The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. New York: Pocket Books.
ISBN-10 0671027344
ISBN-13 978-0671027346
213 pgs
Format: Book
Genre: Realistic
Classification: Fiction
Age level: Young Adult

Reader's annotation
High school isn’t easy for Charlie, a sweet kid who is trying to make sense of the world around him by being a careful observer of the difficulties faced by his friends and siblings. Along the way, nearly every serious teen issue comes into play, taking a toll on Charlie’s sense of well-being.

Summary
This novel reads like a journal, though it is a series of letters dated in 1991 that fifteen-year-old Charlie writes anonymously to an unnamed friend, who is only described as someone who could have taken advantage of a girl at a party and didn’t. Charlie observes teen life as he enters high school and also takes note what older teens are doing through his interactions with his older brother and sister. Charlie has a crush on an older girl named Sam, attends his first party, and looks forward to learning to drive. Dating violence is touched on quite a bit, as when Charlie witnesses his sister being slapped by her boyfriend and also is in the room when a girl is raped at a party at his house. Charlie loves his friends but has a tough time expressing himself, and he is still coming to terms with the suicide of a close friend. Through these letters and time in therapy Charlie begins to make sense of events in his past that continue to affect his life.

Notes
Charlie comes off as a little wide-eyed at times, but has a good heart. The reader can’t help but wish that life was a little easier on him as he makes his way though many serious issues facing teens. At the end of the novel it becomes clear why Charlie has so many emotional issues and why he has been seeing a psychiatrist.