The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
People, this came out in 1999!
That year I had a 7 year old, a 1 year old and was pregnant. That’s my excuse for not reading this the hot second that it came out. I have no excuses for why I didn’t read this at any other time during the next 13 years. No excuses, only regrets.
To put it as simply as possible: This is a brilliant book.
That’s all I have to say. You’ve all read it anyway. Right?
“You can’t just sit there and put everyone’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can’t. You have to do things.”
“I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and don’t try to sleep with people even they could have. I need to know that these people exist.”
“She wasn’t bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just takes time. ”
“I didn’t feel like reading that night, so I went downstairs and watched a half-hour long commercial that advertised an exercise machine. They kept flashing a 1-800 number, so I called it. The woman who picked up the other end of the phone was named Michelle. And I told Michelle that I was a kid and did not need an exercise machine, but I hoped she was having a good night. That’s when Michelle hung up on me. And I didn’t mind a bit.”
The Relentless Reader 
I read this one in high school and really liked it. It's good to know that it holds up, even when you're older (and wiser?) than Charlie.
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Older, yes. Wiser? Probably not! Seriously, what a fantastic book. I know of some stockings I'll be stuffing with this one at holiday time 🙂
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I was in high school when this came out and really wish I had known about it then. I still haven't read it but I know that I need to. SOON!
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Oh pleeeeease do Trish! I can't stop thinking about it! I want to buy copies so I can stand on the street and give them out 🙂
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Agreed that this is fantastic!!!! I am actually not going to see the movie because I'm scared of what it will be like. . . It can't be even close to as good as the book was! Even though it might have taken you years to read it (and me, too, I read it maybe 4 years ago), I'm glad you finally got around to it!
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I thought it was good and wish I had read it when I was younger, I am eager to see the movie nowShelleyrae @ Book'd Out
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I've heard that the movie is pretty fabulous and I will get around to seeing it one of these days. It's not playing here in my one horse town so I guess I'll be waiting until it comes out on DVD
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I still can't believe that it took me so long to read it! I wonder what it would have meant to me back then? I'm definitely going to buy a copy (mine came from the library) and give it to my high school aged son for Christmas
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