The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
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Book Reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Book Review: A review from someone who has seen it all himself.
Summary: 5 Stars
To try to convey to an adult what we as high-schoolers go through is like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. They just don't seem to comprehend the struggles that we face each and every day. But, hand The Perks of Being a Wallflower to your parents and they will look at your life differently. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is an almost chilling story of a young boy names Charlie and his experiences as he transitions from being Mr. Big-shot 8th grader to a puny freshman in a peer controlled world called high school. Though it is not specifically said, Charlie's life takes place in a town very much like that of what Chbosky grew up in himself, perhaps hinting at the similarities between Chbosky and Charlie. Charlie's jump to high school is made alot easier through the help of his two new best friends, Peter, and Sam who happen to be seniors. As seniors they have already gone through what Charlie is facing and can therefore relate and help him through their own first-hand experiences.
The book is written through Charlie's letters to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, this technique almost allows the reader the believe that Charlie's letters may even be addressed to themselves and can get invloved with the book emotionally on a higher level thus providing for a more enjoyable reading experience. Charlie's letters, though not written on a daily basis by any means, almost creates the feel of a personal journal that we are reading without his knowing. His letters he writes are most likely a way to relieve the stress that he has built up, a release, a way to get the weight off of his shoulders. Do we know if these letters will ever see a another's mailbox? We can't know, the reader makes up their own opinion on that one. To make it seem as though a fourteen year old boy did write these letters, Chbosky will add small spelling errors on purpose to simulate the writing of a kid. Chbosky uses effective narration through the mind of Charlie so well that some of Charlie's events may be some of Chbosky's that he could not tell anyone when he was younger and this is his way of releasing it now after all of these years.
Through the book, we learn of Charlie's experiences and stories. Some are truly traumatizing and shocking while others make it seem as if his life is all good and peachy. But unfortunately for Charlie, his freshman year is filled with problems and drama. Due to some awful events as a child, Charlie has lost his trust in women it seems. Even though he manages to get a few girl-friends, trust issues force them apart. It seems as though he is more comfortable around men than he is woman, perhaps this is due to a certain life-changing event as a child. As long as you have experienced high-school this book will speak to you on so many levels. Things in your life will relate to Charlie's even though you may be of different race, sex, or background. The main message conveyed in this book is that life is precious and is not something to be taken for granted. Every day you are lucky to be alive, so that makes it a good day which should be lived to the fullest.
All in all, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a solid book. You will get something out of this book no matter what. It is almost impossible to not relate to this book. Everyone has at one time or another been affected by peer pressure, whether it be lying, drugs, or even sex. This book will hit some spots in you that you didn't even know you had. Though there are some minor discrepancies, such as a fourteen year old boy not knowing about certain sexual things, this book is a must read. Your life will be changed in some way. At least some Parents and adults will respect teenagers a little more and understand what they go through each and every day.
Book Review: the perks of being a wallflower
Summary: 5 Stars
the perks of being a wallflower is an incredibly truthful account of being a teenager in America today. I am 18 and could relate very well to the experiences Charlie had in the book, since it was set in the early nineties. The book is a compilation of letters to an anonymous friend that has no way to respond. The letters begin the day before Charlie's first day of high school, and continue until the day before his sophomore year of high school. They provide a chronological account of his life for a year, beginning with no friends, making a few friends, then losing them when they graduated and went off to college. The book reminded me of the TV show "Freaks and Geeks" because Charlie is not a popular kid. Most teenage books are about the lives of the popular people, the people the unpopular ones always want to be. Charlie, on the other hand, gets special reading assignments from his English teacher because he's more advanced than the other kids, goes to The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Friday night, and goes to his first football game alone. I cannot come up with another book I have read that has been so truthful and looked at the world, high school in particular, in such an honest way. As far as I know, this is Stephen Chbosky's first novel, but he has written several film scripts. He gets into the heart of this fourteen year old boy and shows the world through Charlie's eyes, which gives the reader a new perspective on friends, relationships, and high school in general. In the first few letters, I wondered where Charlie lived and who he was writing to. As I got deeper into the book, I no longer thought about these things because I was so caught up in the story of Charlie's life. By part 4, I was incredibly engrossed in the book and could not put it down at night; I stayed up until 1AM to finish it. Many of the things Charlie experimented with as a freshman, I, a senior, still have yet to experience. He has read books that I have never heard of, such as "The Fountainhead" and "The Stranger." He has many older friends, so they experiment with drugs, and he joins them. Charlie uses language very similar to mine, and writes in short, choppy sentences and paragraphs. At one of Charlie's loneliest times in the book, he writes, "I just wish that God or my parents of Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me. Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense. To make all this go away. And disappear." (p. 139) Chbosky does not use much imagery, but the language he uses in this quotation makes the feelings of loneliness and frustration concrete. As a teenager in a similar situation, I can closely relate with how Charlie feels, and Chbosky expressed these feelings perfectly. When Charlie becomes friends with Sam and Patrick, they lead him into the world of drugs and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The only thing I did not like about the book was that it portrayed teenagers as heavily into drugs and sex. These things are not a part of my life, and I don't want anyone that reads the book to think that all teenagers are on drugs and having sex these days, although some of them are. I am not sure a conservative person would like this book, especially if the person were closed-minded. The story seems very real, and the things that Charlie deals with are probably things a closed-minded adult would never have dealt with, and therefore could not relate. This book is geared toward my generation, which is why it is an MTV book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, as have several other people I have talked to about it. If you have an open mind and enjoy coming of age stories, I would highly recommend the perks of being a wallflower.Book Review: don't let the cover frighten you
Summary: 5 Stars
the cover says MTV on it. i know, this is very frigthening and would prevent me from buying a book, without a doubt. however when i originally got this one it was borrowed and i never did read the back so i never saw the spine. i just read. and read. and read. 5, 6 hours later, i was done. merely 213 pages. but one fascinating and captivating piece of literature.charlie, the main character, is writing to someone whose name you can almost guess, you can almost feel who this person is, but you never find out, never know. charlie is extremely naive, to the point that everyday profanity, common to all teenagers, he puts in quotation marks as though it was some foreign word that he didn't expect you to have heard before or know the meaning of. charlie's ignorance is vital to the novel; he is in no way jaded to the world, and not touched by stereotype, thus he can deliver the truth as it really is. for instance, he finds it coincidental that his friend Bob does an excessive amount of pot, and that Bob 1) really likes twinkies, 2) knows a myriad of trivia about Mary Tyler Moore and other old sitcoms, 3) has a strong belief in karma, 4) tends to say the same things over and over and over and over. to me, this fits the pothead stereotype to a T, but to charlie, it is very funny and quirky.
the characters all reflect different aspects of the numerous themes. one clear theme is how much we are affected by what happens to us when we are young, how our parents shape who we are. beatings and molestations are a running theme in the book. Bob's parents left him alone a lot as a child. as a result, he turned to drugs for company, and is wasting away his life smoking out and going to community college. beatings from a stepfather wrecked charlie's mother as well as his father. they destroyed his aunt helen.
another important theme in the book is how one can't just let life pass him or her by, that you have to participate. this somewhat runs parallel to the theme of Catcher in the Rye; that you can't go backwards, only forwards. in this novel, the theme is incarnated in charlie, who likes to watch the world pass him by, without stepping in; he prefers to be a "shoulder." chbosky tells readers that you can't do this in life; you have to go out and live it, make a difference, don't just stand there, somebody may need you!! anyway, sorry, got a little off track there.
anyway, one cannot ignore the countless parallels to catcher in the rye, including that charlie is slowly losing his mind, that he is passive-aggressive (REALLY agressive; enough so that the self described "wimp" could beat up 5 members of the football team at one time), that he prefers to run from his problems, and watch other people without getting involved and critique them, and more specific things, for instance, a teacher who seems a little too much like Mr. Antolini, the suicide of a friend who it is not exactly clear whether charlie is very close to or not, and, well, some other huge ones but i'd be giving away the best parts of the story if i told them to you. this book is more like a rip-off than a tribute, but i will let that go because chbosky knows that (his main character reads Catcher in the Rye several times during the story).
to fans of this book, i recommend the novel Youth in Revolt by CD Payne, which is a completely different spin on Catcher. if you have not read Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, you should read that as well, and one should definitely read it BEFORE reading this novel if given the choice. i also recommend, to those who enjoyed this book or either of my recommendations, the album "Pinkerton" by Weezer.
Sorry for the essay of a review!! I had a minute. By the way, the book is very good. :-)
Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Summary: 5 Stars
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a very real story about the struggles teenagers have to deal with. Charlie is a wallflower or outcast who is really searching for some sort of truth throughout the entire book. Weather you are a teenager or an adult I think everyone can relate to some sort of aspect that is presented. All of his thoughts and emotions are written in a letterform so we as readers get to experience everything with him, mostly for the first time. Charlie never says who the letters are too or why he writes them, he just writes. Although this book takes place in the early 90's, I could relate to the majority and of the feelings, emotions, and events that take place. Entering high school as a freshman unsure and unaware of who you are is frightening and we hear all of Charlie's thoughts. In the beginning of the book Charlie's best and only friend commits suicide and that really tarnishes his ability to trust people. Later he meets a few upperclassmen that introduce him to drugs, sex, and music-, all of which change his life.
Charlie is trying to figure out who he really is, with an athletic older brother who the family worships and a sister who "sneaks around" with her abusive boyfriend he already has a reputation for the world. However, he does not want to just be a younger brother of the star athletic or the pregnant sister, he wants to be Charlie. Though he isn't quite sure, who or what Charlie is, he starts to figure that out.
Charlie falls in love with a girl who does not love him back but when she does finally start to love him, Charlie finds himself overwhelmed with emotion and cannot love her. He is in a constant struggle over what he really wants. Charlie finds himself caught up with drugs and becomes a frequent drug user during a part of the book, wandering the streets, always searching. When his sister finds out the truth about his drug habit and confronts him about her own secret (being pregnant) Charlie finds an emotional connection with a person he though he would never have. When Charlie walks in on the star quarterback for their high school kissing his male friend, he begins to question his own sexuality. Again, he is searching for truth. All of the incidents- happening to an ordinary freshmen teenage boy.
I would suggest this first to teenagers. Drugs, alcohol, rape, sexuality, teen- pregnancy are all issues that teenagers today have to deal with. I would also suggest this to teenagers because his emotions are so true of what high school brings you- happiness, joy, success and also sad, depressed, let down, and confused. Charlie constantly battles these emotions. I would suggest this book to adults to read with an open mind and try to remember what the strong emotions felt during high school and some of those may even linger on to present day.
I loved this book and could not put it down. I felt myself wanting to write back to Charlie because he is such a genuine guy who is just trying to get through high school. Some may criticize the fact that many of Charlie's likes in music and television are much older then his age (The Smiths, M*A*S*H) but I wouldn't criticize, instead look at the fact that he is a misfit so liking things that most people of his age don't like or know about would be so fit perfectly for him. Other people may say that the issues he goes through are not real and teenagers do not have to deal with that. I am a teenager myself and can honestly say I know at least one person who has had to directly deal with drugs, alcohol, rape, sexuality or teen-pregnancy.
I rate The Perks of Being a Wallflower a 10/10 and highly recommend it everyone.
Book Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
Summary: 4 Stars
If you're looking for a light and interesting book, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky is the perfect choice. It is a series of letters written to an anonymous person all from the perspective of the main character, Charlie. This style allows for simple and informal language. Charlie writes in the first person and talks directly to the reader, making the story very relatable. Charlie tells stories of his everyday life about being a 9th grader. Charlie starts his writing because he is nervous for high school, something almost all readers can relate to. He takes the reader on a journey through the struggles a typical 9th grader goes through.
The reader is introduced to all types of people that have touched Charlie in some way. Each member of his group of friends adds a little spark to the story. Some of his friends include Sam, Patrick, and Mary Elizabeth. Sam is a strong and compassionate girl, who helps console Charlie. Charlie develops a crush on Sam, which leads to an unexpected twist at the end. Patrick is a character that is always looking for adventure. Patrick is homosexual and his struggle with the secrecy of his partner and other people's judgments are exposed throughout the novel. Mary Elizabeth is a free spirit, who is always up to debate. Charlie's opinion of Mary Elizabeth shifts throughout the novel based on the experiences they encounter together. The author combines these characters, along with many others, to develop a unique friend circle. Every reader will be able to find a person in this novel that they can relate to. A great deal of the novel in spent on Charlie's family. Charlie idolizes his older brother, a football star at Penn State. Charlie is protective of his sister and strives to gain her acceptance. Charlie also tells funny stories of times when his whole family is together, again something that is very relatable. Charlie is dependent on his English teacher, Bill. They develop a special relationship, which Charlie uses for support to get him through high school.
This book is not in the least bit dense. There is hardly any plot. It is a story of a boy describing his days. Some letters are just filled with Charlie rambling on. However, I enjoyed how ordinary the story was. Charlie offered opinions on a lot of different parts of life. I liked hearing someone else's opinion about events everyone has been through. The book also made me look at little things differently. "I think that these are the glory days for that boy, and this moment will just be another story someday because all the people who make touchdowns and home runs will become somebody's dad." (page 53) This made me realize how an experience in high school that seems so significant will be looked back upon as a trivial thing.
At first, I found it difficult to get past the choppiness of the writing. Charlie's sentences are short and to the point. "I didn't enclose a return address for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest." (page 2). This structure is very noticeable throughout the novel, but after a while I began to appreciate its simplicity. I wouldn't like it if all novels were written this way, but it was a nice change from typical novels. It made the book effortless to read.
If you have some free time, you should get a copy of this book. This book is a short read, yet each letter has something different to offer. Each is witty and simple in its own way. Each person who reads this book will find something in the book that they can relate to, as well as something in the book that they will then view differently.