Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher and Publication Date: MTV Books and Pocket Books, 02/01/99
Pages: 213
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 
My Review in a Nutshell:
I’m guilty of reading this book for all the wrong reasons: 1) the movie trailer made it look like a teen-romance; 2) Emma Watson was in the movie trailer, nuff said. I was way off. It’s a coming of age book, NOT a romance! SURPRISE, Candace!! What’s funny, is I have yet to see the movie. I liked this book, I like the issues it tackles for adolescents; drugs, sex, abortion, abuse. Everything was pretty much covered. I’m not head over heels in love and changing my FB banner to Wallflower quotes, but I liked it.
What’s It All About?
It’s 1991 and Charlie just began his sophomore year of high school. He’s not a loser, but he isn’t popular, either. Charlie manages to make some new friends that introduce him to a different side of high school, the more rebellious side. Being an introvert and overly-sensitive, he struggles with putting himself out there. But, if not now, then when?
My Thoughts?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is very character driven, luckily, Charlie only annoyed me 50% of it. He cries a lot. And there is only so much crying I can deal with. Then you realize why he is all cry-cry all the time and you feel like a huge bitch for being annoyed. When he wasn’t crying, I thought Charlie was effortlessly insightful. He really captured the essence of being an outsider, and the obstacles that high school throws at you while you’re blindly navigating those lovely teenager years. I loved watching him evolve and step out of his shell, due mostly in part to his new eclectic group of friends, who were a major highlight to the story. If there weren’t some very explicit scenes, I would recommend this as mandatory reading for High Schoolers. Maybe, just maybe, then people wouldn’t grow up to be such dicks.
Perks of Being a Wallflower taught me to be comfortable the way I am, and to always be kind. This book is real life, folks; the good, the bad, and most definitely the ugly. I would suggest it to anyone who needs a quick read and a few good quotes to embroider on some pillows.
My Favorite Quotes:
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”
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