Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

Standing on the fringes of life...
offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This is the story of what it''s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie''s letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
(Provided By Chapters)

Charlie writes letters to this friend of his who listens to him. The beauty of it all? No judgements and someone is just there to listen to Charlie. Through his first year of highschool Charlie goes through everything from drugs, love, suicide, and family.

He befriends a girl Sam and a guy David who are both seniors. These are the friends Charlie sticks with through his first year of high school. They all are misfits with quirks of there own that make them unique. Only Difference between Charlie and His friends? They know who they are; Charlie on the other hand is struggling hard to figure that out for himself.

Through the diary-esque letters Charlie writes to his friend, we see his rollercoaster of emotions when coming to terms with hardships he is faced with. When he comes to a realization, he writes it down like a lesson was learned which made the perks of being a wallflower so refreshing!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower reminded me a lot of Catcher in the Rye. In the sense that the main characters struggle to deal with the pressures of the society around them. To live Charlie’s life through his letters was so real. I found myself questioning a lot of what I see in my day to day life. The resist and secrets we all have that affect only us. I cannot find words to explain how accurate Chbosky’s words are about growing up the way Charlie had to. No one says it better than himself;

“It was a really great experience. It’s strange to describe reading a book as a really great experience, but that’s kind of how it felt. It was a different book from the others because it wasn’t about being a kid….But it wasn’t like you had to really search for the philosophy. It was pretty straightforward, I thought, and the great part is that I took what the author wrote about and put it in terms of my own life.”

I give The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I definitely recommend this book to those who want an easy read that makes you put your life in perspective…

As Always,

HAPPY READING

Sherry

PS – Classes are back in session! Good luck to all the fellow students out there! 
PPS – WE ALL DESERVE TO FEEL INFINITE!