Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
Charlie is a wallflower. As such, he notices things that others don't. He overhears things others miss. He sees with different eyes. This book is a series of letters Charlie writes to a friend explaining things he's seen or experienced. This perspective makes the book seem much more personal than a simple first-person perspective would be. We follow Charlie through his year at school and the ups and downs of his relationships with those around him. We get to watch Charlie grow up as he discovers who he is and what is really important to him.
This book was interesting, although it was much different from other books I've read. This book doesn't have a definite, obvious plot to follow, there's no conflict aside from the ins and outs of normal life, so the action isn't as gripping as it could be in another book. But I still looked forward to reading each of Charlie's letters and seeing what he had learned and discovered in his adventures.
I picked this up on the new book shelf at the library soon after it was it published. I vaguely remember it being a bit racy for me as a middle schooler, but I don't remember why.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator/protagonist is a bit, ahem, explicit in what he writes - kind of like talking to a junior high student who doesn't know that certain words/topics are generally taboo. It's slightly racy, and probably not something I'd keep in my classroom, but I don't have a problem with it overall.
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