books like the perks of being a wallflower stephen chbosky

Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. Charlie, sincerely searching for that feeling of 'being infinite,' is a kindred spirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. But he makes it back in due time, ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. When it all becomes too much, after a shocking realization about his beloved late Aunt Helen, Charlie retreats from reality for awhile. With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that.

And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. Charlie's letters take on the intimate feel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings: Charlie encounters the same struggles that many kids face in high school-how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality, experimenting with drugs-but he must also deal with his best friend's recent suicide. We learn about Charlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age, and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenching earnestness saturating this teen's story. He's a wallflower-shy and introspective, and intelligent beyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts.

And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author captures the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood.

Books like the perks of being a wallflower stephen chbosky