Rating: 
Summary: it stunk
Review: this book stunk because you have to follow around a 15 year old boy jerking off and eating out it was really bad
Rating: 
Summary: an amazing account of youth
Review: Steve Chbosky's PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, empirically speaking, is an epistilary novel covering a span of several years in the life of a fifteen year old boy who is experiencing the growing pains of being a teenager in America. Moving beyond the empirical, it is a testiment to the eternal struggle of what it is to be human. Letters written to an anonymous "Dear Friend," Chbosky's Charlie addresses the reader directly, appealing to that empathetic thread which binds us all together, being human, living on this earth, sipping from the same cup which is experience. And it is in this way that Chbosky celebrates the trials and tribulations that face youth in a visceral and immeadiate fashion: not the political landscape and ecological mess our next generations are inheriting from us, but the personal, the emotional, the soul. Chbosky's tome to the American teenager is a love song to life. And in the end, a touching reminder of that part of the journey which, in many ways, set our feet upon the paths we currently tred.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and strikingly realistic. I can't put it down.
Review: Stephen Chbosky has captured the essence of being a teenager in this book, while appealing to the adult reader with an intelligence and insight that keeps you tantilized and unable to put the book down. The Perks of Being a Wallflower touches on so many of the feelings and aspects of high school that it made me feel like I was back in my own locker-filled hallways. The story of Charlie, though more tragic than most people's high school lives, sucks you in as you relate with what he is thinking and feeling at that time in his life. A captivating novel, and I look forward to the next work from Mr. Chbosky.
Rating: 
Summary: Troubled Teen Lit Hits -- 1999 Remix Collection
Review: About 30 pages into this book, I couldn't help but groan, "Why do I keep picking up books like this??" But my reaction was premature. Being patient brought me further into the story and I began to see where Chbosky managed to be somewhat original while paying homage of sorts to earlier, well-known, similarly themed writings. All the same, there is not that much new here. This book is like a re-mix collection -- samples of all the classics and a few more recent hits thrown together with a modern beat. A reader would be better off following the reading plan which the character Charlie does. Because, like all re-mix collections, its okay sometimes...but the original tracks are better. For me though, the major problem with the story told by Chbosky comes near its completion. Don't worry! I don't ruin endings for people! However, let me comment that in most troubled teen lives there is not one "major" problem on which the feelings of being a misfit can be blamed. In this tale however, we are given a "cause" and once discovered, Charlie can then move out of his role as misfit and into that currently glorified social role -- victim. Due to this, the ending is a little too easy. Teens and others do not live in a world where one cause explains everything. Their literary counterparts shouldn't either!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book!
Review: I loved the book so much I couldn't put it down! You sometimes feel like Charlie(the main character) is writing to you. I think it's a must read for all teenagers. A wonderful portrail of a young boy coping with life as teenager and I think his understanding of the world is astounding. The way he doesn't discriminate is amazing compared to the way I see some teenagers acting toward people with differences. He shows alot of courage and could teach alot of people my age a lesson or two about being a good person. Once again it is an amazing book that everyone should read.
Rating:
Summary: A profound and touching coming of age story
Review: Steven Chbosky has a truely unique voice as a writer. His characters have a wonderful reality to them and a wisdom that resonates long after you have finished the book. I wish I had a friend like Charlie when I was coming of age,
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read in quite a while.
Review: I couldn't put The Perks of Being a Wallflower down. When I finished, I wished I knew Charlie and the characters. I applied everything to my own life, and the book made me extremely happy. That hasn't happened since the last time I read Winnie the Pooh. This is a great book for teenagers trying to figure things out, and for anyone who likes books that aren't too hard to read if you don't want to find meaning, and are wonderful to read if you do want to find meaning. I'm sure I'll read it again several times, whenever I need to feel infinite.
Rating:
Summary: The best, most realistic teen-age account of growing up.
Review: This book is a refreshing change to the "trials" of growing up. Instead of the un-realistic "dates are my biggest problem" theme, Charlie (the narrator who writes in the form of letters to an anonymous friend) tackles REAL problems facing the world. Drugs, sex, fear, guilt, parties, death, and friends leaving- even rape and abortion. Emotions and issues are illustrated, not explained.By the time you finish the book, you will be immersed completely in Charlie's world. The book is suddenly over, after Charlie's recovery from severe depression and hospitalization- even though you've known the end was coming. I hope to read someday about the rest of Charlie's life. I began to feel that I was the anonymous friend Charlie was writing to.
Rating:
Summary: This book was capitivating, I even miss it now!
Review: This book looks like any normal MTV published book. Unusual cover, strange format (letters to an unknown "friend")- but it meant a lot to me. There are aspects of Charlie's character that everyone can relate to, and aspects that no one may understand. Nevertheless, it is absolutely amazingly written. I couldn't put it down, and it made me cry so many times- it was written very well- with true depth of emotion. I am glad I read it now, in high school, so I will always have this book in my mind. This is my favorite book- and not just because its the last one I read. Because I think I see a little of everyone in Charlie. And a lot of me.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning first novel capturing the ups and downs of youth
Review: Teen angst combined with stark realism make this novel one of the strongest tales of high school existence I've ever read. Charlie, the main character of the novel, suffers from the usual anxieties of a high school freshman. But Charlie is not necessarily typical: he's very sensitive, and very disturbed by previous events from his young life. The way the story is laid out (like letters Charlie is writing to an unknown friend) is beautiful, and the dialogue is extremely realistic. My only complaint is that the story ended too soon. I look forward to the other stories Chbosky will tell, and hopefully, future tales will include Charlie and his travails.
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