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| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: MTV
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.48
You Save: $6.52 (47%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (1261 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1899
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0671027344
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780671027346
ASIN: 0671027344
Publication Date: February 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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 haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 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.
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1256 more reviews...
 Plot and themes are unrealistic and heavy-handed, but this remains an emotional and meaningful book. Recommeded August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Charlie is about to start high school, and so he begins to send letters to an anonymous stranger as an outlet for his fears. His letters continue through the school year, recording his friendships, high school life, mental issues, and ongoing battle to emerge from passivity and actively engage with the world. Although heavy-handed in its themes and discussing a surfeit of difficult issues from suicide to drug use to homosexuality, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is remarkably good. Realistic characters make up for the the unrealistic plot, and Charlie's epiphanies about life and happiness, however small they may be, are meaningful and resonant. The book is swiftly readable, emotional, and meaningful, and I recommend it.
I wish that I had read The Perks of Being a Wallflower when I was a young adult, because I think I would have enjoyed it even more then. Reading it as an adult, the book is still quite good--but its flaws are more noticeable. From premise to plot, too much of the book is unrealistic. Charlie's letters function as a direct address to the reader, but why he writes them is never adequately explained. Although he is a wallflower--the very premise of the book--Charlie quickly becomes friends with a group of students, and through them (and his siblings) faces all number of difficult issues: (discrimination against and coming to terms with) homosexuality, drug use, rape, dating, sexual activity and promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion, mental health, and suicide, to name a few. With so many issues in such a short book, each becomes abrupt and heavy-handed, and some are immediately reduced to a single important theme.
Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book. It is swiftly readable, Chbosky's adolescent voice is almost too accurate, but best of all: despite its heavy-handedness, The Perks of Being a Wallflower manages to be remarkably sensitive and tug more than a few heartstrings. Though the plot lacks subtlety, Charlie does not. His thoughtful and emotional approach to his friends and environment grants him starting perception, and his continual battle to rise from thought into action is a never-ending coming of age story which is appropriate for all readers. No matter how blatant many of his epiphanies are, Charlie's small discoveries about his potential and happiness remain true and meaningful. The book is emotional, sometimes depressing, but ultimately empowering.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower was not all that I expected it would be (based on the recommendation that I'd heard), and I believe that it is more relevant and enjoyable to the intended young adult audience. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read it, and I can see why it's become a YA classic--and, for its subject matter, why it is controversial. Although somewhat blatant and heavy-handed, the novel deals with a number of difficult issues which may affect teens, denying neither their existence nor danger. But where the book really shines is in Charlie's personal and private discoveries, things not inspired by drug use or teen sexual activity. When he feels "infinite," driving and listening to music with his friends, both Charlie and the reader are exhilarated by the potential of life--a message well worth taking away. I enjoyed this book despite its faults, and I recommend it to all audiences.
 When does the good part start? August 15, 2008
When I picked this book up, I expected a book to identify with. However, as I read the story, this was not the case. A majority of the book is talking about what kind of music Charlie likes, what kind of drugs he takes, or how much fun he has at the Rocky Horror show. I can't count how many times he goes to it and watches the same thing. As I wasn't interested in any of this topics the book didn't particularly give me any message.
There was one interesting twist in this book. The background information to the twist makes it believable, and the way it is revealed is brilliant. Aside from that, theres not much good to say about this book.
 One of my favorite books to re-read August 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The honesty of the character in this story is what makes it one of my favorites. He has a wonderful personality and it's always fun to hear what he had to say about his high school experience. I'd recommend this to anyone from 14-20 years old.
Awesome coming of age novel August 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book a few years ago when making the transition from high school to college. I've never read a book quite like this one and thus it holds a special place in my heart. It's almost impossible to not relate to the main character, Charlie. The timing of when I read this book was also a bit of a coincidence while he was adjusting to high school, I was adjusting to college. The language and punctuation of the book is humorous and entertaining. You watch a boy begin to grow up and you feel a real connection with the character by the end of the book. Some compare this book to The Catcher In The Rye but I find this book way better than that. The book reads quickly and has a MAJOR twist at the end. I'd reccommend this book for just about any teenager especially if you're making the first step into high school or college. I think that older readers would find this book interesting as well. So, go ahead and pick it up - I assure you that you won't put it down.
Incredible story July 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Honestly, this book was amazing. I feel like almost anyone would be able to relate to Charlie or his friends. This book was given to me by my best friend and, even though I put off reading it for a year, I picked it up and read it in 5 hours. I was sucked into the world of a 15 year old boy. It reminds me of almost everyone I know and love. I definitely recommend this to anyone!
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