I decided to start with my all time, hands down, most favorite book in the entire world; The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This story... there are no words. I've read this novel seven times, went through two copies of it, I've done school projects and book reports on it, and of course I own the movie. I don't care what anyone says, words are extremely powerful and if the right words are stringed together the right way they can move mountains. I have this way of selecting a book to read when I'm in a bookstore or in this case the high school library. I gravitated towards this book on the shelf and did what I always do. I opened it up to a random page and read the first line I saw and it said, "You know Patrick, if I were gay, I'd date you." Bam, I was hooked. I checked it out of the library that day and by 2AM I was sitting at home in tears over how powerful this book was. After I read it for a second time, I turned it back into the library and went to Barnes & Noble and bought my very own copy. When I heard that a film was coming out a few years later I was really pissed off at first. They can make all of the Harry Potter movies they want, but to diminish my absolutely favorite book into a two hour film was absurd to me. That was until, I found out that the author, Stephen Chbosky, had the rights to not only writing the script, but also directing it. I was sold from there. As more news about the movie came out I become on edge waiting for the release date. Speaking of Harry Potter, Emma Watson was playing Sam, and I couldn't have imagined a better actresses to play the part. Every character was being developed exactly how I imagined it. It's as if Mr. Chbosky had asked me to pick a cast myself. The movie was spectacular. It was exactly like the book except for two parts. 1) There were quite a few F bombs in the book, that wasn't in the movie and 2) Charlie doesn't walk in on a kiss at the movie, but rather a more intimate moment... If without spoiling too much for you. However, Mr. Chbosky addressed these differences in an interview when he stated, "If I used the F word I would be crossing over from the NC-17 to the R rated line, and I wanted the actual readers to be able to see the film." Capital R in RESPECT for him doing so.
Now, about the actual novel itself.
What is the book about?
The book is about a a boy named Charlie who is a freshman in high school. It's based in the early 90's, so basically when I was being born, Charlie was starting high school. His family is the typical "All American" family with his older brother being a football star and his sister is the valedictorian who wants to save the planet. Then, there's Charlie. He has some issues and you find out why later on. High school is not going well for Charlie until he meets some new friends. With his friends he feels free and is able to be himself and be happy. It is high school though, so some drama unfolds and it causes Charlie to have a downward spiral. Seeing him come out of the dark though is a heart tugging story that has you rooting for him the whole time.
Who are the main characters?
Charlie is the main character in the novel. It's written from his point of view. Sam is a senior and becomes friends with Charlie. She is Patrick's step brother. She's a hopeless romantic and has a rocky past. Patrick is Sam's step brother and becomes friends with Charlie. He's out and proud. He's hysterical and is very protective over his friends and family. The main story is about these three friends, but they have a whole group of friends that they are close with and you learn a lot about them too. There is also Charlie's family, especially his sister, Candace, who is a senior as well and you learn a lot about her and find yourself hating her then feeling bad for her. Lastly, there is Mr. Anderson, probably the coolest teacher that any kid could ever have. Especially if your favorite subject is English.
Is this a love story?
Absolutely not. Of course there are relationships and hookups, but that's not the point of the novel. It's just life, people get together and breakup all the time. However, those stories only make up for about 1/4 of the actual book.
Is this a "girly" book?
Not at all. This story is written from a male's point of view. It can appeal to any reader.
Why would this book appeal to me?
Honestly, this book can appeal to anyone at any age, because we've all been there. I found this book in high school at a point where I felt very lost and uninspired by life. I had all of this teenage angst without a way to express it and it's as if this book was able to do that for me. I didn't have issues as serious as Charlie, but you know I was a high school girl with braces and acne.. my life wasn't perfect. As I've gotten older I can relate to it even more believe it or not. There are things that happen in life and sometime it's almost unbearable. Whenever I'm feeling sad or that I can't express myself well, I always reach for this book.
Is the book better than the movie?
As much as I love the film, the novel will always be better. It has more explicit content than the film and this poem that's in the first chapter that is breathtaking.
Is there a conflict in the story?
Did you not read the part where I said this story is from a freshman's point of view? Of course there is conflict. There is also a huge secret Charlie has been keeping from everyone and when you learn about it, it will BLOW your mind.
As you can probably tell, I'm a tad bit obsessed with this novel. It gets a 10 out of 10. I promise you'll love it. Have any other book recommendations for me? Leave a comment down below.
xoxo, Michele
