Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Challenged)

Bibliography

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Gallery, 1999. Print.

Summary

“He’s a wallflower.”

“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” 

In Stephen Chbosky’s novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is an awkward and intelligent freshman in high school and is constantly thinking about situations and people, usually to the point of over thinking everything. He finally connects with two older students, Sam and Patrick, who show him the reality of life, and opens his eyes to how people view themselves and those around them. Through Charlie’s experiences with Sam and Patrick, Charlie eventually makes a startling discovery about himself that explains much of why he does what he does and what makes him the person he is.

Critical Analysis

The Perks of Being a Wallflower takes place in the early 1990’s and features characters that are in high school as they try to reconcile past experiences with what their futures will be. Chbosky uses many controversial issues, such as drug use, gay relationships, abortion, molestation, and abuse to deliver a message that gives humanness and understanding to all people. The story is told through a series of letters that Charlie writes to a mystery person, and shows how he tries to understand other people, while still trying to figure himself out. Ultimately, the reader connects to the story, and accepts the truth of what Charlie learns, in that “we accept the love we think we deserve.”    

Strengths and Weaknesses

It is easy to see why The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a challenged book, due to the actions in the story, like abortion, drug use, gay relationships, and abuse. This is both the strength and the weakness of the book. When the book is looked at overall, it tells a powerful story with a message of understanding and acceptance, and how people cope with events in their lives. Even though most people can relate to the characters in the book in some way, some of the events that happen will have no context for most students, like abortion or molestation. Many of the controversial events may detract some readers from really grasping the meaning of the book.

Book Review (Classics)

Bibliography

Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die. New York: Knopf, 1972. 150p. Print.

Summary

A Day No Pigs Would Die is a coming of age story of a 12-year old boy named Robert who lives on a farm in Vermont. Since his family is Shaker, Robert is expected to focus on the necessities of life and what the earth has to offer. One afternoon, Robert rescues the cow that belongs to a neighboring farm. His neighbor, Mr. Tanner, gives Robert a young pig in exchange for saving his prized cow. The pig, Pinky, quickly becomes a beloved pet to Robert. Mr. Tanner also exposes young Robert to the world outside of the Shaker living by taking him to a fair in a nearby town, where Pinky earns a blue ribbon for “Best Behaved Pig.” As Robert nears his 13^th birthday, his father, who slaughters pigs for a living, reveals something to him that forces Robert to become a man far sooner than he anticipates.   

Critical Analysis

In A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert Newton Peck delivers a heartfelt story that can appeal to young adult readers that are trying to find their way into adulthood and meeting expectations set forth by their families and their cultures. Robert, the main character, struggles between what has been taught to him and what he has learned from the world outside of his Shaker traditions. The plot of the story moves at a fairly quick-pace and gives the reader a good picture of what the Shaker life was like in Vermont in the early 1900’s, as they struggle to continue their simple ways in a society that is becoming more complicated. Peck adds realism to the story by incorporating the Vermont vernacular into the story. The theme of the novel is how a young boy moves into adulthood and the struggles that go along with this.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A Day No Pigs Would Die is known as a classic in Young Adult Literature for many reasons. The strength of the story is the universal struggle of all young adults as they try to find their way into adulthood, while still trying to respect what they have been taught in the past. Young Robert is not perfect, but his struggles are compelling and mostly relatable. One of the weaknesses of the novel is that even though the theme of the story is relatable, Robert’s circumstances are not. Many young readers may have trouble identifying with a Shaker farm boy that has a pet pig and has to rely on the simplicities of earth to provide the necessities of life. Also, the language that is used in the story can be difficult to understand, especially for younger readers.