Bibliographic Information

Chbosky, C. (2012). The perks of being a walflower. New York, NY: MTV Books.

ISBN: 978-1451696196

 

Plot Summary

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a series of letters from a young man named Charlie. Charlie is the epitome of a wallflower, alone, introverted, sensitive, and socially awkward.  We learn about Charlie through each letter. We first learn that he is writing letters to an unknown friend about the suicide of his best and only friend the prior year. He also writes about how he recently lost his favorite aunt, Helen. He writes about his fears of starting high school and later writes about his first year of high school. We learn from his letters that he loves to write and read. His English teacher even provides him extra novels to read outside of class and write about. As the school year goes on Charlie meets seniors Patrick and Sam. Through Charlie’s letters we see how he feels and we learn more about the people he has lost. We also see the character grow as a person through his new friendships.

 

Critical Evaluation

I think the way Chbosky wrote the book was really unique and powerful. The character Charlie represented a time when we are most vulnerable and seeking to belong. His character felt authentic and real as he openly talked about his troubles and concerns. We later learn that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and this has emotionally and mentally affected how he views his self worth. His character wants to belong, but doesn’t know how. This is a common theme with other characters in the book, like Patrick and Sam. They are complex characters that are also in search of their place in the world. Sam’s character seeks love and belonging through sexual relationships. While her brother Patrick seeks belonging through terrible relationships. By the end of the book both characters grow and change so much. They realize their value and that they are worth so much more. Sam becomes a mature, smart, independent woman. Her brother Patrick realizes that he deserves more than the love he has received. While Charlie learns to ask for love and begins to find self-acceptance for the person he is. 

 

Reader’s Annotation

Charlie is a wallflower. He wants to belong, have friends, figure out who he is, and to live his life. He wants to pretend the past never happened, but can he ever truly live his life if he is running from the past?

 

Author Information

The following information was taken from the author’s biography,

https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Chbosky/e/B004596434.

 

“Stephen Chbosky (born January 25, 1970) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for writing the New York Times bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), as well as for screenwriting and directing the film version of the same book, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film Rent, and was co-creator, executive producer, and writer of the CBS television series Jericho, which began airing in 2006.”

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The following information was taken from the author’s biography,

http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Chbosky__Stephen.html.

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"Stephen Chbosky was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 25, 1972, to Fred, a former CFO consultant, and Lea, a tax preparer. He grew up in Upper St. Clair, graduating from the local high school. He received his Bachelor of the Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California’s film writing program in 1992. Chbosky is a screenwriter, television writer, and stage writer. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, which he wrote the screenplay for and also directed, premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. The film won Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. According to an All Movie Guide plot description written by Sandra Brennan, The Four Corners of Nowhere is a “humorous film [that] attempts to explain the nihilistic attitudes and terminal ennui of the X-generation.” The film follows the lives, relationships, and opinions of a group of twentysomethings living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to his honors for The Four Corners of Nowhere, Chbosky has been recognized for other films to which he contributed.   

He is the recipient of the Abraham Polonsky Screenwriting Award for his screenplay Everything Divided. Chbosky wrote the screenplay for the film version of the popular stage play, Rent, and he was the co-editor and contributor to another stage play, Sexaholic. His current project, Fingernails and Smooth Skin, is the story of a young couple whose longtime relationship is threatened by their foibles and infidelities. Chbosky was a participant in the Sundance Institutes Filmmakers’ lab. Chbosky is the editor of Pieces: A Collection of New Voices, a collection of fictional short-stories, and he is also the author of a book for a musical, Kept. Chbosky is most well-known in the literary world for his popular, coming-of-age novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, published by MTV/Pocket Books in February 1999. The book, which is Chbosky’s first novel, follows the life of 15-year-old Charlie who prefers to observe the world around him instead of participating; this changes when he becomes friends with Patrick, a senior suffering because of his secret relationship with the high school football star, and Patrick’s step-sister, Sam, for whom Charlie has an unrequited love interest. The novel, told through Charlie’s notes to an unnamed stranger, follows the lives of Charlie’s group of high school friends through first relationships, parties, and performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
 

 

Genre

Fiction, Realistic, Coming of Age

 

Curriculum Ties

N/A

 

Booktalking Ideas

• Do you think that the peer pressure in the book is realistic? Why or Why not?

• Who do you think Charlie is writing too?

• Since the book is called The Perks of Being a Wallflower, what do you think the perks are?

 

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Grades 9-12

 

Challenge Issues

Suicide, Sexual Content, Depression, Homosexuality

 

Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation)

• Active Listening

• Explanation of why it was chosen for the collection (Rational)

• Awards

• Reader Advisory Reviews (Students, Parents, Educators)

• Positive and Negative Reviews

• National Council of Teachers “Right to Read”

• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Library Selection Policy & Library District Reconsideration Form

 

Why I choose it

I choose to read this book because it was a New York Times best seller. It was also made into a widely popular film.  I found that it gave an honest depiction of some serious issues that I think people could relate too.