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Megan Levitt

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Megan Levitt is currently reading

Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

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Reading for the 2nd time

read in September 2015

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Megan Levitt said: " The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a truly moving story about a 15 year old wallflower named Charlie, who is going through a tough and unusual time as he is entering his first year of high school. Because this book deals with the r The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a truly moving story about a 15 year old wallflower named Charlie, who is going through a tough and unusual time as he is entering his first year of high school. Because this book deals with the reality of a high school experience, readers may come across content dealing with death, sexual abuse, drinking, drugs, rape, smoking, and sex, seeming uncomfortable towards some people.

Throughout the story Charlie is writing, in the form of letters, to an anonymous ‘Friend’ whom he tells everything going on in his life. The first letter begins as Charlie tells the story of how in middle school, his best friend committed suicide leaving him with no friends as he enters high school. Despite this, Charlie is soon drawn to a crowd of outcasts who supports his individuality and his passion for things like music and writing.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is written in the form that lacks focus on one specific subject. Instead the author touches on many subjects making the story more realistic. As stated before, this story deals with issues such as experimentation with drugs and alcohol, sexuality, family issues, relationships, and more. Because of this inappropriate content people may be opposed to younger children reading this book.

Many book reviewers discussing The Perks of Being a Wallflower believe the material in this book is inappropriate and should not be read by high school students in a classroom setting. Perhaps some think that the story may influence children in a bad way.

For example, Charlie experiments with drugs throughout the story. This could possibly influence readers to try drugs simply out of curiosity. This of course is something teachers do not want their students trying, which might explain why this book is challenged in schools.

I agree with reviewers in the fact that this book should not be read in classrooms, but that does not mean it should not be read at all. The events that Chbosky includes in this story allow the intended teenage audience to relate to real life situations that only prepare them for the real world.

There is no way for issues, like the ones present in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, to be avoided in ones lifetime so I believe people should go ahead and read this story in order to learn from other peoples mistakes and learn to cope with them. The overall message in this book is that there is going to be rough patches in your life, but there are ways to overcome them.

Although I do not believe this book is appropriate to read in a classroom setting, due to sexual content, I do think teachers should individual assign this book as an independent assignment (just as Mrs. Wray did for me). I think this book should be read by high school students only because they will be able to relate to the occurrences in the book the most. Anyone younger or older would have no interest.

Overall, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a very enjoyable book to read. Every letter Charlie wrote kept me wanting to read more. I was able to relate to many of the experiences discussed throughout the book which added a personal level to the reading. I come across very little books that entertain me, and this one was one of them.

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.” ...more "

Oct 04, 2015 03:11PM · see review