The entire novel is written through a series of letters that
the main character, Charlie, writes to an anonymous “friend.” This is someone
Charlie doesn’t know personally but overhead a classmate talking about, and he
starts writing to him to ease his anxiety over starting high school. Charlie
has good reason to feel anxious. His only real friend from middle school committed
suicide, leaving Charlie mourning, confused, and alone.
Charlie describes his days at high school in a way that is
familiar to anyone who went to high school…the cliques, the social pressures,
the desire to be liked, and the insecurities. He also talks about his family –
his mom, dad, older brother who has just left for college, and his older sister
who is a senior in high school. Charlie’s family seems very ordinary; he loves
them and they love him, but they can drive him crazy at times. His descriptions
of holiday dinners with extended family are especially amusing for anyone who
has a dysfunctional family of their own!
One evening at a football game, Charlie recognizes a boy
from his shop class, a boy known by his classmates as Nothing. Charlie sits down
next to him and begins talking with him (finding out his real name is Patrick)
and gets to know his stepsister, Sam, too. Although Charlie can be very quirky
at times, Patrick and Sam have their own reasons for not quite fitting in, and
they all become friends, eventually pulling Charlie into their own group of
friends until he finally feels like he belongs.
Charlie himself admits that one of his problems is that he
thinks too much, and that is part of what makes his narration so irresistible.
He analyzes everything (who didn’t in high school?), wonders about everything,
and questions everything. His English teacher, who gives him extra books to
read all year long, tells him he needs to participate in life more, but Charlie
feels there are some advantages to being a wallflower, always quietly observing
the world around him.
This quintessential coming-of-age novel follows Charlie
through his entire freshman year, as he experiences all those things familiar
to many high schoolers: dances, first dates, the ups and downs of friendships,
drugs and drinking, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Adding to the fun are
ample references to music (mix tapes – it’s set in 1991!), movies, and
literature. He writes to his anonymous friend with open candor about his hopes
and fears, all that is happening around him, and all that confuses him. Along
the way, he grows and learns more about himself and how to feel comfortable in
the world. And the reader goes along for the ride, laughing, cringing, crying,
and, ultimately, caring about Charlie on his wild ride through his first year
of high school.
213 pages, Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Why has it been banned?
Ah, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a censor’s dream! It has a
bit of everything – sex, drugs, yup – rock ‘n roll, too! There is also
homosexuality, swearing, and sexual abuse. All of it is dealt with in a very
frank, almost innocent, way, as Charlie tries to figure things out for himself.
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