Rating: 
Summary: did i miss something?
Review: Everyone else is giving rave reviews about this book. When Ichecked it out of the library, it looked interesting enough. But whenI started reading it, I was completely bored by it. I know some bookstake awhile to get into, but after reading 5 pages I knew I was never going to like this book. And the way that the book is written to "dear friend" was rather annoying as well. I surmise that the author is trying to create some sort of "Everyman" in the protagonist, which is why he writes to society, maybe (?). But it was just impersonal and trite. Maybe I'm missing something, but I recommend staying away from this book. It isn't a classic and it isn't worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Review For Perks of Being a Wallflower
Review: This is a VERY good book and you don't even have to be a teenager to like it. I wasn't going to buy it but then I started flipping through it in the bookstore and I became hooked. I also loved the character of Charlie, tears and all. This isn't one of the best books I've ever read, but it is the one I think I've enjoyed the most.
Rating: 
Summary: FIVE STARS!
Review: I just wanted to write this review because I had noticed not as many 5 stars has I had thought, or hoped. In my opinion, this was a great book. Charlie's freshman year sums up pretty much all of my high school years, so if this book isn't realistic maybe it's because so much happened in one year. If it is still not from that perspective, what did YOU do in high school! Because Charlie and I seem to be on the same level, maybe that's unusual. I also bought some of the books Charlie was "assigned", which was great because I got an honest opinion on many of the classics out there.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone.
Review: I don't think that this should have been published under the MTV label, because it doesn't appeal to your typical plastic-faced MTV-watcher. This is a novel that can, depending on who you are, change your life for the better, or just bore you (according to some of the negative reviews here). This book seems to appeal more to sensitive, daydreaming outsiders and people who have a certain mindset -- the imagination and wonder of a child juxtaposed with the corruption and confusion of a '90s teenager, all sprinkled with a dose of pop-culture and public school.I, personally, enjoyed this book very much; it even made me cry. I felt that it looked into many of the aspects of teenhood, both good and bad, that a lot of us tend to squirm at or ignore -- the "macho" standards of boyhood, drugs, mismatched love, music/movies/books, education, family and friends, hetero- and homosexuality, abuse, a wide range of emotions, trying to find your niche -- all prevalent elements of modern teenhood, whether or not you want to admit it. The anonymity of the letter-reciever made the story universal and a bit mysterious. Charlie is a great narrator, making charming observations about everything he stumbles upon. I liked the other characters, too -- they reminded me of people that I've met in high school and elsewhere; no one in this book seems the least bit unrealistic. I'd recommend TPOBAW to any reader who is mature and introspective enough to appreciate it without (1) delving into a head-on "classic" literary criticism of it from the start; (2) clinging to the lowest-common-denominator MTV criterion; and (3) being too close-minded, outgoing, stoic, adult-like, "cool," etc. to at least _try_ to like it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books you can get
Review: This is truly one of the best books ever written reflecting on the high school experience. The characters are great. This author is defenitly going places.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure
Review: This book deserves four stars in my opinion, but not five. I really hope that this doesn't make Charlie cry. Anyway, overall the book was very well written, and I definitely enjoyed reading it, I just didn't find it to be life changing or anything. Stephen Chbosky does have a very good insight to the life of a teenager in the 90's, he was accurate in the way he used his characters, and the events that he described. However, I did think that the book could get a little cheesy at times, and a little far off. I really didn't like the "I feel infinite" garbage and all of the crying. To me, none of that is very realistic. I couldn't relate to it, I guess because I have never experienced it in my life. Well, other than that I thought the book was good, but I wouldn't call it great, mostly because I couldn't get into it at first. Charlie's personality was really kind of annoying and unexplainable at first, actually until the very end of the book. The very few and final pages of the book really made it all come together. I was just finishing reading the book and I kind of stopped and it all made sense. So needless to say, my favorite part of the book was the ending. I wouldn't consider this book to be a classic, in my opinion, but it is definitely worth reading. So I do reccomend reading it, if you're a teenager, it's not for adults. An adult might get some pretty strange misconceptions about teenagers if they read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Lighten Up
Review: This book is one of the best that I have read. Charlie might not be your everyday teenager, but this fact will either help you relate or open your eyes to what does go on in the lives of the kids that we see in the halls of our schools. After reading the other reviews i agree somewhat. I wouldn't call this a classic but I can't badmouth it either. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about a kid named Charlie. Charlie is a freshman in Highschool and at first finds he is lonely. He decides to attend a Highschool game and is befriended by Patrick and Sam. Luckily for Charlie, these two are quite popular and open his life up to social events and in turn more friends. The friendship that these three find in each other is what most people are always looking for but can never find. You get to know charlie as if he were a friend of your own and you get to see how he reacts to many different situations. The struggles he and his knew friends and also in his own family, make you realize how precious life and friends really are. If you enjoy a more contemporary type of literature, then this bok is a must. Even though it is a little expensive for a paperback,it is well worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: The Perks of Chbosky
Review: Stephen Chbosky's book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" offers a different perspective of childhood; its innocence, blunders, highlights, and inevitable dissipation. However, unlike other 'coming of age' stories, Chbosky's descriptions and insights of Charlie's significance and often insignificance, are realistic. Through Charlie, Chbosky is able to detail the paranoia of not-belonging that we all so badly fear. In Charlie's alienation, every reader is able to, at some point, relate to his loneliness and feelings of utter desperation. It is through such desperation that the world Charlie views becomes misused, abused- it unravels and he like a ball of yarn, becomes undone. The realism of such an event is simply that there are times in which you do not feel like standing after being repeatedly knocked down, or you do not wish to experience any more let downs or heartaches. You become accepting of your situation- you give in. This is the point at which Charlie has the breakdown. It serves as one of the most pivotal and detrimental portions of the story. It defines childhood and its naivety, its fragility, and it creates the boundaries which lie within a child's mind. Charlie surpasses his breaking point, but there is hope that he will regain control. In this situation, his predicament, his weaknesses and strength's are emphasized. It is through such focus that the reader views Charlie as a man. In contrast to other books, Chbosky keeps the readers' attention by depicting real life scenarios, or at the least believable ones. He does not try to impress upon you his opinions of adolescence, but instead lets you form your own. His story creates new, shrewd insights on what we so casually label childhood.
Rating:
Summary: THE ASSETMENT OF CHBOSKY'S THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Review: STEPHEN CHBOSKY'S THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER IS NOT ONLY ENJOYABLE, BUT ALSO EDUCATIONAL. SO MANY ADULTS WONDER WHAT THEIR CHILDREN THINK AND WHY THEY ACT THE WAY THEY DO. THIS NOVEL DISPLAYS MANY OF THE OBSTACLES TEENAGERS FACE. BUT INSTEAD OF IT OCCURING IN THE LIVES OF MANY, IT ONLY HAPPENS IN ONE. THE NOVEL SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, JUST BECAUSE ONE THINKG HAPPENS TO ONE PERSON DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL HAPPEN TO EVERYONE. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL THE MAIN CHARACTER ACTS IN WAYS THAT MIGHT ANNOY THE READER, SUCH AS HIS CRYING. THIS CAN BE CONSIDERED A SPEED BUMP IN THE READING, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT DOESN'T DESERVE FIVE STARS. SINCE THE NOVEL FOCUSES ON THE LIFE OF A TEENAGER AND HIS PROBLEMS, THE READING WAS ENJOYABLE IN THAT I, THE READER, CAN RELATE TO OR UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHARACTER CHARLIE IS COMING FROM. MANY OF MY CLASSMATES FROWNED WHEN OPENING TO THE FRIST PAGE TO FIND THAT THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN IN A SEQUENCE OF LETTERS. TO ME THIS WAS EVEN MORE EXCITING. IT GETS TIRING READING NOVELS WITH THE SAME FORMAT, CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER, PART AFTER PART. THE LETTER FORMAT WENT WELL WITH WHAT THE AUTHOR WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO THE READER, WHAT BETTER A WAY OF UNDERSTANDING THE LIVES OF TEENAGERS THAT TO HEAR IT FROM ONE. OVER ALL THE NOVEL WAS EXCITING AND ENJOYABLE. WALLFLOWER GAVE THE READER THE CHANCE TO ACTUALLY READ ABOUT AND ASSET A TEENAGER'S LIFE. SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE JUST HOW HARD IT CAN BE, AND CHBOSKY DID A MARVILOUS JOB OF DEMONSTRATING THAT POINT.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks for the reality, but stop crying!
Review: This book was an insight into the complex world of a high school student. It was the essence of high school--parties and football games, smoking and drugs, sex and sexuality. I believe everyone can find a level on which they can relate to Charlie's struggles or his revelations. I think in general, society forgets, or maybe ignores, that high school isn't always like an episode of "Saved By The Bell." There aren't always perfect school dances, and perfect relationships, and not everyone is popular. Charlie's life was realistic. In this aspect, I found the book to be wonderful and refreshing. There are too many books and sitcoms that portray high school idealistically. I enjoyed this slice of reality. Unfortunately, I grew weary of Charlie's immaturity; his constant emotional turmoil was also tiring. It was realistic for Charlie to be insecure and confused, but it got to be somewhat predictable. Charlie's mood swings rarely swung up to cherrfulness. His tendency to cry at the drop of a hat was even more annoying. I do commemorate his sensitivity; people could learn a lot from his compassion towards others. But his depression began to depress me! Despite these unpleasant characteristics of the book, I am glad I read it. I recommend that others read it as well. But I suggest that it be read quickly, like how you swallow your medicine. It has many excellent points and it also exposes some of high school's unsuspected truths. But Charlie's crybaby habits and emotional rampages may try your patience.
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