Prep School Reality

Honestly Ben, by Bill Konigsberg is a novel about owning up to yourself and being who you are. His characters are lovable and realistic from the quirky Albie to the genderfluid Toby. Ben Carver, the main character, is coming to terms with being in love with his best friend Rafe. He does not consider himself gay, even dating a girl named Hannah for a while, but cannot get over that he loves his best friend, who happens to be a boy.

Set in a rich kids' private school, Ben Carver has to deal with being from a poor farming family. He also has to deal with an staunch, relentless father who only believes in one way - something Ben is not. This raises the issue of privilege and how most students are not aware they are.

Ben is up for an award, the Peter Pappas Award, named for a former student at Natick, and has to give a speech about him, until he realizes the dead Vietnam hero was not who he was. This forces Ben to come to terms with who he is and ultimately forces him to abandon opportunities he could have as a privileged graduate of Natick. The second book of a duology, we get to see another perspective of a character from the first book. Very enjoyable and a highly recommended read.