My favorite book next to Catcher in The Rye

books:


	• The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky MTV, 1999 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 1268 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Book Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, is the story of Charlie's freshman year of high school told in letters. Charlie's first letter is written in admiration to a person he has never actually met. Because Charlie is scared of starting high school, he continues writing these letters.
At the end of eighth grade, Charlie is surprised to learn that his close friend has committed suicide. So as he nears his first day of high school, Charlie is afraid he will have no friends; but at the first school football game, Charlie befriends two seniors, Patrick and Patrick's sister, Sam. Along with Patrick and Sam, Charlie frequently attends high school parties, parties that promote drugs and alcohol. At these parties, Charlie doesn't bring much attention himself; he just sits there and flows with everyone else. He talks to people, but doesn't talk too much; he mostly just listens.
Charlie also becomes friends with his English teacher whom he calls by his first name, Bill. Bill gives Charlie extra books to read because he thinks Charlie is exceptionally smart. Charlie talks to Bill like an ordinary friend, not a teacher. After Bill hears what's on in Charlie's life, he tells Charlie to participate more in life, not just think.
Charlie thinks too much, in my opinion; he also cries a lot, more than anyone should at his age. In Charlie's first letter, he writes, "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." This was something I could relate to in some ways, but certainly not on the same level as Charlie. Charlie is depressed; but no one knows it, not even him. He actually has no clue why he cries so much, but he knows that he doesn't like it.
He cries every year on his birthday because that is when his most loved relative, his Aunt Helen, died. She was the only person who hugged him, and she was the only one who bought him two presents: one for his birthday, December 24, and one for Christmas.
These people make Charlie feel special and loved; but even though he has friends, Charlie still has a hard time participating and makes many mistakes while trying because he has a low self-confidence, which often leads to him crying.
Charlie cries when he is sad and sometimes when he is happy. On occasion, he just bursts into tears; and because he doesn't know why, he cries even more, harder and louder. When Charlie learns why he cries so often, he never mentions himself crying anymore in his letters. I think Chbosky uses this to symbolize Charlie's recovery from suppressed depression.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is written in the same way a normal guy Charlie's age would speak, which makes it easy to read. At first I thought I wouldn't like the letter format, but it helps enforce the character of the book and Charlie. I would recommend this book despite some controversial text: it's portrayal of teen sexuality and drug use.

Find this and other reviews like it at notrequiredreading.com

for more information click here

My favorite book next to Catcher in The Rye

This is an exceptional book with a great insider point of a view of the teenage mind. What an adult will learn from this is things haven't changed as much as we thought.

The words touched me and I've never felt this close to someone I didn't know.

I'm still astounded the writer was able to write from such a personal first person perspective.

Thank you for this book.

for more information click here

Loved It

I was so gald I read this book before starting high school. It is an insightful, darkly humorous, and beautiful look at surviving adolesence. I took this to camp last summer and everyone wanted to borrow it. Definitely one of my favorite books!

for more information click here

Excellent Perks

Originally printed in 1999 by MTV Books and Pocket Books, this epistolary novel is written as a series of journal entries to an unnamed friend by a kid who calls himself Charlie. A coming of age book, it centers around Charlie and his transition from being a wallflower and observer to an active participant in his own life. The story deals with such issues as homosexuality, teenage suicide, child abuse, and drug use. The readers of the story follow Charlie's tales of him and his new friends as they put on productions of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, throw parties, and experience the awkward times of adolescence. We, as the audience, are drawn into the story and taken along for the ride as Charlie experiences his first kiss, is mentored by his English teacher, deals with the suicide of a friend, and experiences his first high. It is a moving story that I love to quote from. The most entertaining of which is after his first pot-laced-brownie experience where his friend and love interest asks,
"Are you seeing anything, Charlie?"
"Light."
"Does it feel good?"
"Uh-huh."
"Are you thirsty?"
"Uh-huh."
"What would you like to drink?"
"A milkshake."
And everyone in the room, except Sam, erupted in laughter.
"He's stoned."
"Are you hungry, Charlie?"
"Uh-huh."
"What would you like to eat?"
"A milkshake."
As Charlie's life progresses in high school and he becomes more extroverted, we begin to see the causes in his former disassociation and psychological issues; which I will refrain from stating to avoid exposing spoilers.
It truly is a deeply affecting coming of age story. Chbosky did an excellent job of writing this so that the reader is literally pulled into the story, feeling as if they are one of the Characters in Charlie's ever eventful and interesting life. The vocabulary and diction is spot on and could be believably be written by a slightly socially awkward high-schooler. I am even still amazed with the research Chbosky did before writing this. All of his cultural references are fairly accurate, down to the shadow cast costumes of Rocky Horror Picture Show. He even references the socially relevant works of literature, music, movies, and television shows. He has Charlie reading and becoming a fan of many of the books that I fell in love with at that age- To Kill a Mockingbird, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, A Separate Peace, Catcher in the Rye, Naked Lunch, and The Fountainhead among others. He also included music references to The Smiths, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Ride.
It is an intense read that I think most people can relate to. Anyone who has been or is currently going through adolescence has experienced many of these issues and dealt with their own inner struggles of how to come out of their shell and interact in the world as a well-adjusted person. Chbosky's passion for Charlie, the story, and the other characters make this a book that you can't put down and silently cheer for. I've re-read this book many times and each time I find something new that I love about it. Each new read offers me a different perspective on the book for every point of my life that I'm in. The honesty, attention to detail, well developed characters, and unpredictable plot have turned this book into one of my all-time favorites. It is now even a custom in my social circles to annotate a copy and give it to a friend who has never experienced the wonder that is Charlie.

for more information click here

A Beautiful, Salinger-esque Story

The brutal honesty and provocative realism that made The Catcher in the Rye a classic is reborn in this novel. If you didn't like Catcher (not that I think that's possible for people who actually understand it), you won't like this.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Books that make you feel something...
(Late Teen) Books I've Read Part 1
YA Stories with Emotions
Favorite books
Recently Read

search for books
perks of being, being, perks, wallflower

Impressum / about us