This was an entertaining read and definitely different from any kind other kind of memoir I have ever read. Leviton's parents were brutally honest to the point where they came off as rude and kind of odd. In turn, this made Leviton come off the same way. This is a thought provoking read even though I did struggle in staying interested with it. I just found it hard to empathize with Michael. It's interesting to see how it shaped him as he grew up and his experiences along the way. This really makes you think about the fine lines between lying and telling the truth - when it is or isn't okay to lie.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the advanced copy in the format of an audiobook. The author did a great job bringing his own story to life.

***I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.***

***I listened to this book via Audiobook.***

Whoa. This book. This book is unlike my usual book of choice. It is interesting and unique in it's own way. The author discusses his life, chronologically, of honesty. Something I noticed, as a school-based Speech-Language Pathologist, is that honesty could really be misconstrued as a lack in social skills; which, as the author portrays in this book, kind of is. It is interesting that we, people as a whole, rely so much on lying.

Although this book did have some childhood memories that I perceived as shocking, such as interactions that he had with his parents that us "dishonest" people may find odd and there were a couple of stories that could have likely been left out, it really got me thinking; and for that, I am grateful. Overall, interesting listen!

1 star. I listed to the audiobook version of this and without that I would not have believed this was a real story. Michael grows up in a "honest cult" (very apt nickname) completely devoid of any social niceties. He "tells it like it is" without any regard to other people's feelings. Those he believed - are their responsibility not his. Reading this was like watching a train wreck happen, I simply could not look away.

I think one of the worst examples was his relationship with Eve. She has a very different communication style - albeit a pretty normal one for women where we are conditioned to suggest what we want rather than outright saying it. By this, Michael (unknowingly or not) takes advantage of her social niceties over and over. From sitting in the AC because he couldn't figure out to ask her what she wanted because "Well if she wanted the heat on, she should have SAID something".

I see this issue in relationships a lot where men constantly want women to "just TELL me" as if the social cues and clues aren't already out there. As if women are to manage and take on the entire mental load and break it down into bite sized pieces for men.

To be so blissfully unaware of social cues is male privilege in it's finest. Multiple times Michael goes on first dates that are going poorly (obviously) and he then acosts the women by asking them "what did I do wrong? Why aren't you enjoying it". That sentence alone would set off warning bells in any women that's been socialized to know how dangerous men can be when angry. So when the women lie and say they're having a good time (to avoid the risk of being murdered) Michael calls them all liars. As if he is entitled to this. Then he starts learning to lie, not to understand the world better but as a "social experiment". The entire time he laughs condescendingly about it, as if he's proud to be pulling on over people who are just trying to get by in the world. Alas the train wreck is over.

thank you to netgalley and dreamscape media for an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First, a disclaimer: I received this audiobook in advance of publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own opinions. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book. Second, another disclaimer: I will be reviewing this book, but I will not be granting a star rating on Goodreads. My star rating system only works for fiction and I am uncomfortable giving a completely subjective star rating to a non-fiction book. Particularly, because most of the non-fiction books that I consume are memoirs or related to social issues in which I am not an expert.

On to the review:

This is a GREAT memoir and I really enjoyed it and really related to it. I did not relate to the author’s upbringing, but I did relate to the honesty journey. I doubt that Mr. Leviton will read this review, but I feel like laughing and telling him to imagine being a WOMAN. When rejecting a man’s advances often puts you in a dangerous situation or when societal expectations consistently force you to please other people over yourself, the honesty path has higher stakes and a steeper learning curve. AND, don’t mention this aloud… because a lot of people will deem you a crazy man-hater or simply not believe you. My heart is sincerely with the author’s mother and I wish her the best of luck.

As for the memoir itself, I found myself nodding and chuckling along with the author as I listened. While his honesty was considered rude by any social standards, I could relate to the feeling that social niceties are often a manipulation of sorts. I could relate to his quiet recognition of human behavior patterns. And I liked the author a lot. Even when he was a jerk, I liked him.

After reading this memoir though, I think that I may try to implement speaking up more often. I am introverted by nature. Introverted enough that a year of isolation has not bothered me a lot. I am not dying to go out and socialize. I don’t require physical affection or even conversation with people to the same degree that most people do. I have no real desire to go hang out with people or have long discussions about nothing or even eat out. I am happy to be alone with my thoughts, my books, my journal, and my own delicious food. In fact, getting to stay home all day every day for work has been awesome for me. I hope I never have to go back to sitting in an office and chatting in the breakroom. Because I am introverted, I have no natural inclination to say what I think or how I feel. BUT, maybe I can find a balance between keeping everything close to my chest as a protection mechanism and revealing some of what I am thinking or feeling in a productive and gentle way. Maybe I can improve my relationships by trusting in some of the people close to me more.

So, in short, this is a GREAT memoir that will entertain the reader, make the reader think, and encourage the reader to look at their own relationship with honesty. I do recommend this one.

I thorougly enjoyed reading Leviton's memoir, so the audiobook cemented that amusement; the author himself is the narrator, which made the experience all the more exciting, especially when he laughed at his own embarrassing moments.

To be honest 😂😂😂 I thought this book was so genuine and funny and relatable and it is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. Basically it's a sort of coming-of-age story from the perspective of the actual person in biography form. Someone who grew up being taught to always be brutally honest with family members As well as complete strangers and everyone in between, regardless of circumstances or situation. This perspective on life that he shared with his family had a detrimental effect that left him essentially feeling like an alien plopped down in the middle of the world He didn't understand how to communicate with. Kind of like Sheldon from The big bang theory but completely different. Lol somehow he was so relatable even though the way he thought was not relatable. I just don't have any other way to say it other than that he was just a genuinely great person who is misunderstood and probably still is but this book is a bridge to a world that's always misunderstood him and I loved it. Thank you so much #Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this funny, lovely book. I laughed, I cried, and I got to read it for free. (I highly recommend the audiobook by the way) It can't get better than that. Lol

This audiobook version of Leviton’s memoir was an entertaining look at the importance the author’s parents put on honesty. Growing up, being honest was so engrained in young Michael that it trumped any sort of social grace or worrying about hurting other people’s feelings. According to his father, if you couldn’t hear the truth, it was because of your own weakness. Leviton talks about how kids are natural truth tellers until around the age of two when they become conditioned to lie. As an adult, entering the world as a truth teller proved more complicated for Leviton, demonstrated by circumstances at work, friendships and in romantic relationships. This was a unique premise and an often humorous reflection on living an honest life and the trouble this can cause. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced review copy of this book.

I’ll be honest right at the top here. The only issue for me is Leviton’s reading voice. This is not his fault in any way; I’m an audiobook voice snob.

As for the book itself, it was gripping every feeling in my body and shaking them around. I both felt repelled by honesty and that I was kindred spirits with Leviton. Honesty is most certainly not the best policy. Never having had to relearn a social construct, I truly felt emerged in Leviton’s life, which speaks to his writing talent. I found myself wondering how many lies I had told to spare someone's feelings, how many lies I'd been told for the same reason, and where this unspoken rule came from.

While I could recommend this book on the premise alone - boy cannot tell a lie and here's why - I think people will enjoy Leviton's memoir for it's moving writing, self deprecation, and of course, honesty.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Michael Leviton and Dreamscape Media for gifting me with an early audio copy of To Be Honest. In exchange I offer my unbiased (and completely honest) review.

“Most people think lying is good parenting. My parents weren’t most people.”

I “honestly” don’t know what initially drew me to this book, (perhaps the cover) but I’m certainly glad I did. Michael Leviton was raised in a home he affectionately calls a “Little Honesty Cult”. Truth telling was paramount; no sugarcoating, no holding back, well.... NO LYING. To understand what this truly means, Michael regales us with childhood experiences and tales which were often hilarious but sometimes quite sad and some outright cringeworthy. While this book truly had me laughing out loud there is a serious poignancy to the madness too. How the power of words can affect others, the keys to diplomacy, what is compassion and when do you need to “edit” your feelings. This book is deeper than I expected and left me thinking about my own relationships with my family and friends. It’s also an interesting look at a dysfunctional father/son relationship. I would definitely recommend picking up this memoir if you’re seeking a good blend of levity and seriousness.

The audio is read by the author. He does a great job of expressing his experiences with the right amount of hilarity and humility.

This was a pleasantly surprising memoir read by the author. I really enjoyed Michael Leviton's storytelling and appreciated his candor (lol). Seriously, how could someone be THAT honest. I was captivated (and sometimes frustrated) by his dedication to the truth and by his story's ups and downs — the teenage orgy, the family camps, the job interviews all had me loling.

Wow, what a book. To Be Honest by Michael Leviton was like riding a roller coaster blindfolded; you never know which direction the story will take you. I loved the fact Michael read the book to make it more intimate. I especially enjoyed his snickers as he read over something he saw as humorous. It is hard to describe his honesty, hard to decide if I would enjoy his company, and harder still to stop listening to the story. To Be Honest made a mundane day much more enjoyable.

This book has wit and did make me laugh many times. I listened to this through audio 🎧. That the author appears to have grown up and is ok is good news to report. His parents seem very nice, but believe in Absolute Total Honesty.

This poor child, it’s a miracle he survived school, friends, and even found himself a girlfriend. I think the parents needed to read a book titled, ‘Basic Common Sense for New Parents and it’s easy to Achieve’. His Mom could not understand that saying the milk was spoiled was fine, but it was a little more complicated when it came to Santa. Luckily, he was Jewish, so that spared some anguish, but if another child asked him about Santa he would have to give the true details. Naturally, his Mom finds an ‘Alternative Camp’ where his honesty will be appreciated. Poor Michael was actually told he should be so honest that he would hurt people’s feeling and could never utter even a White Lie for Self Preservation.

Imagine, when his girlfriend decides to surprise him with a special dinner that she works hard on. Well, she really can’t cook. He would have to tell her the food was awful. A relative gets him a special gift trying to make him happy. He doesn’t like it, yes he has to tell him the gift is awful. His Dad thinks Full Criticism is essential. Even at 5, his Dad could not be Easy on him playing chess and let him win once.

Luckily, for the author, he finally figures out that honesty is a worthy virtue, but a little diplomacy and gracious behavior will make life run a lot smoother. I wanted to cheer for him. Yes, you are doing just fine. He seems to take his upbringing in stride and use his odd upbringing to entertain us. That he doesn’t need a shrink 5X a week, his parents should be very proud.

So, listen if you enjoy some Satire and need a reminder that your family wasn’t as bad as you thought, listen to this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Media, LLC for an Advance Copy. I really appreciate it, and I mean that with the utmost honesty.

I was interested in this book because I am often extremely honest as well. "Does this dress make me look fat?" Is a dreaded question, because if it is unflattering, I will let you know. But my honest side didn't connect with the author's. His family was honest to the point of being rude and they just came off as odd. I thought I would connect with the story more, and I didn't which is usually okay, but it didn't keep my attention the whole time.

To Be Honest was memoir by Michael Leviton that was read by the author. Michael grew up being told to be honest with everyone no matter who it was at all costs. He was taught by his parents that everyone should want to hear the truth and never contemplated on what it might feel to be the person on the receiving end. His father was the king of honesty and held him to be the same way. As life progressed, Michael realized he didn't do well lying and could count three lies that he told by the age of twenty-nine. Each one was seared in his brain forever.

The memoir is Michael's recount on what he was thinking about during his childhood and his reflection back at what was the right thing to do and what wasn't the wisest decisions. His brutal honesty and self-evaluations are spot on and fascinating as he reminisces about his family's relationship, family camp, and his friendships or absence of them. Michael discloses his failed dating life in his teens and 20's and how he ventures to switch up his life as an experiment.

I would recommend the Audiobook to anyone that enjoys memoirs. It was definitely a different was to grow up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced audio edition of To Be Honest by Michael Leviton.

Wow, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this memoir. First of all, I appreciate Leviton's willingness to dive into what I perceived to be sensitive parts of his life. He describes his family growing up, tongue-in-cheek, as a "little honesty cult." But, after reading it, it really did seem cult-like. He was literally given truth telling exercises and conditioned to ONLY be honest, regardless of his ability to fit in or how it made others feel. Because of this Leviton experiences most of his life struggling to find his place in regular society.

I wonder about Leviton and his dad, perhaps they had similar personality traits that caused them to behave the way they did. Because it wasn't even always about total honestly, but also gaslighting and being downright mean, all in honesty's name. I say that because Leviton has two siblings that seemed to be much more interested in having friends, and also got endlessly frustrated with their family.

But over time Leviton goes into an almost "truth telling recovery" and tries tirelessly to tell lies in order to preserve feelings and fit in, basically undoing all of his years of conditioning. This is an experience that introduces a whole other set of issues for Leviton, and makes him question whether or not he's even being honest to himself.

This is a well written memoir, read by the author himself about what it was like being raised in a home where only honesty was acceptable. It raises a lot of really interesting questions like What does it mean to always speak your truth? When can brutal honesty be destructive? What is the difference between speaking facts and giving an honest opinion. Can a person only be themselves through complete honesty?

In To Be Honest, memoirist Michael Leviton offers a close look at growing up in a family that practices radical honesty. The book begins benignly enough with young Michael fully in the know about the pain to expect from an immunization, but as time goes on, the reader is plunged deeper into disturbing family dynamics, particularly the brutal honesty the author’s father models, an honesty that Michael emulates, and which seemed to me unnecessarily cruel. A cruelty perhaps born out of a lack of awareness of the impact of one’s words on others. As a reader/listener I couldn’t help wondering if Michael and his father are on the autism spectrum. Though the subject was never mentioned, it might provide some insight into a value on absolute honesty that translates into hurting others and experiencing ridicule themselves. Thankfully, there is a turn in his story as a young adult when Michael moves away from home and embarks in social experiments with others as he tries out other communication styles and comes to understand the prevalence, and often practicality, of lying and withholding comment to spare others. There are moments of humor and hilarity as well as horror for the reader as we root for Michael to finds ways to successfully navigate relationships and to find genuine happiness in a world that pays lip service to honesty but buckles under the weight of total honesty.

I received this book from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir walks the fine line of being honest and our societies acceptance of the white lie. The author relives his childhood of his parents being “brutally” honest and never sugar coating anything for him. Growing up with living as honestly as his only true virtue developed him into an odd person with very little friends.

The memoir had quite a few places I was cringing at and plenty of others were I felt so sorry for him. As an adult he was struggling to make connections and create relationships with people that were long lasting. At times during the memoir I did lose interest but I wanted to hear where we was today and was hoping for a Cinderella story.

I received an ARC of both the audio and ePub for this one. (I requested the audiobook when I realized the book was not available on kindle format and read it this way). I read a good deal of memoir and have found that recently, the books being published are more and more extreme. I requested this one thinking I might be getting a feel good and somewhat lighter book. That did not happen. The author’s parents raised him in a very troubling fashion. He failed to be socialized properly and encouraged to feel superior to everyone except his parents. His narration, in which he, quite literally laughs out loud as he reads his “antics” as a truth telling child was just disturbing and off putting. After many vignettes of his hostile truth telling, I put this one aside.

Reading/listening to ‘To Be Honest’ by Michael Leviton reminded me of having a deeply satisfying and connecting conversation that is only achieved when both people are sincerely interested and completely honest with each other. Unfortunately in my experience, this kind of connection is often rare, which is what made this memoir so special to me. In ‘To Be Honest,’ Leviton recounts his strange childhood in which his parents were unapologetically honest and raised him and his siblings to be so. This doesn’t sound too strange in concept, but quickly takes a wild turn when you discover some of the things expressed under the guise of full transparency. His father’s brutal honesty in particular, can be simultaneously offputting and quite hilarious. It’s interesting to observe the influence his father’s callous honesty and unyielding emphasis on logic has on Michael, a highly intelligent and emotional child. Due to his upbringing and maybe his inherent personality, Leviton is an unflinchingly honest child, sometimes to the detriment of himself and others. He holds strong to these values and any dishonesty feels wrong to him. As it can be difficult for Leviton to sustain relationships with others, he becomes more introspective about he and others communicate. I found this fascinating to think about, how we so often hide our true feelings from others in order to make them feel comfortable. Reading about his life also made me think about my role as mother to two young children and how I communicate with them. I both listened to and read this book. Leviton narrates his memoir masterfully and completely charmed me. He lets the full range of emotions and laughter come through at different points. I look forward to seeing what he writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this digital ARC.

Absolutely fascinating! Michael has been raised to be explicitly, brutally honest in all matters. He presents a world, that in many ways, would be infinitely easier to navigate if other parents followed suit. Imagine everyone saying exactly what they mean. However, the struggles he faces interacting with the rest of American society, social niceties included, really start stacking up as he becomes an adult. Michael challenges what is a lie and what is the truth in this memoir that will have you pondering the same questions.

PS: For audiobook listeners, hearing Michael laugh at the absurdity of his own life experiences is absolutely heartwarming, so personal, and comical.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Michael Leviton for the ARC!