Is It Worth the Read? The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Viri Reyes, Staff Writer

Are you having trouble adjusting to the life of a high schooler? Do you feel like everyone has a completely different mentality than you do? Do you feel pressured to do things? Does this school year already feel like it’s passing way too fast? Well my cousin does.

Over the summer she recommended The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

“I just think the book was so good,” said my cousin, sophomore Betsy Martinez. “I haven’t really been around people who are already thinking of their futures and where they’re going after they graduate. So when I read this book, I related a little too much to Charlie. Everything happening feels very new, it’s sometimes overwhelming. The ending kind of makes me excited to experience it all though.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story. The main character is a boy named Charlie who is quiet, shy and to himself. He’s not comfortable talking, or making eye contact with anyone he doesn’t know. To make matters worse for him, he’s starting high school. All around him, teenagers are learning how to live in a chaotic world, how to handle relationships, classes and family all at the same time.

This story is written in the form of a series of letters; almost like a diary. Stephan Chbosky writes this book as if it’s based on someone’s life, despite it being fiction, and makes it totally believable. Everything that Charlie has to adjust to, what he feels, and all the experiences he encounters along the way feels like something every teenager can relate to.

I recommend this book to everyone, not just teenagers.

If you want to read a book that gives you a first person look on what it’s like to be a teenager dealing with all kinds of changes, pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Charlie, like most teenagers who are finally getting a taste of the real world, is confused about absolutely everything that’s been happening around him and to him. This is the kind of stuff that makes up the life of a teenager. I guarantee that you will find similarities between yourself and Charlie.