Rating: 
Summary: Such a Great Book
Review: This book is simply amazing. It is a must read for every teenager in high school or preparing to go into it. Its a book that you will not want to put down and you will laugh and cry along with Charlie. A lot of the situations Charlie is in are directly related to what every person goes through at least once in their life. I was never really a big reader but once I read this book I wanted to find every book out there that is like it. It is a must-read!
Rating: 
Summary: one of the best debut novels I've ever read!
Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is Stephen Chbosky's debut novel, but you'd never know it from reading it. This is an awesome book--utterly enjoyable from beginning to end.Main character Charlie is Anyteen--trying to figure out who he is and how he fits into this really weird thing called the world. His friends call him a wallflower--not because he doesn't participate, but because he has a gift for observation--sometimes he just stays quiet and watches, and he is able to see people as they really are. You will love Charlie. You will cheer his successes and mourn his losses. His hopes are yours: to fit in, somehow, somewhere. In beautiful and lyrical language, this book deals with real issues that teenagers deal with every day, that many adults gloss over and many books are afraid to talk about. Up close or from a distance, Charlie witnesses and must learn to deal with depression, suicide, abuse, pregnancy, homosexuality, drugs, school, idealism, friendship, and love. It almost sounds like an episode of 90210--but as teenagers can tell you, that's what their world is about. This book does have one fault--although the supporting characters, even Charlie's best friends, have real feelings and undergo real things, they often feel stereotypical. You can tell that Chbosky tries hard not to make them stereotypical, but he often employs another stereotype to avoid the first one. For example: 1. Homophobic football player is very popular. 2. He turns out to be gay, but imagines that he isn't, even though he has a boyfriend. 3. When he admits to himself and boyfriend that he's gay, he doesn't want anyone to know. 4. His dad finds out, and football player reverts to homophobic behavior. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is important. It is better than any parental how-to book to help parents identify with their kids, and it will remind teenagers that everyone feels alone and hopeless, and somehow everything will turn out okay.
Rating:
Summary: Something to Relate to
Review: I loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It has something for everyone to relate to. Charlie is such a fascinating and insightful character and throughout the book I was able to see some of myself in him. If you are a teenager this book is a must to read. It will make you laugh, cry, and will definitely move you in one way or another.
Rating:
Summary: You owe it to yourself to buy this book right now!
Review: Charlie, the narrator of the book is a young, shy boy battling problems that so many of us battle, balancing on the fringes between living his life and just merely watching others' lives. Charlie lives in a world full of books, infatuation, marijuana, Rocky Horror Picture Show, family problems and even a friend's suicide. In the barely 200 pages of this book, he experiences the full spectrum of human emotion. The wonderful first-person perspective allows the readers to think just as Charlie is, and more importantly to recognize and evaluate similar situations in their own lives. This book will teach you to cherish every single moment you have, even if the next seems infinitely better. It taught me to live for the moments when I'm sitting in the back seat of my best friend's car,listening to the Smiths and thinking about nothing except how beautiful the street lights are. And it showed me that sometimes, for just one moment at a time, we really can be infinite. THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez, another Amazon purchase, is a second book I recommend very much along these lines. Life is fleeting: seize the day!
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Summary: An Extraordinary Book About an Ordinary Guy!
Review: What is this book? The story is truly inspiring and insightful, heart-renching and awe-felt! The lessons are learned in the farthest corners of the mind, and the strength of self. If you can dig that, you will certainly enjoy the book. Still don't think you'll like it? THINK AGAIN! What discipline, drive, and talent! The main thing about the book is that the author did a great job of capturing the role models in a way that serves to provide a path for youths as well as pride for some parents. Bravo Mr. Chbosky! When I was a kid I was a huge fan of the original Kiss (mid 70's) I couldn't get enough of the band. It was a large part of my life and feel it really helped me through the tough growing up years. This book could be the same for children today. I mean let's all be honest with each other (for once!) and say that the teenage years are a much overlooked dystopia. This book was a little hard to understand especially when it only using "I" and "my" and "mine" and written in letters and such, but never the less I read this book in only one day; a few hours actually. I had to read it, otherwise I would've never heard of it or read it. Thank goodnees for those duties that I have as burdens! Anyway, since then I have read it countless times, relishing every page. The hero in the story, Charlie, is very likeable as he goes through the trials and tribulations of growing up, searching for friends and dreaming of the beautiful girl next door. Reading this book should be mandatory for all boys! Maybe girls too. But that's up too Parliament, or the President for my American friends (Hello down there!). I don't make the laws. I only suggest them. Ha ha. Anyhow, this novel is one of the most unique ones ever written. There is essentially no plot. There is just one main idea spread throughout the entire book. Of course there are always narrow minded people who might object to the contents of this book, probably the same people who'd object to the Venus the Milo, or 'nude paintings' in a museum. Never mind them. For any intelligent and open-minded person there is nothing to object to, just Great Art to enjoy and a valuable lesson about life as it's meant to be. If you are still in doubt, do yourself a favour and buy it, and if you give it half a chance, it will enrich your life and broaden your horizon. In a way, you can't afford NOT to buy it... Especially if they pass a law that says you have to read it which has as a penalty a large fine. Ha ha.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I loved this book. And its not even the kind of book I normally find myself reading. But my friend recommended it and said that everyone she ever recommended it to loved it and I can see why! Its just plain honest and open and supremely endearing! The main character is geeky but lovable and no matter who you are you will end up identifying with him by the end! Though the book is mostly about his struggles its far from depressing. You really want this kid to succeed and you really do end up seeing parts of your own successes and failures in his story. Its just a darling, precious story!
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Summary: Very moving and dead on...
Review: The book, although I was quite shaken by the "twist" ending, was still quite right. The feelings of our precocious narrator are very true to life. It does capture high school well. This one shines at times because of it's format and honesty. It will leave you feeling both happy and sad at the same time, which Charlie talks about at one point. I was reminded of two other novels, of the coming of age genre, which fans of this book might like. There is 10th Grade which was released last year and is lighter hearted than this. However, it does a fine job of capturing the lonely days of school...and on a more esoteric note, "Everything Looks Impressive" by Hugh Kennedy...which takes place with a freshman in college and a senior he befriends... All worth the read.
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Summary: I feel infinite...
Review: This book is truly amazing. Chbosky clearly knows what goes in in a teenager's life and his portral of the world via Charlie is stunning. I have read this book 10 times over and will probably be reading it many more; it never gets old and each time I read it, I get more and more from it. I recommend this book to any teen (ages 13-19) who needs some guidance or advice or anyone who just has trouble finding a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Just Amazing and Inspiring
Review: I really can't explain how much I loved this book as well as I wish I could. It was inspirational for me and as a teenager I completely identified with many of Charlie's experiences. I read it in one night and I just didn't want to stop reading it. I def recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Dedicated to someone you probably know.
Review: Like many of the readers below, I read this book in a few hours after borrowing it last night for no other reason than the qwerkiness of it's title. I'm not going to talk about the story because there's plenty of that already here, but I will say that I was quickly drawn into this character, "Charlie," and couldn't help but continue reading until I was finished. I can readily identify with some of what the character is going through, (which is probably what drew me to the title), but there's a great deal more here than I expected and the surprise ending adds a whole new level to a book that otherwise deals with various serious topics from what almost seems a casual, matter of fact, speculative and completely objective point of view. I do know someone with similar life experiences to "Charlie," and was left at the end of the book feeling as if I understood them a little better and wondering if the point of Mr. Chbosky's story was not so much whether or not there are "perks" associated with "being a wallflower" as there are potential skeletons in everyone's closet that would best be dealt with directly rather than hidden from our own inner-view. This book is very well written and I came to Amazon hoping to find more by it's author. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be anything else, so for those of you similarly looking, I'd like to recommend anything by Nick Hornby, (High Fidelity, Being Good & About a Boy), the first author to get me reading non-stop again since I first read Stephen King's "Christine" back in 1984.
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