Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Went into this one having already seen the film, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unsurprisingly, the book is better as the book is almost always better.

The book is written as a teenage boy writing letters to a friend. We never find out who the friend is, only that Charlie write to this friend regularly and does not hold back. Through the eyes of a teenage boy, the book follows one school year of a freshman struggling with depression and grief. He finds friendship with a group of seniors as he watches his sister get into an abusive relationship and has to have an abortion. Like many teenagers trying to find their way in the world, Charlie stumbles through adolescence with the help of friends and the occasional drug. But at the end, we find out that his mental health struggles can be traced back to his aunt molesting him when he was little. It is then that he finally gets the help he needs as his friends graduate high school.

I actually picked up my copy of this book from the banned books table at Barnes and Noble. I had not idea that it was banned at any point, but I can understand how some people might find it offensive. I didn’t personally as I found it to be an honest take on being a teenager in the 1990s. It’s a great coming of age tale grief and just being yourself.

This is a great book to read with your teen as they navigate growing up in an inhumane world. It can show them that there is help available, and there is a way forward. There is hope. I wish I had stumbled across it in my home town, population 8000-ish, but it would not surprise me at all if it had been banned. Neither the school or the local library had a copy or I’m sure I would have found it.

This is one of many banned books that I wish I had read sooner. It’s a wonderful read.