The Perks of Being a Wallflower (edit title)

• Rated 5 stars

“So I'm only 11 pages in but I really like it. As I've said before I love books written in letters, this one is even more interesting becuase its entierly one sided. Its a slightly odd writing style because I'm guessing that Charlie (the main character) is only 15ish (that's how old you are when you start high school, right?).

Page 18, what sort of a word is "corpulent" for a fifteen year old to be using? I don't like it when I have to google definitions of words half way through reading, it breaks the flow :(

Man I love that episode of M*A*S*H.

Actualfax crying now, its nearly happend a couple of times in the book but the poem has done it [3 I think I'm going to write it out and put it on my wall.

I just don't even know where to continue. I've finished now and kind of just want to sit and think for a bit.
It's funny cause I didn't think id be able to relate to a story from a 15/16 year old's point of view, and I do so preferr 3rd person stories to 1st, but the letters format really helped the story along. It confused me somewhat towards the end because I don't tend to "get" a lot of subtlty in plots etc but it did really move me in some ways.
I especially liked the insight it gave me into what a boy's mind might be going through at the same time that mine was worried about going into my final year of "proper school" & then going to 6th form at around the same age as this kid was starting high school.
I'm not one for stories that aren't set now/in the recent past but this bought a sense of nostalgia for the early ninties that I kind of remember. I was 2/3 in 91/92 so I just barely remember it, but I do just enough for the book to bring back a sense of something from back then.
Over all I loved it very much, even the oddly short sentances, strange phrasing and americanisms didn't put me off. An amazing book.”

• Rated 4 stars

“This was a lot like Catcher in the Rye.”

• Rated 5 stars

“A really good, quick read about a 16 year old boy named Charlie in his first year of high school. He's been through a lot for how young he is, and he begins writing to an unknown person, kind of like a diary entry only to a real person. He's some what of an outcast and he doesn't have very good social skills. He's quiet and very emotional, but he's loyal and he doesn't like hurting people's feelings. With Charlie there's no baggage, he's very blunt and he always speaks his mind.

Over all i really enjoyed the book. It was funny and sad, and it had real problems that a teenager in the present would be dealing with. ”

• Rated 0 stars

“In this book, the main character, a freshmen boy named Charlie. Charlie writes letters to an unknown person about his realizations and what is taking place in his life has he explores high school. In the end has he slowly gets comforable with his life as he discovers a secret that had haunted him throughout the book. This book is moving.
”

• Rated 5 stars

“An amazing, amazing, AMAZING book. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the story of a 16 year old named "Charlie". He is writing letters to someone he doesn't know about his life because he has no one else to talk to anymore, after his Aunt Helen's death. It is the story of a 16 year old freshman in high school growing up, but there is way more to the story then just that. In this book you watch Charlie grow from being a nobody, to gaining friends that he will never forget in his entire life, and come from not knowing who he is, to finding out his true self. I recommend this book to ANYONE. It is such an amazing book and definitely one of my favorites.
My favorite scene in the book is when Charlie is in Sam's car with Sam and Patrick at the very end of the book. This sums up Charlie's whole freshman year and how much his friends and everything else he learned and was introduced to means to him. It really is a great way to end the book and end Charlie's year.
I also love the scene towards the middle of the book when Sam, Patrick, and Charlie are in Sam's car driving through the tunnel and feel "infinite". That moment was extremely special to Charlie and is something he will never forget in his entire life.
My third and last favorite scene was when Charlie sees Brad calling Patrick a "faggot" and Patrick start a fight with him and his friends. Charlie runs over and starts beating all the guys who were hitting Patrick. This really showed true friendship and how much of a true friend Patrick is to Charlie and Charlie is to Patrick.”

• Rated 4 stars

“A pretty good book. I was really sick of the kid saying "incidentally" but it got better the more I read it. I was pretty surprised at the ending to be honest and it was good. A real page turner, I went through this book in about 2.5 days.”

• Rated 0 stars

“I really liked this book, It was sad and good and funny all at the same time! I liked Charlie a lot but at the same time I felt bad for him especially at the end. It was more of a book I could relate too. ”

• Rated 2 stars

“Recommended ages 12 and up.
I didn't really like this book. The format is in letters from this boy who's a freshman in high school to "a friend." He's depressed and he thinks a lot. He actually just seems pretentious to me. Like he's trying to be smarter than he actually is. And he is smart, but it feels like the author is trying too hard.”

• Rated 5 stars

“M.H.
This is a great book. A boy named charlie is going through a rough time. One of his very close friends named Michael has just died. Not a lot of people show up to pay thier respects but the people that did really liked him. After this Charlie trys to go on having a normal life but it is hard because he is only 15 and he is hanging out with older kids. They are about 3 years older than him. Their names are Patrick "Nothing" and Sam. Charlie starts to like Sam a lot but he doesn't think she likes him back. He is going to a lot of parties and trying to get more socially active like his English teacher told him to. But at his first party he goes to he is in for more than he expects. He eats a special brownie and they are older kids so you must know what king of brownie it was. But if you dont know what it is its a pot brownie. now he is stoned and he finds little hidden secrets that no one must know about and he know becomes a wallflower. As time goes on he learns more and more and his knowledge. This is a trulely great book to read. Anyone that loves to read a little mystery and suspense then this will be good and it also has a little action. There are many catigories that this book could go under. A reason why this may have been banned is because of language and homesexuality activities and more adult content. People that just like to read a good book in thier spare time should read this book!!!!”

• Rated 0 stars

“Britni Waller:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was published in 1999. Recently, it has been challenged by parents in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A group of parents have organized and formed Parents Protecting the Minds of Children, or PPMC. The PPMC has listed the Perks of Being a Wallflower amongst their 34 other books to be removed from Fayetteville High School library. The PPMC objects to the profane language and depictions of sexuality within the novel. The PPMC has also accused the school librarians and their opponents of promoting homosexual agenda, obscene descriptions of sex, oral sex, and rape to students.

I thought the book was an intriguing read beause of it's outsider-looking-in perspective. In fact, once I started it, I couldn't put it down and finished it in 4 hours straight. Charlie is a boy who is writing letter's to an unknown "friend" who he had heard would be there to listen to him. Charlie is telling this friend about the truths within his high school world, which could really be almost any high school in America, as they all have similar problems. Charlie is a very intelligent child, who loves to read and observe. He sort of becomes an independent study student with his teacher, Bill. Bill takes a special interest in Charlie and gives him extra books to read and write about, and encourages Charlie to participate more in life, rather than sit back and think and observe life. Only through Charlie's innocent eyes are we able to see what it's like for a boy to crush on a girl but never have a shot, because he never comes out of the wallpaper. We, as readers, feel sorry for him when he takes LSD and is dizzy for days. We want him to just stop smoking already, because it's not good for him. We wish everything would work out for him and Sam, because he deserves to have something good in his life. And lastly, we wish we had someone who was that good of a friend for ourselves, but yet we know that if we did have him, we would think the same thing - why can't he speak up and be much more opinionated, rather than sit back and get stepped on all the time! I liked the book from Charlie's perspective, and you grow to love him. As for those who believe it should be banned from high schoolers, they should consder the fact that most high schoolers are no longer a blank canvas and already have some sort of influence. They can choose to be above any sort of influence, whether it's coming from their life or a book.”