We are infinite The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
"Dear friend," that's how Charlie starts his letters to a stranger he has never met. The stranger never writes back, but that doesn't matter to Charlie he just needs someone to listen. Charlie is starting high school and he has no friends. There isn't anything wrong with Charlie inhibiting his ability to socialize; he's just an introvert. His best friend has always been his older brother, but now as Charlie starts high school his brother starts college with a football scholarship. Charlie still has his sister, but it's hard to talk to her when her lips are fastened to her boyfriend. Charlie needs to make friends, but how can he when he is a perpetual wallflower?
In Stephen Chbosky's best selling book friendship is explored in fantastic new ways. This book is about high school which is generally an ordinary subject, but Chbosky makes it extraordinary with its coldly realistic portrayal of high school. Some books with a high school setting are very simple; homework, friends, and maybe an extracurricular or two. However anyone in high school now knows the underground activities and violent emotions that define "high school". As Charlie is taken in by Sam and Patrick he finds a friendship that he never thought possible, and with them he goes through his first year of high school. Sam and Patrick call themselves "freaks" and are proud of it. However, their uniqueness is very relatable because everyone is unique and "weird". The world would be a boring place if we weren't "freaks". As he gets to know Sam and Patrick and their friends, he starts to figure out that no one is perfect. Patrick's boyfriend lives in fear of his father finding out that he's gay, so he has to be heavily intoxicated before he will even look at Patrick. Sam has had a past of boyfriends that mistreat her. And, Charlie has his own problems, but I can't give away too much.
As Charlie goes through his first year of high school he writes to the "friend" (the reader). Charlie talks about how he has fallen for Sam, "a Charlie-esque crush", but he doesn't think that she will ever see him that way. He writes about getting asked to Sadie Hawkins dance(not by Sam). He writes how he can't seem to break it off with a girl that likes him more than he likes her(again not Sam). All of Charlie's experiences are relatable even if you had a completely different high school experience because Stephen Chbosky exposes what it means to be in high school now. Charlie has also discovered alcohol and pot. Which is more humorous than one might think when Charlie is "Baked like a cake". Poor Charlie, he didn't know not to eat the brownies.
Another cool thing about Charlie is that he is smart. He especially is good at english and wants to become a writer. His english teacher gives him extra homework and books to read to help him out. This is important to the book because the relationships made in school aren't just with friends. Sometimes the right teacher can inspire you in ways that your friends can't.
But, Sam and Patrick do inspire him. They take in the wallflower, and even though they leave for college at the end of the year they make a huge impact on Charlie. These characters are precious and will take you in as well.This book was made into a movie, and a pretty good one at that. I recommend seeing the movie and reading the book because you will want to get as much of this story as possible. Here's the preview. Please watch it. It will make you happy, and it really captures the book.
