The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I started The Perks of Being a Wallflower just recently and I can already tell it is going to be one of the better books I have read. Originally, I went to the library with another book in mind but due to the fact that it was unavailable, I had to find another one. I am definitely not the biggest book reader so I only take suggestions from my friends because we all do not really enjoy reading so we usually only read popular books that everyone has talked about. So many people have recommended this book to me and I have just never thought of reading it until now. I try to stay in the area of books about "growing up" or teen-related books. I have already seen the movie adaptation of this book and it is one of my favorites, so I am interested to see if I will like the book just as much if not more than the movie.

Stephen Chbosky created a story with a lot of different types of teenagers in mind, but specifically for the ones trying to find their way, not just in high school, but in life. In my short time of reading this book, it seems like Chbosky drew inspiration from The Catcher in the Rye. I read The Catcher in the Rye my freshman year and although it was an older novel, I really enjoyed it because it was a coming of age story and that is very relatable for my age because I am still growing up and trying to find my way. In Chbosky's novel, he introduces a character named Charlie. Charlie is a very dynamic character who writes letters to someone unknown as he enters the uncharted territory of high school. On August 25, 1991, Charlie writes his first account. He starts out with, "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be"(2). This quote completely encompasses Charlie's struggle with his emotions and his want for trying to find himself. Many teenagers could possibly relate to this statement. Hardly any teenagers in high school know exactly who they are and what they want to do.

Self-awareness can have the potential to be quite a long journey for many people in high school. It can lead some down a dangerous path or it can lead others down a successful path where they hopefully get a better understanding of who they are. In this blogpost from The Huffington Post, Katie Atkinson, a high school junior, writes about her journey of gaining self-awareness. Her advice is to try not to do what everyone else is doing and put yourself in a risky situation just to fit in. Charlie is out under the influences of his friends to do stuff he maybe wouldn't have if it had not been for the group of people he hangs out with. If his friends smoke pot, he will smoke pot. If his friends drink, he'll drink. Charlie, like many other high schoolers, tend to follow the crowd and just try to get through high school when it should really be the other way around and young adults should see where their own path leads them.