The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
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Book Reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Book Review: GOOD JOB Chbosky!!
Summary: 4 Stars
The story "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" written by Stephen Chbosky deals with a shy but intelligent teenager called Charlie who is also the protagonist of the story.
At the beginning of the book we meet his best friend Michael who committed suicide so he doesn't have any friends and doesn't know with whom to hang up. He has a good connection to his English teacher Bill who discovers his talent for writing and gives him books that he doesn't give the other students. Charlie tells him about his problem with making friends, so Bill tells Charlie to "get involved" and "participate". Charlie takes his advice and goes to a football game where he meets Sam and Patrick one day. They become best friends. Charlie feels comfortable beside them because after the death of his Aunt Helen who was his favorite person, they seem to be the only ones who really listen, understand, and accept Charlie as himself.
Through Sam and Patrick, he meets other characters, goes on dates and high school dances, learns about sex, goes on parties and gets in contact with drugs and alcohol, he learns also about homosexuality and friendship, as well as about death and life. They show him a completely new world. He never would have done all these things if he hadn't found Sam and Patrick. Besides, we learn which important role his family plays in his life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a good book. What I really liked about the book was that it talks about topics like sex, homosexuality, drugs, suicide, rape, abortion and things like that. While reading the author tells more in detail, his writing becomes more intimate and he opens up. For this reason, it was easy to put myself into his place. This way, the author also gives the reader a good look at all these topics. Besides, the reader gets the impression to be a part of the story because the main character speaks to you and calls you his friend although he writes to an unknown person. Stephen Chbosky shows you that growing up and to be in search of your own identity is a difficult process through which the most teenagers must go in the time of their puberty. Chbosky did a good job of developing his characters because everyone has his own special personality. What I also find very good is that we know exactly how he is feeling because the book is written in a diary style. It is a good feeling to know that a person you don't know really trusts and shares his secrets and problems that are going on in his life with you. He isn't no longer afraid and can show his feelings. The fact that he is male and cries throughout the story makes it more interesting.
All in all, the book is easy to read and it isn't very long. It makes you think about your life and your past. When you compare your life with his, perhaps you will find some similarities because it describes exactly the life in high schools or how I imagine it.
The only parts of the book that I didn't enjoy were the parts about his family because it was always repeated. It was also boring and didn't really interest me, for example Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I think the message of the story is that it's normal to make mistakes because you will always learn into the bargain and make new experience in those ages. .
Book Review: Amazing.
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, I read this book a few years ago for the first time. It was amazing. I fell in love with the poem. I'll share it with you right now. Maybe this will influance you to purchase the book. Maybe it will sway you away. But I'll tell you it is a wonderful book that tells of growing up and learning about yourself.
Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
Valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it.
Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
That was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
when he cried for him to do it.
Once on a paper torn from his notebook
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question"
because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister
making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
or even talked
And the girl around the corner
wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
but he kissed her anyway
because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed
his father snoring soundly
That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn't think
he could reach the kitchen.
-- Taken from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Book Review: Perks of Being a Wallflower
Summary: 4 Stars
As I began reading Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower I was confused by the format and unsure of the story to follow. I was bothered by the anonymous recipient of Charlie's letter and struggled with the raw and honest voice. But as I continued reading I was quickly absorbed into Charlie's narrative. I became intrigued by his detailed observations of character and honest accounts of the high school experience.
At the start of the novel, Charlie is lonely after the death of his beloved Aunt Helen and the suicide of his closest friend. Through heart-wrenching letters to an unknown classmate, Charlie shares his freshman year. In the first letter Charlie explains, "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." When Charlie befriends two seniors, Patrick and Sam, his life becomes more interesting yet more complex. With these newfound friendships, Charlie experiences love, sex, drugs and parties. As a "wallflower" by nature, Charlie struggles to become involved in the moment while still maintaining his observations.
I became captivated by Charlie's story, I felt exhilarated in his moments of bliss and a part of his pain when he was depressed. Charlie's letters create a story about being alive in the moment and trying to live these moments to their fullest. Charlie's tendencies as a "wallflower" led him to a life a submission. He is pressured into drugs, drawn into secrets, and thrown into relationships in which he surrenders control. He is easily manipulated by friends and while he enjoys being the loyal yet silent friend, he never shares his own opinions. With the help from his English teacher and mentor, Charlie begins to transform from a "wallflower" to a person who "participates" in life. At the end of the novel, Charlie observes, "Maybe it's good to put things in perspective. Sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there."
Charlie's realizations about high school and relationships were eye-opening to me. Charlie has the ability to look around the world and at the people who live in our world and accept their strengths and flaws, whatever they might be. We do not know the happiness or pain another individual experiences and therefore we shall not judge them. Chbosky explores this idea through Charlie's prophetic observation of his own high school experience. While I often pitied Charlie's lack of involvement in high school activities, I found his observations illuminating towards the high school experience.
Although I enjoyed the book, I don't think that The Perks of Being a Wallflower would be universally enjoyed by all. While I enjoyed the novel for description of high school and raw emotions, I do not think this novel would appeal to people over the age of 25. My ability to relate to many of the situations and share similar experiences made the story more realistic and exciting. Although I struggled with the start of the novel, I became engulfed by the text and was moved by the ending of the story. Charlie's freshman year illuminated so many conflicts and dilemmas of the typical high school experience through a series of heart-wrenching letters.
Book Review: Book Review
Summary: 4 Stars
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, is the story of Charlie's freshman year of high school told in letters. Charlie's first letter is written in admiration to a person he has never actually met. Because Charlie is scared of starting high school, he continues writing these letters.
At the end of eighth grade, Charlie is surprised to learn that his close friend has committed suicide. So as he nears his first day of high school, Charlie is afraid he will have no friends; but at the first school football game, Charlie befriends two seniors, Patrick and Patrick's sister, Sam. Along with Patrick and Sam, Charlie frequently attends high school parties, parties that promote drugs and alcohol. At these parties, Charlie doesn't bring much attention himself; he just sits there and flows with everyone else. He talks to people, but doesn't talk too much; he mostly just listens.
Charlie also becomes friends with his English teacher whom he calls by his first name, Bill. Bill gives Charlie extra books to read because he thinks Charlie is exceptionally smart. Charlie talks to Bill like an ordinary friend, not a teacher. After Bill hears what's on in Charlie's life, he tells Charlie to participate more in life, not just think.
Charlie thinks too much, in my opinion; he also cries a lot, more than anyone should at his age. In Charlie's first letter, he writes, "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." This was something I could relate to in some ways, but certainly not on the same level as Charlie. Charlie is depressed; but no one knows it, not even him. He actually has no clue why he cries so much, but he knows that he doesn't like it.
He cries every year on his birthday because that is when his most loved relative, his Aunt Helen, died. She was the only person who hugged him, and she was the only one who bought him two presents: one for his birthday, December 24, and one for Christmas.
These people make Charlie feel special and loved; but even though he has friends, Charlie still has a hard time participating and makes many mistakes while trying because he has a low self-confidence, which often leads to him crying.
Charlie cries when he is sad and sometimes when he is happy. On occasion, he just bursts into tears; and because he doesn't know why, he cries even more, harder and louder. When Charlie learns why he cries so often, he never mentions himself crying anymore in his letters. I think Chbosky uses this to symbolize Charlie's recovery from suppressed depression.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is written in the same way a normal guy Charlie's age would speak, which makes it easy to read. At first I thought I wouldn't like the letter format, but it helps enforce the character of the book and Charlie. I would recommend this book despite some controversial text: it's portrayal of teen sexuality and drug use.
Find this and other reviews like it at notrequiredreading.com
Book Review: Amazing Read!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky provides an in-depth look of what it is like to grow up in high school. While the sex, drugs, and teen angst may all seem a little cliché, Chbosky does an amazing job of realistically portraying high school situations in a uniquely hilarious way through the protagonist Charlie. The story is told through Charlie's devastating letters to whom the reader may not know he is writing. The theme woven through Charlie's letters is his constant struggle between passivity and passion. Letter by letter the reader is drawn into Charlie's fanatical world only to be in awe at the story's end.
The story begins with the start of Charlie's freshman year in high school where he is prone to depression, shy, introverted, and "on the fringes of life" after dealing with the losses of a friend and his Aunt Helen. He is a wallflower, someone intelligent beyond his years but socially awkward. Some of the few people to notice Charlie's intelligence are his English teacher and newfound senior friends Sam and Patrick. With their help Charlie comes to terms with life and learns to interact. Letter by letter the plot unfolds as Charlie learns to deal with almost every tough issue know to a teen. Chbosky handles these tragic issues so well that they come off as realistic rather than over-the-top. This realism is why I believe The Perks of Being a Wallflower is such a special book.
Chbosky further develops the theme of Charlie's struggle between passivity and passion through the constant pressures he must face in his freshman year in high school. Whether it is dances, first dates, drugs, sexuality, or the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Charlie is relentlessly barraged with the task of eliminating his social awkwardness. Chbosky's realistic style leaves an impact on the reader by placing him or her into Charlie's world. There the reader gets an up close and personal view of each developing situation and becomes attached to the ups and downs associated with Charlie's life. Charlie's relationship with his teacher Bill also parallels one of the major themes of the novel. This theme is the clash between young adult and adult culture. While Charlie is trying to identify himself as a man, he continuously finds himself running away from his life and reverting back to a childlike state. Bill acts as an intermediate force between these clashing worlds and tries to get Charlie to lead a normal high school life and further provide an identity for Charlie. Bill helps Charlie get his mind off the things Charlie is running away from through books and essay writing.
In my opinion, Perks of Being a Wallflower is an amazing book that should be read by all high school students. Chbosky offers humor, drama, and a unique quality to the story that keeps the reader entertained with each turning page. The novel is truly an entertaining read and I would recommend it to anyone who has experienced the highs and lows of high school.