Plot Summary
Charlie
shares his freshman year of high school experiences in a series of letters to a
“friend,” whom the reader never finds out the identity of. Charlie mostly sticks to himself until he
meets brother and sister Patrick and Sam.
Together, they introduce him to many life experiences such as parties,
drinking, drugs, music, movies and much more.
Charlie learns about himself as he tries to figure out who he really
is. His English teacher gives him extra
books to read in addition to the class assignments and later asks Charlie if he
knows how smart he is. Charlie is the
type of person that really doesn’t know how amazing he is.
This
growing up story features Charlie coming to terms with his Aunt Helen’s death,
and what happened before that, and realizing how every choice that has been
made in the past, whether good or bad, has led to his existence. Charlie deals with issues such as being
unsure of his sexuality and trying to figure out who he really is. Charlie is able to observe situations and
people from afar and understand things not many people can about them. At one point in the story, Charlie says to
Sam and Patrick that he feels infinite. This
is a phenomenal coming of age story that will leave readers pondering what
being a wallflower really means and the benefits that come from that.
Critical Evaluation
The
letter format of this story adds something to this already incredibly written
story. Charlie, or so he is calling
himself for anonymity, tells each experience with great detail and gives all
the important information and insights.
The reader immediately connects with Charlie’s honest and open way of
retelling important events. The supporting
characters of this novel are written in such a way as to believable. Sam and Patrick do seem a little too loose
with life at times, but this is not uncommon for young people to be. The relationship between Patrick and Brad,
and the ending of it, is still very relevant today, almost 15 years later. It is still not generally acceptable to be
gay, especially in high school.
Even
though his friends and family urge him to get out and do more things, sometimes
I wish Charlie would just be happy being Charlie. He tries drugs and starts smoking and dates a
girl he is completely uninterested in because his friends think he should. Maybe he wanted to a little bit, but for the
most part, he just goes along with whatever his friends are doing. However, Charlie does end up only doing those
things he really wants to long term.
Overall, this book covers so many teen topics that it is a must read for
the older teen age group.
Reader’s Annotation
Come read about Charlie’s life and discover what it is like
to be infinite.
Author’s Information
Stephen graduated from the University of Southern California
filmic writing program and he directed films before he ever wrote a novel. His credits include mostly screenplays but he
wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower
and it was published in 1999. It has
been made into a film due out in September of this year.
Genre
Sexuality and Gender
Book Talking Ideas
Mentioning the unique format of this novel is sure to grab
readers’ attention. A novel made up of
extremely forthright letters is an intriguing idea. Plus, this book is being made into a movie
and who doesn’t love that? Teens need to
read it now so they can compare it to how it is adapted to film. Stephen Chbosky wrote the screenplay, though,
so I’m betting it’ll be pretty awesome.
Reading
Level/Interest
14/14
Challenge Issues
There is mention of drugs, teen drinking, molestation,
abortion, and basically anything a challenger would look for when wanting to
ban a book. However, the life lessons
contained in this one novel far outweigh some mentions of things that most, if
not all, teens already know about.
Why Include This
Title?
Besides the unique format, Charlie is a narrator that at one
point or another in his narrative, is relatable to most teenagers. This book covers a vast number of topics
pertinent to teens and is a book that needs to be read and discussed.
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