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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

4.06 · rating details · 72,017 ratings · 6,053 reviews

Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.

Paperback, 213 pages

Published June 29th 2010 by MTV Books and Pocket Books (first published 1999)

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Community Reviews

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Dec 01, 2011

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: Lifetime movies fans

Recommended to Tatiana by: book club pick

Shelves: why-the-hype, ya, 2011, ala-ya-2000, rc-winter

There may be a book in the world that can address, just within very few pages, suicide, molestation, domestic abuse, homosexuality, drug use, mental issues, first sexual experiences, rape, abortion, etc., and not sound like a Lifetime movie, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not an example of that.

For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was when I realized that, to add to all of the above mentioned melodrama, the narrator was either emotionally or mentally handicapped. It...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Reynje rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Reynje by: Shirley Marr

Shelves: books-that-linger, read-2012, shelf-of-ambivalence, young-adult

If, like me, you ~~lurk on~~ frequent tumblr, you will have realised that there is only so far you can scroll before you hit something like this:

Stephen Chbosky’s epistolary novel has something of a cult following, and the quotes that litter the internet seem almost anthemic, given the passion with which they are re-blogged, quoted, slapped across artfully light-leaked photographs and “liked”.

A generation appears to have adopted The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a...more

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Jun 06, 2008

Meredith rated it

Recommends it for: someone bored. it's an easy read.

Resounding accuracy of the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood, goodreads? Um yeah, maybe if all kids teetering on the brink of adulthood made you question if they were autistic and spent the majority of their free time reading the classics and going to therapy. Don't get me wrong. This book is good. You want to find out what the deal is with the main character for the entire book and at the end, you eventually get a pretty damn good idea. But for the love, this is not the Ca...more

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Dec 04, 2007

Rachel rated it

Shelves: favorites

As much as people say it, this really is one of my favorite books of all time. MTV promoted it, it got a lot of press, so many people shun it and say it is overrated. I disagree.

I didn't read this book until last year, when I turned 21. My boyfriend owned it, it seemed like a quick read, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Main character Charlie is loveable from the first sentence out of his mouth. There are endless quoteable quotes in this book that had me fo...more

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Jan 03, 2008

Stephanie rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

This book is beautiful. It is a classic teenager read. I have probably read this book a million times and it never gets old. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book and I hope you can get as much out of it as I do each and every time.
This is was my book report for school. Hope it helps!

“We are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know m...moreThis book is beautiful. It is a classic teenager read. I have probably read this book a million times and it never gets old. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book and I hope you can get as much out of it as I do each and every time.
This is was my book report for school. Hope it helps!

“We are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose wherever we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” (pg.211) Every word spoken by Charlie has touched my heart. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book.
Written by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower would have to be one of the most insightful young adult novels I have read. It’s a collection of letters written by a boy who calls himself Charlie. He writes “to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even if they could have. (He) need(s) to know that these people exist.” (pg.2)
This books talks about drugs, sex, sexuality, literature, films, music, and daily adolescent life. The main character, Charlie, a freshman in the early 1990’s, is just beginning high school like all of us. Following his meeting with Sam and Patrick, two seniors who become his best friends, Charlie begins to experience more of life. He was always more of the shy understanding type who would “use thought to not participate in life.” (pg.24)
"The world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends, the world of sex, drugs and the rocky horror picture show, when all you need is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite…" (Back cover) When I read certain books, or certain lines I can get the chills. Not just “oh that I was so good I got the chills” but the true hair raising shiver with a small sweep of coldness, chills. That line does it for me. “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." (pg.39) If these lines have no affect on you, I do not recommend reading this book. It’s for the thinkers as well as the participators. It’s for the ones who enjoy simplicity and want to widen and better their point of view. Don’t take me wrong though, everyone should read it, but at their own time.
This book has inspired me to try and do so much more. Charlie did and achieved so much in just his freshman year alone. I want to live a life like him. One that I can look back and be proud of, one that I can tell my kids about, of walking home from school and spending the best times with my friends. To you, right now in this classroom it may seem little and petty, but to Charlie and I, this is real. After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I assure you that Charlie will be with you forever.(less)

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Jan 30, 2008

Christophernies rated it

Recommends it for: those that I hate.

Mindless crap that validates everyone who described themselves as "misunderstood" in high school. Mary-Sued to all hell, a onanistic and incomprehensible exploration of the tragic state of the "shy kid."

Idiocy.

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Jan 18, 2012

Shirley Marr rated it

Recommends it for: Reynje

Recommended to Shirley by: Tatiana

Shelves: usa-crossover

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." URGH! I hate that quote! It smacks of a forced whimsy and I bet you that nobody actually knows what it means because they don't want to be outed as a non-cool kid, so everyone pretends that it's deep instead of perhaps the matter of the truth - that it probably doesn't make any sense and therefore means squat all.

This quote just makes me think of this: The Infinite Cat Project. But that type of infinity is better because it a)...more

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Feb 16, 2011

Isamlq rated it

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower doesn’t tackle anything new… drugs, music, sexuality etc have all been dealt with in other books, this book just sets itself apart for me because the protagonist while being absolutely honest is also absolutely naïve. I have no real reason to like him. Other than his being… absolutely honest. BUT it is was also this honesty that had me doubting his authenticity.

The book is written i...more

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Sep 29, 2007

Paige rated it

Recommends it for: teenagers

It is possible that the author of this book sat down and thought to himself, "Alright, I have this kid - now let me try to put him through every adolescent situation that a suburban white teen faces." Wasn't this book promoted by MTV? It certainly does have a commercial flakiness - especially with the plot converting well into an afternoon TV special. If it's not sex, it's the drinking or the drugs or the insecurities. Perhaps reading this book is not recommended for those who have ...more

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Dec 05, 2011

Annalisa rated it

Recommends it for: language, drugs, sex, gay sex, rape, etc

Shelves: book-club, issue, voice, young-adult

I almost didn't finish this book. The main character was so hard to figure out. He was supposed to be so intelligent but he was so naive. I get being book smart but dumb streetwise, but it was basic social and life knowledge that he didn't get. There were also a couple of scenes that I didn't think were believable. I almost put the book down (view spoiler)...more

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Sep 08, 2011

K.D. rated it

Recommended to K.D. by: K.askade

Shelves: ya

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: A. Free live sex shows but you are not allowed to tell anyone. B. Free LSD mixed in a brownie. C. Free to make out with girls who take fancy on you because you seem to be harmless. D. Free books because you are autistic hence you can finish a challenging book to read like Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” in 12 days and your English teacher wants to challenge you by giving you more and more books to read. E. All of the above. F. None of the above.

I read...more

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Jul 06, 2009

Kim rated it

Shelves: the-kids-are-all-right

There are certain nuggets… certain lines or sentiments that I stockpile when I read.. I find them on pieces of paper towels or on the back of notebooks, I’ve stopped writing them on my arms since it grosses my husband out…. but they are still there, those little lines of self therapy that I rely on to further my mental wellness and to avoid those damn co-pays.

So, I’m reading yet another YA book about a teen with issues that seem so prevalent these days, I mean, really, what teen do...more

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Aug 30, 2011

Chiara Pagliochini rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: narrativa-contemporanea

Un ragazzo in guanti di vetro

Non so da dove mi venga quest’espressione. Temo che non esista, e non sono neanche troppo fiera di averla inventata. Però mi sembrava una definizione sintetica di ciò che penso di questo romanzo.
Non è un genere di lettura che mi è abituale. La cosa più simile che mi viene in mente è Speak, di Laurie Halse Anderson, che non mi era affatto dispiaciuto, anche se non so quale sia l’opinione degli “esperti del settore” a riguardo. Dunque, posto c...more

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Aug 13, 2011

Tancredi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: teens, statunitensi, preferiti, bildungsroman

"Charlie, ognuno di noi accetta l'amore che pensa di meritare."

Posso dire con certezza quasi assoluta, e con una buona dose di soddisfazione, che questo è uno dei più riusciti romanzi adolescenziali. Adolescenziali, lo ripeto, lo ribadisco, perché sia chiaro a tutti che ci si trova davanti ad un romanzo un po' di genere, un bildungsroman fortemente americano, stretto in uno spazio-tempo codificato (l'anno scolastico, la famiglia, la scuola, e poco altro). Eppure, è un romanzo...more"Charlie, ognuno di noi accetta l'amore che pensa di meritare."

Posso dire con certezza quasi assoluta, e con una buona dose di soddisfazione, che questo è uno dei più riusciti romanzi adolescenziali. Adolescenziali, lo ripeto, lo ribadisco, perché sia chiaro a tutti che ci si trova davanti ad un romanzo un po' di genere, un bildungsroman fortemente americano, stretto in uno spazio-tempo codificato (l'anno scolastico, la famiglia, la scuola, e poco altro). Eppure, è un romanzo capace di parlare a tutti.
L'autore, al suo primo romanzo, può vantare una notevole abilità di scrittura, che pur toccando temi molto forti, spesso abusati, riesce a mantenere fino alla fine una scrittura semplice, spontanea, leggerissima, in linea con il carattere del protagonista. Charlie ha quindici, sedici anni, racconta la sua vita e la sua esperienza del primo anno delle superiori ad un destinatario senza volto e senza nome, e sorprende il linguaggio semplice e un po' ingenuo col quale descrive ogni cosa, tutte le prime volte (la prima cotta, la prima sigaretta, la prima canna, la prima sbronza). Non fatevi ingannare così facilmente, perché Charlie non è un ragazzo normale, il suo carattere si è forgiato sul dolore, sul senso di colpa, su macchie indelebili che soltanto alla fine vengono a galla. E straordinaria è la sua caratterizzazione, davvero un bel personaggio a tutto tondo.
Con altrettanto abilità l'autore riesce a muoversi in territori che hanno visto milioni di scrittori avventuarvisi: anche quando parla delle cose più scontate, anche quando mette in scena personaggi che possono sembrare i più stereotipati (la figa della scuola, il figo della scuola, il professore alternativo, il quarterback segretamente gay), dalla scrittura di Chbosky traspare sempre qualcosa di più. Ci sono temi forti e controversi, e stupisce la naturalezza e l'ingenuità con cui il giovane e innocente Charlie si avventura nel mondo della droga, nell'omosessualità sofferta del migliore amico Patrick, nel sesso senza limiti, senza misteri e senza segreti; lungi dallo stupire e sconvolgere, Chbosky arriva dritto al punto e riesce a parlare a tutti. Credere in se stessi, nelle proprie convinzioni, rimanere se stessi anche nelle circostanze più sfavorevoli, e l'amicizia, e l'amore, sono tutti temi fondamentali, ai quali viene dato il giusto peso.
Insomma, sarà pur sempre un romanzo adolescenziale, con limiti inevitabilmente ben precisi, ma è capace di lasciare veramente qualcosa.(less)

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Oct 25, 2011

Marco Tamborrino rated it

Mamma mia.

Come descrivere un libro del genere? Cosa dire su quella che è appena diventata una delle mie letture preferite? Finalmente un bel libro sull'adolescenza e su come un ragazzo si sente in questo periodo della sua vita. Niente a che vedere con tutte quelle stronzate alla 'bianca come il latte, rossa come il sangue', dove viene trattato malissimo un argomento delicato e dove il protagonista si comporta solo come un adolescente si comporta esteriormente, ovvero omologandosi ...moreMamma mia.

Come descrivere un libro del genere? Cosa dire su quella che è appena diventata una delle mie letture preferite? Finalmente un bel libro sull'adolescenza e su come un ragazzo si sente in questo periodo della sua vita. Niente a che vedere con tutte quelle stronzate alla 'bianca come il latte, rossa come il sangue', dove viene trattato malissimo un argomento delicato e dove il protagonista si comporta solo come un adolescente si comporta esteriormente, ovvero omologandosi alla massa. Qui, invece, in questo romanzo epistolare molto triste e bellissimo, vengono toccati tanti argomenti, e sempre con la giusta dolcezza, senza mai sforare nel ridicolo o nel banale. A partire dalla prima sigaretta, dal primo bacio e dalla prima canna, fino ad arrivare al sesso, alle droghe più pesanti e alla scoperta di cosa c'è che non va in lui, Charlie affronta un percorso che dura un anno e che coincide con il suo primo anno di superiori. Il professore del corso avanzato di inglese che lo reputa più intelligente e che gli dà da leggere libri su cui scrivere dei saggi, l'amico di due anni più grande, gay, la cui persona che ama non vuole essere scoperta. E la ragazza di cui è innamorato, sorella del suo amico, anch'ella di due anni più grande. La sua prima ragazza, una persona con cui non riesce a sentirsi unito. La sorella che dice di odiarlo ma che poi lo abbraccia addirittura due volte in un giorno. Il fratello che è sempre via perché gioca in un'importante squadra di football e allo stesso tempo segue il college. Il padre che non alza mai le mani, la madre che è sempre tranquilla. La gioia di essere infiniti mentre si ascolta una canzone con i propri amici, la giogia di esserlo, un amico. La felicità nello scoprire che qualcuno ci vuole bene. Questo libro è un percorso di formazione, un'attenta analisi dei disagi del protagonista, provocati da un problema grave ma che è la chiave del romanzo, svelata solo alla fine. Consiglio a tutti di leggerlo, tutti ma proprio tutti, anche solo per rendersi conto di come si sente un ragazzo alla nostra età. Come si sente veramente. Attendo con impazienza il film diretto dall'autore stesso.(less)

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Dec 26, 2007

Topher rated it

Recommends it for: people who liked catcher in the rye and remember the muppets on tv

Shelves: literature

my life was nothing like his. my life was everything like his.

maybe i was in the right mood today, maybe it just is that damn good. it was everything i remember feeling from high school, from reading catcher in the rye and a separate peace, from driving around down to city line avenue and wandering around hotel hallways looking for room service trays so we could move the spoons, from not understanding how i felt about my best friend at the time, deliberately failing spelling quizzes ...more

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May 09, 2008

K rated it

Recommends it for: people who are not overly cynical about things

Shelves: teens, humorlightness

Chbosky makes no secret that his book's riffing off of Catcher in the Rye, but for once this is sweet rather than obnoxious, at least I thought. A happier, more hopeful, and more sociable version of Catcher, if here can be such a thing, and much more obviously funny. Charlie's stilted, innocent voice reminded me more of narrator Haddon's Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time than Holden Caulfield. Laughed a lot.

My favorite quotes:

"[My sister] is a part...more

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Feb 25, 2008

Jenn Pellerin rated it

Recommends it for: someone without a cynical bone in his or her body

Shelves: crap

Reading this book is kind of like having a too-long conversation at a dull party with one of those people who won't talk about anything but books and bands and movies that everyone and their mom just loves. "Do you like the Smiths?? Have you hear that song Asleep?? Have you heard of this book Catcher in the Rye? Do you make MIX TAPES? Do you struggle with your sexual and social identity? ME TOO?!"
If you are into that sort of thing, feel free. Or you could just go on youtube and w...more

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Aug 02, 2011

Lucy rated it

Shelves: better-than-i-expected, coming-of-age, gloomy, young-adult

When I began reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower I felt it was immediately evident there was something wrong with Charlie, aside from his complacence. Charlie is supposedly brighter than average and excels in English. Reading his letters, however, made me feel he was actually slow. Charlie's English teacher tells him he's the smartest person he's ever known -- not just a student, but as a person. I didn't buy it for a second. The letters Charlie write are filled with the most simple language...moreWhen I began reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower I felt it was immediately evident there was something wrong with Charlie, aside from his complacence. Charlie is supposedly brighter than average and excels in English. Reading his letters, however, made me feel he was actually slow. Charlie's English teacher tells him he's the smartest person he's ever known -- not just a student, but as a person. I didn't buy it for a second. The letters Charlie write are filled with the most simple language possible and observations that would have been charming from an eleven year old. From a teenager in his first year of high school the same observations were too innocent, too naive, and even his thoughts on the books he read were depth-less.

Charlie's problems are eventually explained and it is the natural end of the book because the thing that has been holding him back from really joining life and not being a wallflower has been resolved. I'm not sure how I feel about the explanation for his behavior, aside from saying I think he was all too forgiving of the person who had done it to him.

Still, I enjoyed Charlie's story and the letters he wrote, despite wishing they'd either been written with slightly more sophistication or the pretense of the literary genius had been dropped. I've seen in other reviews people had trouble with some of the tragedy porn. I didn't find any of the events outlandish or unlikely, especially with Charlie's tendency to latch onto damaged people. The things he did and the people he chose to follow around felt like a reflection of the problems he was subconsciously aware he had. I enjoyed the way his relationship with his sister evolved far more than I did his 'romance' with Sam, although the scene where Sam urged Charlie to act rounded out his development in the best way possible.

I'm a little old for this book. Charlie's belief that every book and every movie and every experience could change how things were drove me a bit bonkers because I felt the author was speaking to the audience, trying too hard and too obviously for this book to be everyone's teenage catalyst. Less pandering and more focus on the characters would have benefited the story greatly. Three stars. I just said the other day if I'd read one book when I was older I thought it would've been four stars. Well, if I'd read this book a bit younger this would've been four stars.(less)

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Mar 05, 2008

Kelsey rated it

Recommends it for: seriously...everybody.

Shelves: fiction-literature, favorite-books-of-all-time

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is my staff rec at work, and I don't want to change it. There are so many things that I love about this book, and here are a couple quotes from it that I love. Actually, many quotes from it that I love. And believe me, I have a ton more. I would sit here and recite the whole book if I could.

"Do you always think this much, Charlie?" "Is that bad?" "Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to...more

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Jun 14, 2011

Daniel rated it

Bloody awful.

Imagine this: The Catcher In The Rye was fucked rough by A Million Little Pieces. The zygote's DNA was then re-spliced with 1980's panic journalism and bombarded with x-rays for six months. It was then delivered premature on a bloody altar beneath a full moon and methodically, repeatedly dropped on its head by Chuck Palahniuk.

Any plot whose central premise is an amnesia of the daytime TV variety belongs in a very special category. For me that category is ...more

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Sep 09, 2010

Lisa rated it

Recommended to Lisa by: http://michelenjeff-reviews.blogspot.com...

Shelves: coming-of-age-story, gay-lit, ya

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the moving portrayal of 15 year old Charlie, a boy who, through a series of letters addressed to an anonymous “friend”, relates a broad series of events that affect his life throughout his 9th grade school year.

The letters begin in August of 1991, just prior to the start of Charlie’s freshman year. Charlie had lost his friend, Michael, to suicide the previous spring and is looking for an outlet to express his feelings about his lo...moreStephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the moving portrayal of 15 year old Charlie, a boy who, through a series of letters addressed to an anonymous “friend”, relates a broad series of events that affect his life throughout his 9th grade school year.

The letters begin in August of 1991, just prior to the start of Charlie’s freshman year. Charlie had lost his friend, Michael, to suicide the previous spring and is looking for an outlet to express his feelings about his losses and the other events that will eventually unfold over the course of the following 10 months. Each letter provides the reader with the opportunity to learn about Charlie; his thoughts and feelings, and the ups and downs of a boy who still enjoys the simplicities of childhood, yet is forced to deal with the heavier burdens of becoming a young adult. Charlie is a contemplative, compassionate, considerate, and ultimately flawed boy who has his own unique way of expressing himself. Using humor and reflection, Charlie’s story is one that follows his journey through first love, bullies, friendships, alcohol, drugs, and a depression that causes him to spiral ever downward.

Charlie’s English teacher/mentor/friend, Bill, recognizes an untapped intellect in Charlie that he’s determined to see flourish. Throughout the school year, Bill assigns extracurricular reading materials to Charlie and then asks him to write essays about the books he’s read. Reading like a catalog of classic literature, Charlie is assigned everything from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. In many of the books, the reader sees a pattern of young male protagonists who each cope with various issues of their own. While one might draw connections between Charlie and Hamlet, or Salinger’s Holden Caulfield, it’s clear that Charlie looks on the world with a far less jaundiced eye than those famous literary counterparts. The final book Charlie is assigned is Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, and Bill’s only instruction to Charlie is to, “Try to be a filter, not a sponge.” It’s good advice that Charlie needs to learn to apply to his life as well as his reading.

Charlie is the boy whom others consider a freak. He has trouble being a participant in his own life, preferring to remain in the periphery and observe life as it happens to others, rather than become a part of what’s going on around him. At a football game one night, Charlie works up the courage to approach a boy from his shop class. Patrick and his stepsister Sam, both Seniors, take an instant liking to Charlie and the three form a friendship that allows Charlie to experiment with and experience what it feels like to be part of a group. Being accustomed to being on the sidelines, Charlie has become adept at observing and listening. What initially appears to be an incredible knack for empathy actually turns out to be Charlie’s natural tendency to be a sponge. He absorbs everyone’s problems and provides a shoulder to lean on, but is incapable of filtering his own emotions which would allow him to interact naturally with his friends. Charlie gives support but can’t express his own wants and needs.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an examination of failed and forbidden relationships. From Patrick’s closeted relationship with the quarterback of the high school football team, to Charlie’s sister’s secret romance with a boy she’s been forbidden to see, Charlie’s there to be supportive. Patrick tells Charlie, “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” Charlie does understand how to be there for everyone, but when it comes time to understand his own demons lurking in the shadows, he lands in the hospital in a state of nervous collapse.

Stephen Chbosky did an admirable job of making me believe that I was reading the letters of a 15 year old boy. Written in a very precise way, the letters reflect the manner in which a student might write when attempting to impress a teacher. While the letters Charlie writes are always addressed, “Dear Friend,” as I read further along it was easy to imagine that I was the friend in whom Charlie was confiding. Bill’s aim in assigning Charlie the extra writing projects is to improve his sense of language and sentence structure, which is reflected in the development of his letter writing from beginning to end.

Charlie’s story is both humorous and heartrending. The cast of characters serve as far more than mere devices to support Charlie, as each of them are infused with their own unique qualities that help to progress the plot. The issues addressed in this story are complex, and while I may not have personally experienced all the difficulties that Charlie and his friends face, the author did an admirable job of making them and their problems sympathetic.
(less)

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Aug 18, 2011

Charles Van rated it

It’s like writing a diary, but writing a diary alone is inadequate if we wish to be understood by people around us fully. But it is through literature that we can obtain to be understood by these intolerable critics. The novel ‘The Perk’s of being a Wallflower’ is another juvenile narration who ventures the reality of going through the complexity of adulthood. Charlie here is a special one, surrounded by people who loves and heeds about him so much. The author makes the whole book very realisti...moreIt’s like writing a diary, but writing a diary alone is inadequate if we wish to be understood by people around us fully. But it is through literature that we can obtain to be understood by these intolerable critics. The novel ‘The Perk’s of being a Wallflower’ is another juvenile narration who ventures the reality of going through the complexity of adulthood. Charlie here is a special one, surrounded by people who loves and heeds about him so much. The author makes the whole book very realistic; the reader will be moved by the emotional allocation that each letter of the main character confers.

Let’s go further with the technicality that the book presents s to the reader. First, the objectives, the very first thing that a reader will perceive is the authors urge to be emphatically aware of the experiences of the main character and how it was became so imaginative that imitates life. In other words, reading the book as life and seeing it as life not just another fiction clichés.

As what I have learned from reading any other literature pieces, it solves personal problems, develops proper attitudes toward life and deepens understanding of people and improves relations with them. Second, the approaches of the literary genre, it has became so commonly imminent that moral and humanistic approach are so in the trends of nowadays novel books, but this book has a different approach. It has the Impressionistic Approach, it is a kind of approach which the reader is compelled to have their evaluation and reaction after each of the chapters. The inclination of the readers, their ability or inability to respond mis-conceptions, new insights, or blank minds are revealed in each of the reactions. And lastly, the values or the moral in the story, this one is the most vogue of all because every story has its own values.

In this book, it has three psychological values, namely, sensory values, emphatic values and analytical value. How does sensory motor showed in this book? Technically, this involve the experience of a rich and vivid series of images. Emotional values has also evoked images and somehow denote abstract ideas and power of arousing feelings and emotions. Emphatic values, this refers to the feelings of the reader which integrate the characters feelings and an emotion to what was the reader is getting into it. In other words, the reader puts himself in the characters shoes. It is brought about how the accumulation of the complex series of images and feelings that lure the reader into identifying himself with the character or emotion or situation. And most importantly, the analytical values, in here the story are manifested by the author in his analysis of character and his undertaking of motivations for the reader and for the reader himself discovers the personality pattern of a character.

Wrapping up this little analysis, the book has the quality of getting the readers sympathy to what was the characters are getting from each of his experiences. I gave this book a 5 star not just because I liked it but because it gave me lots of handy values in reality and even in my imaginative wits. (less)

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Oct 12, 2008

Chris rated it

I was skeptical when I first started this book, but Chbosky's spot on grasp of teenage identity makes it a perfect coming of age book for any teenager. I do think "Wallflower" would be best appreciated by high schoolers, as the book is too earnest and angst-ridden to be a perfect read for anyone older than teens. I wish I would have had this back in high school. Even so, I really enjoyed reading it as an adult, and it constantly triggered waves of bitter-sweet nostalgia. Not so muc...more

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Apr 08, 2008

Michelle rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to feel infinite

"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."

I had been reluctant to pick up this book after seeing it on so many favorites lists in the past few years. Typically, that wouldn't be the case. For some reason, I just always doubted that it would live up to the hype. After reading the above on the second page, I knew I'd been wrong to avoid it. It might not end up being in my Top 5, but I was ho...more

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Apr 17, 2008

Valerie rated it

Recommends it for: Kim, Michelle

Shelves: young-adult

At first I was a little put off by Charlie, the main character in this novel. Written in letter form (to an unknown person), we learn many of the intimate details of his 15-year-old life... at one point he ask us, the reader, if we "know what masturbation is?" almost as if he just discovered it that very second and needed to spread the word. He also goes to a party where he turns down the opportunity to smoke a joint, but then innocently accepts a "brownie" a little later the...more

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Nov 20, 2008

caroline rated it

I remember reading this book and feeling like I should have purchased it than reading it for free from the library.

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Aug 28, 2008

Juushika rated it

Charlie is about to start high school, and so he begins to send letters to an anonymous stranger as an outlet for his fears. His letters continue through the school year, recording his friendships, high school life, mental issues, and ongoing battle to emerge from passivity and actively engage with the world. Although heavy-handed in its themes and discussing a surfeit of difficult issues from suicide to drug use to homosexuality, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is remarkably good. Realistic cha...moreCharlie is about to start high school, and so he begins to send letters to an anonymous stranger as an outlet for his fears. His letters continue through the school year, recording his friendships, high school life, mental issues, and ongoing battle to emerge from passivity and actively engage with the world. Although heavy-handed in its themes and discussing a surfeit of difficult issues from suicide to drug use to homosexuality, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is remarkably good. Realistic characters make up for the the unrealistic plot, and Charlie's epiphanies about life and happiness, however small they may be, are meaningful and resonant. The book is swiftly readable, emotional, and meaningful, and I recommend it.

I wish that I had read The Perks of Being a Wallflower when I was a young adult, because I think I would have enjoyed it even more then. Reading it as an adult, the book is still quite good—but its flaws are more noticeable. From premise to plot, too much of the book is unrealistic. Charlie's letters function as a direct address to the reader, but why he writes them is never adequately explained. Although he is a wallflower—the very premise of the book—Charlie quickly becomes friends with a group of students, and through them (and his siblings) faces all number of difficult issues: (discrimination against and coming to terms with) homosexuality, drug use, rape, dating, sexual activity and promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion, mental health, and suicide, to name a few. With so many issues in such a short book, each becomes abrupt and heavy-handed, and some are immediately reduced to a single important theme.

Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book. It is swiftly readable, Chbosky's adolescent voice is almost too accurate, but best of all: despite its heavy-handedness, The Perks of Being a Wallflower manages to be remarkably sensitive and tug more than a few heartstrings. Though the plot lacks subtlety, Charlie does not. His thoughtful and emotional approach to his friends and environment grants him starting perception, and his continual battle to rise from thought into action is a never-ending coming of age story which is appropriate for all readers. No matter how blatant many of his epiphanies are, Charlie's small discoveries about his potential and happiness remain true and meaningful. The book is emotional, sometimes depressing, but ultimately empowering.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was not all that I expected it would be (based on the recommendation that I'd heard), and I believe that it is more relevant and enjoyable to the intended young adult audience. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read it, and I can see why it's become a YA classic—and, for its subject matter, why it is controversial. Although somewhat blatant and heavy-handed, the novel deals with a number of difficult issues which may affect teens, denying neither their existence nor danger. But where the book really shines is in Charlie's personal and private discoveries, things not inspired by drug use or teen sexual activity. When he feels "infinite," driving and listening to music with his friends, both Charlie and the reader are exhilarated by the potential of life—a message well worth taking away. I enjoyed this book despite its faults, and I recommend it to all audiences.(less)

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Aug 10, 2008

Kelley added it

Dredging the archives of my old YA blog--from back in the day when I was a YA para-librarian. Awesome!

Have you ever stood by and watched the world whirl past, brushing up close to the action but never actually participating? Like, for instance, when you’re at a party and you just sit on the couch, watching everyone’s interactions, satisfied being on the sidelines? A wallflower, if you will? For some people, staying in a corner by themselves and just living vicariously is enough...more

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Aug 02, 2008

malic rated it

Shelves: fiction

i couldn't stop reading this book. but i can't decide if it's kinda brilliant or too issue-y. you know, just teen suicide, drinking, drug use, family disfunctions, homosexuality, desire, sex, domestic violence, date rape, incest, death, popularity, social relations, etc etc. i mean i do love a good coming of age story/degrassi high episode and this one has a social justice twist...

the book is structured through the main character writing anonymous letters to an unknown person, ...morei couldn't stop reading this book. but i can't decide if it's kinda brilliant or too issue-y. you know, just teen suicide, drinking, drug use, family disfunctions, homosexuality, desire, sex, domestic violence, date rape, incest, death, popularity, social relations, etc etc. i mean i do love a good coming of age story/degrassi high episode and this one has a social justice twist...

the book is structured through the main character writing anonymous letters to an unknown person, which i loved and hated. i loved it cause it's so something i have done, pour my heart out to a stranger because i think they will understand and care, but i hated it cause it's like probably the person who received the letters didn't really give a shit, the catch being that i'm reading the letters and i cared....

despite the issues, there are some brilliant heartbreaking observations:

"Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

"I walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't."

"we accept the love we think we deserve."

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why."

also, it's about a boy who cries a lot, which i loved.
and this boy has mad crushes.
and he's a wallflower.

(less)

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About Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival.

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