The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Oh, what a tragic, oversimplified mess this book is! Stephen Chbosky packs a whole lot of heavy material into 213 pages, but the way he handles that material is so irresponsible that I'm actually left worried about his readers. I'm especially concerned for the unsuspecting younger ones who pick it up having seen the cheery, island of misfit toys-style trailer for the movie based on the book, and are confronted with something entirely different and considerably more weighty. Knowing that most YA fiction is read by middle school kids or younger, I can't understand how a YA author can, in good conscience, put the following thought into a 9th grader's head: "She was scared, and it wasn't until she had a sip of whatever we were drinking or a show more hit off of whatever we were smoking that she would calm down and be the same Sam," and suggest that a good way to feel "infinite" is to stand up in the back of a moving pick-up truck going through a city tunnel. Issues like these are rampant throughout the story (which is, unfortunately, well-crafted and engaging), but the real kicker is the ending, which finally reveals why main character Charlie is so troubled, then glosses over it in a few pages of canned philosophy/psychology. I'm not a fan of trigger warnings, and will resist including a spoiler on that plot point, but really, it was all just way, way too much.

One small positive note: the list of classic books that Charlie's English teacher, Bill, gives him may lead young fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower to some good reading. It was hard to focus on that aspect because Bill's behavior throughout the book set off so many alarm bells, but his intense interest in Charlie seemed to be innocent and truly well-intentioned in the end. Given the excessive number of traumatic themes that Chbosky had already put into play at that point, I was very relieved that he exercised that small bit of authorial restraint!

This book has been very popular, and I plan to read up on reviews, etc. to learn more about why, but I'm not sure I'm open to being convinced of its merits. show less

While reading Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower, I felt infinite. Chbosky takes his readers on a raw yet poignant ride of not only the essence of being a teenager but the naked truth of our humanness. His protagonist, Charlie, is a the kind of character you wish you could talk with, support, save. Chbosky does incredible work communing us with Charlie's innermost thoughts, emotions, and the darkness shadowing his life. I found myself side by side with Charlie, eager to unravel what was next for him. He felt real. And a part of me was captured in that book. And no doubt, a part of all of us. What a beautiful experience, the rapture of a powerful book and feeling infinite!

This book is not overly profound or anything but it still hurts just the same. I was not expecting to relate to Charlie, our main character, so much. It felt as though somebody had opened my head and started writing what they saw in a way that actually made sense...kinda. I'm not saying that Charlie and I are the same person or that I agree with all his actions but our minds are frighteningly similar in a way that feels uncomfortable for me. It took me a hot minute to recover from this book for the simple fact that I saw so much of myself reflected back at me. I may revisit this in a couple years to see if that sentiment still rings true but for now I will tuck this book back into the ever growing mind file I have dubbed : Things that show more give me a tummy ache. show less

early 90s coming-of-age fiction; whiny, lovesick teens / sex (not a lot), drugs (liquor, cigarettes, LSD and pot with no serious consequences) and mix tapes (which are ok, because it's all classic retro and thus the author is not inclined to reference the Paramores or some other insipid 'modern' band). As a book that teens would actually read and finish and pass on to other teens, it succeeds--there is a lot of material here that kids would find interesting. I kind of got tired of Charlie moping around so much when everyone else clearly was going through difficult times as well, and probably would've stopped reading halfway through if the book hadn't been so highly acclaimed. Also, for all of the sympathy that went along with his sister show more and friends dating guys who were jerks, there didn't seem to be any repercussions/judgment against Charlie's brother when it turns out he's been cheating on his steady girlfriend. The epilogue (in which it is revealed that Charlie is more emotionally damaged than he's shown throughout the entire book, and finally comes to terms with his aunt's molesting him as a child was real and not just dreams) seems unnecessary, given that Michael's suicide, the normal rigors of high school life, and the fact that Charlie is after all only fifteen would have been enough to explain his so-called "freakishness," but it does add a bit more depth to the 'wallflower' aspect of Charlie's personality. show less

Este libro muestra de manera muy real y particular aquellos aspectos que se viven cuando eres adolescente. Logra transportarte a está época, en cierto modo rememora la historia del lector, y ese es el mayor éxito de la historia.

Es inevitable identificarte y proyectar a una o varias personas de tu grupo con los personajes. Estos se desarrollan con naturalidad, sin caer en clichés de como son los adolescentes. Pocas veces se logra mostrar de manera tan orgánica un momento en la vida, y este libro lo hace a la perfección. Te hace analizar lo que fuiste y lo que deseas ser, por lo que los momentos de depresión o de cierre de ciclos vale la pena leerlo ya que sí bien no te hará sentir mejor porque te muestre que alguien esta en peor show more situación que tú, sí te da la esperanza necesaria para aceptar que puedes contrarrestar tus situaciones o, paulatinamente, salir de ellas.

Definitivamente muy recomendable, especialmente sí eres un adolescente. Aun con lo pretencioso que suena, este libro puede cambiar tu vida sí lo lees críticamente siendo un filtro en vez de una esponja. show less

I'm not sure what I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. It's classic, truthful, and somehow not intimidating. Although I'm long past my years of teenage angst, Charlie's struggle to be emotionally engaged with those around him is compelling. The secrets of his past aren't entirely surprising, but then the story isn't about plot; it's about Charlie's journey to self-discovery and learning to cope with his own feelings, rather than ignore or repress them.

"I just kind of put my feelings away somewhere after that."

His journey is one that many have taken and that many will continue to experience. It's commonplace, but not trite or cynical. Charlie's gentleness, confusion, and depth of understanding about others' problems show more but not his own make him both sympathetic and pathetic, although he is ultimately likable. show less

If you ask almost anyone about their high school years, they will likely tell you that they were awkward; that they weren’t in the popular crowd; that they spent most of the time hoping to escape notice; that it was among both the worst and best of all times in their lives. The universality of adolescence – its hormone-driven highs and lows; the wide-eyed, terrifying discovery of almost everything; the questions of identity; the battle between fitting-in and maintaining a rugged independence – creates an immediate commonality between Americans. Even if it is colored by the culture of a particular era or region, everyone seems to go through roughly the same things as they come of age. That’s why coming-of-age literature seems to show more evoke such strong, nostalgic feelings – stories like [The Outsiders] or [A Separate Peace] or [It] or any Judy Blume book or [The Perks of Being a Wallflower].

An entirely epistolary novel, [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] follows Charlie through his first year of high school. Frightened from the first day, hoping to find someone who will just listen to him a little, know him a little, understand the turmoil of emotions inside him, Charlie begins writing an unknown person. Uncompromisingly honest in his letters, Charlie is able only to dip his toes in the water in real life. He learns about drugs, sex, abuse, music, and literature from different people in his life – but only one person ever really challenges him to live.

This is not a Young Adult book – it is a book about young people struggling to find out what it means to be an adult, struggling to find their place in a confusing world. Chbosky’s decision to tell Charlie’s story through letters is a new take on the first-person perspective for coming-of-age stories, and it’s a brilliant one. The writing never feels like a technique. Chbsoky masterful assumes the language, idiom, and emotional aspect of an adolescent male, but never dumbs down the story in doing so. And while the story is told in letters, the simplicity and sparseness of the prose brings to mind classic writers. Chbosky never shortcuts the writing. Here’s an example from Charlie’s morning visit to a doctor after his first experiment with LSD:

“I just kept quiet and looked around. And I noticed things. The dots on the ceiling. Or how the blanket they gave me was rough. Or how the doctor’s face looked rubbery. Or how everything was a deafening whisper, when he said that maybe I should start seeing a psychiatrist again. It was the first time a doctor ever told that to my parents with me in the room. And his coat was so white. And I was so tired.”

I’ll admit that the setting of the book had special meaning for me – given that it was set in the early 1990’s and still had a flavor of the 1980’s, with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Smiths. And I had a similar high-school year, befriended by a bunch of seniors at the edge of things who helped me discover who I was when I didn’t know how to go about that. These characters could have been my friends – but I bet a lot of us could say the same thing, it’s that universality.

Bottom Line: A very smart and brutally honest book about young people struggling out of their shells.

5 bones!!!!! show less