The Perks of Being a Wallflower [Books]

I almost stopped reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower after the first few pages simply because of the format. The book is written in a series of 1st person anonymous letters to someone the protagonist has never met before. It all seemed so cheesy and Go Ask Alice-y. This book however is not gimmicky in the least, and though it is very weird that Charlie, our protagonist, has never met the recipient of his very personal letters, it quickly becomes apparent that such a thing is normal for Charlie.

He is socially inept, he cries almost daily, and he has a crush he is obsessed with and can't get over. Despite all his faults, you can't help but love Charlie and feel immensely invested in all of his pains and struggles.

This book is a powerful account of the high school struggle to make friends and participate in the world rather than simply observing. Though Charlie hopefully has a lot more problems than most of us have to experience, we can all find a part of us in him to relate to.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a hauntingly brilliant book that will leave you feeling different. It is a book you can get lost in and almost experience firsthand, and you will not regret the experience.

[Editor's note: I just noticed that this will be turned into a movie to be released in 2012 directed by the author and starring Emma Watson as Charlie's crush. Needless to say, I just peed myself with excitement.]