[.ca] The Perks of Being a Wallflower (ISBN 1419387243)

From Amazon.com:
What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is a freshman. And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He's a wallflower--shy and introspective, and intelligent beyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts. We learn about Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. Charlie encounters the same struggles that many kids face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, experimenting with drugs--but he must also deal with his best friend's recent suicide. Charlie's letters take on the intimate feel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings: 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. With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. When it all becomes too much, after a shocking realization about his beloved late Aunt Helen, Charlie retreats from reality for awhile. But he makes it back in due time, ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. Charlie, sincerely searching for that feeling of "being infinite," is a kindred spirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. --Brangien Davis

It isn't just for high school anymore:
I've heard people say that "Perks" changed their life. At first I was suspect, but then, after reading it, I was hooked. Formatted to look like a series of letters to a friend, the form of 'Perks' is something totally different. Then there's the 'voice' that occurs throughout the novel, reminding me of Holden Caufield in a way. This is truly an unusual book and I'd recommend it to not only high school students, but really anyone, adults and the like, who enjoy a fun book. Anyone who has ever felt left out and lonely, especially in high school (and who hasn't) will warm to this tale and how it's told. The writing is not great--not litarary--but it is honest and Chbosky makes us believe that we're actually reading the thoughts that have been put down on paper. The only other book to top this for me was J.T. McCrae's Katzenjammer which proved to be a wild ride and really "out there."

great:
this was a great book. it's one of those ones where you just love the main character. charlie's in grade 9, a smart kid with no friends, and this book follows charlie's life through a series of letters he writes to us the readers. what i think i love about charlie is his honesty in his approach to the world. he seems somewhat unconnected, and is as he has no friends to peer pressure him at the beginning of the story, so he views people at school from an outsiders perspective. he never sounds persecuted though (as you would have to be emotionally involved to be persecuted, and charlie is almost estranged from his own life, being the wallflower and all) he just reports the events in his life with an earnestness that makes you want the best for him. he talks about both touchy subjects and regular 'growing up' issues and approaches these with a cautious nervousness, though at the same time he's... i guess he chooses an opinion and then sticks with that conviction. he makes me smile, i want to hug him. i really got emotionally attached to him, when he experiences something good, i'm really happy for him. i think i teared up a bit when he kissed that girl. anyways, charlie's problem is that he has no presence in his own life. he is a wallflower in his own life, so much so that he writes us these letters so that the reader has a larger presence vicariously in his life than he does himself. there is one scene when he's the dj at a party, and he gauges the mood of the party so well that he accurately picks out songs to reflect that mood. he's very 'other' focused, too selfless. there's a potential reason for this at the end, though it is debatable as to how much of this is just his personality as opposed to a response to something else. this is a great book with a great character.

Fantastic book!!!!!!:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a coming of age story that portrays the teenage life of a boy named Charlie, who is just entering High School. He battles with finding new friends, trying drugs, fitting in, and overall, just finding himself in the world. "I went to the library and checked out a book because I was getting scared . . . The book said that sometimes people take LSD, and they don't really get out of it . . . I started breathing fast in the library" (Chbosky 101). Charlie experimented with LSD, and realized that just because his friends did something, that didn't mean he had to do it too. I highly recommend this book. It's a page turner that has a lot going for it. There is a very clear plot. "I just wish that god or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me" (Chbosky 139). Charlie just wants to know who he is. He's tired of trying to find out on his own, and he's ready to just have someone tell him. Charlie deals with a lot in this coming of age novel. He is the source of the major conflict in the story. "Patrick did call me, but all he said was that Craig got really angry at Sam about me, and I should keep staying away until things got clear" (Chbosky 130). All of Charlie's friends got mad at him when he kissed his true love, Sam, instead of his own girlfriend, in a game of "Truth or Dare". Everyone turned against him, but this was just the beginning. Many things happen to Charlie, that by the end of the story, you feel as though you know him yourself. Read this book! No matter your age or gender, it's one that everyone can enjoy. It's the coming of age story of a boy who is lost, and it portrays a wonderful new perspective if a teenage boy. Adults will learn, or be reminded of what it's actually like to be young, and kids will just understand completely. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a well-written, well-rounded novel that I highly recommend! The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a coming of age story that portrays the teenage life of a boy named Charlie, who is just entering High School. He battles with finding new friends, trying drugs, fitting in, and overall, just finding himself in the world. "I went to the library and checked out a book because I was getting scared . . . The book said that sometimes people take LSD, and they don't really get out of it . . . I started breathing fast in the library" (Chbosky 101). Charlie experimented with LSD, and realized that just because his friends did something, that didn't mean he had to do it too. I highly recommend this book. It's a page turner that has a lot going for it. There is a very clear plot. "I just wish that god or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me" (Chbosky 139). Charlie just wants to know who he is. He's tired of trying to find out on his own, and he's ready to just have someone tell him. Charlie deals with a lot in this coming of age novel. He is the source of the major conflict in the story. "Patrick did call me, but all he said was that Craig got really angry at Sam about me, and I should keep staying away until things got clear" (Chbosky 130). All of Charlie's friends got mad at him when he kissed his true love, Sam, instead of his own girlfriend, in a game of "Truth or Dare". Everyone turned against him, but this was just the beginning. Many things happen to Charlie, that by the end of the story, you feel as though you know him yourself. Read this book! No matter your age or gender, it's one that everyone can enjoy. It's the coming of age story of a boy who is lost, and it portrays a wonderful new perspective if a teenage boy. Adults will learn, or be reminded of what it's actually like to be young, and kids will just understand completely. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a well-written, well-rounded novel that I highly recommend! The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a coming of age story that portrays the teenage life of a boy named Charlie, who is just entering High School. He battles with finding new friends, trying drugs, fitting in, and overall, just finding himself in the world. "I went to the library and checked out a book because I was getting scared . . . The book said that sometimes people take LSD, and they don't really get out of it . . . I started breathing fast in the library" (Chbosky 101). Charlie experimented with LSD, and realized that just because his friends did something, that didn't mean he had to do it too. I highly recommend this book. It's a page turner that has a lot going for it. There is a very clear plot. "I just wish that god or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me" (Chbosky 139). Charlie just wants to know who he is. He's tired of trying to find out on his own, and he's ready to just have someone tell him. Charlie deals with a lot in this coming of age novel. He is the source of the major conflict in the story. "Patrick did call me, but all he said was that Craig got really angry at Sam about me, and I should keep staying away until things got clear" (Chbosky 130). All of Charlie's friends got mad at him when he kissed his true love, Sam, instead of his own girlfriend, in a game of "Truth or Dare". Everyone turned against him, but this was just the beginning. Many things happen to Charlie, that by the end of the story, you feel as though you know him yourself. Read this book! No matter your age or gender, it's one that everyone can enjoy. It's the coming of age story of a boy who is lost, and it portrays a wonderful new perspective if a teenage boy. Adults will learn, or be reminded of what it's actually like to be young, and kids will just understand completely. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a well-written, well-rounded novel that I highly recommend!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
Charlie. Where to start with the character that every teen can relate to? He's not a character teens should look up to, respect, or idolize, because he makes the mistakes that every teen does. He is just proof that someone else really is going through the same thing. He really becomes more of a friend then anything. This book is written as a journal, but Charlie writes like he's talking to a real person. It's definitely a different way of writing, and it really works for this book. Charlie really is a wallflower. He looks at his life like he's watching through a window that he can't get on the other side of. Charlie experiences all of the things that normal teens are exposed to, and he handles each in a different way. Read THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, because Charlie makes you realize that everyone is going though the same types of ordeals. Love him, hate him, root for him, and cherish him. I know I always will. Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

A Beautiful Book:
After reading the first page, i immediately fell in love with the main character charlie. His writing reminded me of holden caulfield from catcher in the rye because they are both very similar. This book goes through many things such as drugs, sexuality, love, and just...being a teenager. This book changed me in a way, and made me look at life in a new perspective. i recommend this book to anyone all ages as this coming of age tale is a powerful work of art.