Monthly Review

     In the wonderful, inspiring 231 page fiction novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, told by Stephen Chbosky, was a quite rewarding read, more than I had anticipated. It has been on my reading list for months but I never got around to checking it out due to a busy schedule. I have heard a lot about this particular novel in the past but it was completely different from my expectations. Stephen Chbosky unfolds an amazing story that has become a top seller about among teens and adolescences everywhere because of the mesmerizing character he bring to life and how it can relate to the reader about "the high school experience".
 Charlie family has an interesting past, he has an older brother that has graduated and had a scholarship to Penn State and he is now playing college football there, a sister attending her senior year in high school playing the role of the smart undercover drama queens. As for his parents, they are the normal American family that "doesn't hit" or condone violent discipline. Also, another major character is his Aunt Helena which had also passed away. She was killed in a car accident while buying Charlie a Christmas gift which in turn causes a lot of internal conflict.
     Other important major roles are the friends he makes. You see, the reason why Charlie was nervous about high school was because he is what you call a "wallflower", therefore he was usually quiet and did not make friends easily. His English teacher Bill, the only one that sees Charlie's full potential and capability to absorb knowledge, encourages him to "participate" more outside of school. As a result, he attends his schools homecoming game and meets Sam and Patrick. They go through the typically high school drama which makes it a good read. I hope to read more from Stephen Chobsky in the near future.
    It is a coming of age story about Charlie caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. This book was targets teen readers because it is mostly young adult literature and maybe even beyond. According to the American Library Association, Stephen Chbosky's, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," was ranked third for the annual report of "challenged books" for which the many reasons include drugs, suicide, homosexuality and being anti-family.
    The format of the book is written as a series of ongoing letters from Charlie and you, the reader, is on the receiving end.  He initially begins writing these letters because he is anxious for the first day of high school, since his best friend, Micheal, had passed away a year before. It is a coming of age story about Charlie caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. This book was targets teen readers because it is mostly young adult literature and maybe even beyond. According to the American Library Association, Stephen Chbosky's, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," was ranked third for the annual report of "challenged books" for which the many reasons include drugs, suicide, homosexuality and being anti-family.
    From my point of view, this compelling story is intended to target any female from the ages 13 through 17 or maybe beyond. That is probably why this book is so popular among kids in high school. The story takes you on a journey of Charlies first year in high school through his perspective along with all his experiences with friends and family drama. It has all the parts that make all the little prepubescent girls love. A bit of romance with Sam playing the love interesting, the enemy, or enemies in this case, and somewhere along the lines, some fear conquering is done. I think this was definitely a great read and something I will not soon forget. It is a mere 231 pages and I recommend it for anyoneintersted in something that will touch your heart that Chbosky brings to the table with this exquisite way of making these characters come alive.
    Again, like I stated before, this novel is written to you through "letters". Charlie is starting out his first year in a new high school and he is anxious and frightened by the thought of going to a new place with no friends. In middle school, his best friend, Micheal, who was quite the odd ball compared to the rest of the kids, had passed on, extinguishing Charlies only friend. Now, Charlie must face high school alone without his only companion. After the story develops more, two more characters get introduced to the story, they would be Sam and Patrick. They are seniors and they are brothers and sisters, who become a big part of Charlies life and the letters he writes. You see, he writes these letters to "the reader" about his ongoing problems in his problematic environment, he is pressured to keep up this his competing surroundings by joining his peers in bad situations in order to be accepted in the eyes of his community. It's almost as if they are journal entries and you are just reading through them. Although this style of writing has been done many times before by many other different authors, something about this particular format just brings the entire story together.
    Although I have not read another book particular like this I think one that would fit into the same genre is Twilight by Stephenie Meyers. Yes, yes. I know what you're thinking, EW. That book is a disgrace to vampires, like the saying goes, "Back in my day, vampires sucked blood not cocks." A bit inappropriate, but I feel as though I needed to quote that to let you know where I stand in my opinions of that book. I am DEFINITELY NOT saying that The Perks of being a Wallflower sucked anal like Twilight, however, in some parts they had the same "mood" if that makes any sense. Also the fact that both these books have the same targeted audiences. Overall, it was a terrific book, and I would not mind reading it over one day. As I have stated in my lit circle letters, I hope to read more of Chbosky in the near future.