The book How to be a Wallflower was published in 1999 and tells a story about a quite and innocent teenage boy during the 1990s, entering the stages of adulthood.
Charlie, his aliases, writes a letter to a person, depicting his experiences in high school. He does not want to mention his name or his friends and families names to the person heâÂÂs writing to.
The book starts out with Charlie an innocent young boy writing a letter to a person, telling this person that he is about to enter High School and is scared about his first day.
Weeks pass by and Charlie starts making friends slowly through his schools social gatherings, he also becomes great acquaintances with his English Teacher, a man with an equal passionate for reading.
The story goes on with Charlie dealing with problems and secrets from his family and friends that he must not whisper to anyone.
The Author Stephen Chbosky has a great way of writing and informing the problems of the teenage world in a humorous way.
An example of this comedy can be extracted from this scene. Charlie has just attended his first high school party and then the host started passing food around.
Charlie innocent and naïve, picked up the brownie in a house covered in smoke. âÂÂI ate the brownie, and it tasted a little weird, but it was still a brownie, so I still like it. But this was not an ordinary brownie. Since you are older, I think you know what kind of brown it was.â Charlie said in the novel.
Chbosky, also refers to hot topics during the time, such as openly gay teenagers, religious views shifting, drug use among teenagers, the trauma of suicide from both sides, rape, and puberty (Always a hot topic).
The author also used great symbolism, referencing modern day shows and old American texts as his literature techniques
Overall I would give this book a 9 out 10 for itâÂÂs original comedy and reference to teen problems in a learning environment for both parents and teenagers.
READING AGE 15 AND UP
9 OUT OF 10 STARS