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The Perks of Being a Wallflower |  | Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: MTV
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $3.98
as of 11/22/2009 20:59 MST details
You Save: $10.02 (72%)
New (59) Used (85) from $3.98
Seller: _athenaeum_
Rating:  1295 reviews
Sales Rank: 1283
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0671027344
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780671027346
ASIN: 0671027344
Publication Date: February 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is a freshman. And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. He's a wallflower--shy and introspective, and intelligent beyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts. We learn about Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. Charlie encounters the same struggles that many kids face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, experimenting with drugs--but he must also deal with his best friend's recent suicide. Charlie's letters take on the intimate feel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings: I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why. With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. When it all becomes too much, after a shocking realization about his beloved late Aunt Helen, Charlie retreats from reality for awhile. But he makes it back in due time, ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. Charlie, sincerely searching for that feeling of "being infinite," is a kindred spirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. --Brangien Davis
Product Description
Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1295
 Incredible October 31, 2009
Drew (Springfield, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an incredible novel that portrays the span of high school and adolescence in such a powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking way that the reader will find him or herself glued to the novel from start to finish, weeping and chuckling at every single point of the story.
 Charlie would make a great friend for just about anyone October 20, 2009
T. G. Shaw
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was incredibly interesting to read. So interesting, in fact, I read it twice. The character, Charlie is very honest, as said in the book by his friend, and has a very neat way of writing. It makes the book that more interesting. The whole way of how the book was written as letters were very neat. What I liked a lot about this book is that the Charlie character never had an absolutley terrible downspiral. Unless you consider the hospital visit at the end a absolutley horrible downspiral, Charlie did out just fine. I thought this book was very refreshing and simple and sweet. The character Charlie was interesting and innocent. His friends were a lot different from him, making his relationship with them very interesting. What else I liked about this book is how Charlie never had any bad feelings about anyone. There was not any generic antagonist that you always see in books. There was of course, an antagoinst somewhere. But it was very well hidden. The relationships Charlie has with all the other characters in the book are very quirky and unique. Overall, this book is very refreshing and somewhat happy although its dealing with drugs. I will give it a 9/10.
-T.G.SHAW
Look Into Being Young Again October 14, 2009
Maude (Pennsylvania)
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was suggested to me by a young man on my Gather site. He explained that it was one of his and his friend's favorite books and it now has become a staple on my bookshelf to share with the young people in our family.
The title explains exactly what the book is about. A coming of age study that is difficult to put down once you begin reading.
through a different lens September 25, 2009
Mara Zonderman (NY)
This book has faced challenges in many schools and communities. Check out the interview with Stephen Chbosky from Word Riot on his response to some of the challenges.
My response: What's more important - a few things you don't agree with, or a powerful story about a teenage boy learning to deal the world around him? I know, what a silly question.
I'll be honest, I had a hard time with this book at first. I spent the first part of the book wondering whether Charlie was supposed to have emotional problems or whether the writing was just awkward. When it became clear that Charlie did have emotional problems, I started to wonder why nobody but me seemed to notice. But then comes the big reveal... And Chbosky does it so well that it made the whole rest of the book shift into focus, and I could see why this is such a powerful book for so many teenagers.
A Great Read September 24, 2009
Golden
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In this powerful and well written novel, Charlie (not his real name) a fifteen year old high school freshman describes the events in his life through letters. Charlie seems to life life on the outside and does not really participate in life. Eventually his English teacher encourages Charlie to be involved in what is going on around him instead of being a wallflower. Once Charlie participates he finds friends, new activities and even a girlfriend. The author does a wonderful job of describing Charlie's feelings especiallly in relation to his family. Charlie's attitude and caring heart makes you feel that he is truly a nice person. And Charlie is not just caring but also very intelligent. However noone really notices his intelligence because he is always being pushed into the background. There is some homosexuality and discussion of drug abuse but this only adds to the realness of the characters. Many teens may have to deal with drugs, alcohol and homosexuality so I believe the book is a positive presenation on how some of these issues can be dealt with. I would recommend this book to all high school students interested in interesting realistic fiction.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1295
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