In honor of March being National Reading Month, I wanted to share a quick, easy, and impactful read with you. My favorite book genre is young-adult realistic fiction; though I’ve had many changing favorites over the years, a consistent one is “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
You’ve likely heard of it or seen the beloved movie — with Percy Jackson and Hermione Granger in one universe! Though I also love the movie, I’m here to recognize the book.
I first heard of it back in 2019, through the recommendation of the lovely millennials on BookTube — before there was BookTok, there was BookTube; check it out sometime. The title alone intrigued me, along with the many five-star ratings on Goodreads, and I asked for it for Christmas. I went on to read it in under two days. It helped me get out of a reading slump then, and again recently when I read it for the second time.
The novel does deal with many heavy themes, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and mental health topics, so a trigger warning is necessary.
Written in first person perspective — the best perspective — and narrated in a series of letters, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is hard to put down. It follows 15-year-old Charlie starting his freshman year of high school. He’s shy, introspective, and a little socially challenged. We follow him at home and at school, meeting old family members and new friends.
I was impressed by how realistic and true to the coming-of-age experience it felt. The sibling and friend group dynamics, the realistic portrayals of the judgment towards a “weird loner kid” through the weird loner kid’s eyes… it felt very real to me in my own life. I think anyone, regardless of whether they have a lot in common with Charlie or not, will find some kind of relatability in this novel. Some character or place or moment will speak to them the way many spoke to me.
With our increased school work in college, ever-shortening attention spans — thanks, Reels — and overall busier schedules, hopefully, this book will help you give reading a chance.
