him. Pretty much my favorite moment.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes, this book is very humorous and had made me almost die in giggles of laughter. There were also some deep moments that kinda made me sad but more so, it was from the aftermath of openly straight and openly honestly.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rhys Bevan
- 22-03-2019
Inspiring
this book inspired me to to come out as gay to my dad. It was so helpful to me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sofie de Vries
- 27-03-2019
Exceptional!
I loved this so much, the story, the narration, both incredible. I love the way bill Konigsberg writes in such a way I'm constantly surprised at the funny moments amongst the serious and sentimental, I found myself having constant bursts of laughter when least expected. Also a great sequel to Openly Straight, I really loved the insight into Ben's mind and how it really made me think about things such as privilege, vulnerability and the impact of toxic masculinity (just to name a few). It really was an overall great listen and I would highly recommend.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- UniCatering
- 13-01-2020
Average, with a few standouts
Put off finishing this book for a while, as it didn't have the same feel as the first. Overall, was nice to listen to, but some parts of the story just felt really off.
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