Book Report

Title: The Perks of being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky

1. Charlie is fifteen years old. He does not have many friends at high school, except for Michael. Michael has committed suicide last spring, something Charlie still doesn’t know why. He starts his freshman year feeling very lonely. But the he meets Patrick: he likes him instantly. When Charlie goes to a football game and he sees Patrick, he goes up to him and they start talking. Patrick introduces Charlie to his sister Sam, and Charlie immediately falls in love with her. She’s a few years older than Charlie. At first, Charlie thinks Patrick is Sam’s boyfriend, but when he asks a question about their relationship, they laugh. Charlie thinks that Sam might like him too, but Sam explains that she and Charlie will never be in a relationship. She wants to be friends, and Charlie approves.

Charlie likes English class, but doesn’t participate much. His teacher, Bill, notices and gives him extra classwork to do, because he knows Charlie likes reading and writing. He also knows about Charlie’s problems at school and tells him to go and live his life to the fullest. Charlie thinks about Patrick and Sam and wants to hang out with them. Patrick and Sam invite Charlie to a party and he accidentally eats spacecake. He also catches Patrick and a guy from the football team, Brad, kissing. Brad wants him to shut up about it, and Charlie agrees. At the same time, Sam falls in love with a guy named Craig. Charlie is perfectly fine with this, because he just wants Sam to be happy. Because of Patrick and Sam, Charlie also befriends Bob, Mary Elizabeth and Alice. They celebrate Christmas together and Charlie is having a really good time. Mary Elizabeth likes Charlie and asks him out. Even though he likes Sam, he says yes. They eventually become boyfriend and girlfriend. Charlie doesn’t like Mary Elizabeth in that kind of way, but he accepts it. When the group is playing a game, Charlie is asked to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. Mary Elizabeth expects that, as her boyfriend, he is going to kiss her. But he doesn’t: he kisses Sam. After that, everything escalates. Patrick tells Charlie that it’s better to stay away for a little while. Charlie becomes very lonely and starts to smoke pot more often.

When Brad’s dad finds out his son is sleeping with another boy (Patrick), he is very angry. He slaps Brad with a belt. Brad doesn’t show up to school anymore. When he finally does, Patrick wants to talk to Brad, but Brad calls him a faggot. They then have a fist fight, but Charlie beats Brad up to protect Patrick. After that, he is friends with everyone again. The end of the schoolyear is coming, and all of Charlie’s friends are leaving school. When Sam breaks up with Craig, she tells Charlie she wants to be in a relationship with him. They kiss, but when Sam wants to have sex with him, Charlie gets flashbacks to his aunt Helen, who sexually assaulted him and he gets upset. In the end, Charlie is admitted to a clinic to overcome his traumatic experiences.

2. Charlie is very shy and introspective. Intelligent beyond his years, yet socially awkward. He wants to live his life to the fullest and run away from it at the same time. Charlie was sexually assaulted when he was younger and still has problems with that. He is also very honest and cares a lot about his friends.

Patrick is a senior. He is very outgoing and likes to party. He becomes friends with Charlie and involves him in the group. He is gay and has a secret relationship with Brad, but when they break up, he is heartbroken: he cares a lot about his family, friends and lovers.

Sam is Patrick’s sister. Charlie is in love with her. She also is a senior. Sam is very sweet and cares a lot about Charlie. She is very smart and at the end of the book, she leaves town to attend university.

3. Bill is Charlie’s English teacher. He gives Charlie assignments, like essays to write about books, because he knows that Charlie likes to read and write. He also gives Charlie assignments about ‘real life’, because he thinks Charlie should live his life to the fullest instead of thinking so much about life. Because of this, Charlie becomes friends with Patrick and Sam. I chose Bill, because he helps Charlie to get more friends and live his life to the fullest.

4. I liked Charlie the best, because he is a very nice boy. He likes to experiment with things, even though he finds that scary. I think that’s really admirable. He also is very honest, and I like that in someone. He sticks up for his friends, even though they didn’t talk to him for a while, which I like about him.

5. I liked Brad the least, because he calls Patrick a “faggot”, even though Brad is gay himself. I don’t like it when someone acts different than he really is because others are around, and Brad acts like being gay is not okay. If someone thinks that, I instantly dislike that person.