Module 15--The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Synopsis: After the suicide of his best friend, cautious Charlie views life from the wall. He encounters new friends in his high school with dark secrets of their own who help him open up and face his future.

Citation: Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. (1999). Pocket/MTV.

My thoughts: This is a beautiful story. I'm very sad that anyone would censor it, though I suppose the content is mature in some areas. Still, this is one of my favorite novels. Chbosky does an excellent job writing a plausible story with interesting characters and excellent finale.

Library usage: Could be a good discussion book for teens. Could also be used during Banned Books Week. Could be used for GLTB themed events as well.

Review:

"Dear friend, I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand." In his letters to a never-identified person, 15-year-old Charlie's freshman high-school year (1991-92) and coming-of-age ring fresh and true. First-novelist Chbosky captures adolescent angst, confusion, and joy as Charlie reveals his innermost thoughts while trying to discover who he is and whom he is to become. Intellectually precocious, Charlie seems a tad too naive in many other ways, yet his reflections on family interactions, first date, drug experimentation, first sexual encounter, and regular participation in Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings are compelling. He vacillates between full involvement in the crazy course of his life and backing off completely. Eventually, he discovers that to be a whole person who knows how to be a real friend rather than a patsy, he must confront his past--and remember what his beloved, deceased Aunt Helen did to him. Charlie is a likable kid whose humor-laced trials and tribulations will please both adults and teens.
YA/M: Older YAs will relate to Charlie. SE.
Estes, Sally. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Booklist 15 Feb. 1999: 1038. Literature Resource Center. Web.

Gr. 11-up. A gay character is part of the mix in this darkly funny, explicit novel, originally published for adults. It's about a precocious but naive and cautious 15-year-old who tries to come to terms with a dreadful part of his past and discover who he is by breaking away from the "old him."
Source Citation
Zvirin, Stephanie. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Booklist 1 June 2001: 1863. Literature Resource Center. Web.