“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” has been a best selling book among many age levels. The story’s main character, Charlie, is a high school freshman who has never been good at making friends. The one friend he had was his Aunt Helen who died in an accident when she went out to get him a birthday present for his 7th birthday. In middle school, Charlie had a friend named Michael who killed himself. Alone and friendless, Charlie enters high school and befriends a group of upperclassmen that accept Charlie for who he is. They refer to him as a “Wallflower” because Charlie observes and does stuff that benefits others; putting others before himself.
This book is full of romance, drama and simply just trying to fit in. Charlie falls in love with a senior named Sam. Even though she has a boyfriend, he reveals his feelings for her but at the wrong moment. When Sam breaks up with her boyfriend, she realizes that she has feelings for Charlie, too. Charlie soon uncovers a secret about his Aunt Helen that his subconscious has been hiding from him for a long time.
There is a famous line from the movie and the book has inspired many. That line is, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” It is true many people can relate to this quote because they accept love from people based on their confidence. For example, people with a low confidence tend to fall in love with the wrong person because they do not think they deserve great love.
Many people can relate to being a wallflower because some people put others feelings first. Sometimes people don’t like saying no all the time because it could hurt another person’s feelings. They sit and observe. Many of us can relate to Charlie in a way whether it is transferring to a new school, being a freshman, or simply not knowing anyone in a new or unfamiliar environment. Charlie manages to step outside of what he is afraid of to realize not everything is what it seems and to fit in you just have to be yourself. Whether you express yourself through mix tapes, your writing, even who you hang out with being true to yourself is an important factor in life.
I give this book 5 star rating because it is a relatable novel to today’s teenagers on the subject of fitting in, standing out, and simply just being yourself. If you enjoy romance novels with drama this is the book for you!
