The Perks of Being a Wallflower

By- Stephen Chbosky

    I watched the movie years ago and to be honest had no idea it was a book. Recently I became aware it was a book but have no idea how, and so I had to search out the book having no idea what to expect. I know the movie was great with a star studded cast of Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller, but you never know what to expect when comparing books and movies. 

    The book is written in a unique format, as letters from the main character Charlie to an unknown person. Charlie is dealing with the loss of his best friend Michael, who killed himself. Charlie is lost and it is evident in the letters that he is depressed and lonely, as he observes the people around him going through their lives. He is very perceptive and is drawn to two seniors Patrick and Sam at the local high school football game. He approaches them at the game and they befriend him and he folds into their social circle. Patrick is outgoing and boisterous and is openly gay in a secret relationship with Brad the starting quarterback. Sam is a pretty and smart girl that Charlie falls in love with, however, she tells him that they cannot be together and he needs to not think of her in that way. Charlie also is befriended by a teacher, Bill, who gives him books to read and assigns him essays for each book as extra credit. The letters go from the beginning of his freshman year until the end when his friends all leave for college. It follows his journey of dealing with his depression, his first girlfriend, and the relationships of his family. 

    A great book, well written by the author and written in the perspective of a smart, perceptive, and sad teenage boy. This book is truly written way ahead of its time, it was written in 1999 when life was very different when it came to the acceptance of the LGBTQ community and mental health in teens. There is also letters that the main character discusses using drugs and alcohol which while we do not want teens engaging in it is a reality that they experiment with them and the author does a great job not glorifying them but speaks about them knowing they are a part of the teenage experience.  In my opinion it has aged very well and is still relevant today. I highly recommend this book to any teens struggling, or even parents that are struggling to understand their own teenage children.