Zakkia Uddin - Quicklet on Stephen Chboskys The Perks of Being a Wallflower

(via YA Reviews )

And all the books youve read have been read by other people. And all the songs youve loved have been heard by other people. And that girl thats pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing unity.

Stephen Chbosky's book may be younger than its adolescent protagonist, but it has had an eventful life so far. The Perks of Being a Wallflower has proved to be one of the most controversial novels of recent years - and one of the most popular with its target audience of teenagers. Polymath Chbosky set out to write a very different novel but found that a single line from that first manuscript kept ringing in his head: "I guess that's just one of the perks of being a wallflower." This inspired him to develop the idea and the character of Charlie, the "wallflower" of the title. Set in 1991, the epistolary novel takes us through the troubled Charlie's freshman year, and the events leading up to a horrible personal discovery that turns his happier childhood memories upside down. In 1999, MTV acquired the title. Word of mouth made it a near-instant success, with teenagers devouring its themes of angst, isolation, and ostracisation in high school.

However, the depiction of sexual behaviour, drinking, smoking and drugs made parents uneasy. The popularity of the book among teenagers and its gateway role in raising issues relevant to their lives saw many schools placing it on the reading curriculum. Since its publication, families of more conservative pupils have campaigned to get it banned from the classroom. While only a few schools have publicly declared it banned, the book remains high on the annually compiled Most Frequently Challenged Books List alongside The Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse-5.

Chbosky has himself spoken out about the impact of the book on its readers he has claimed that teenagers have written to him saying that the book helped save their life. He has also commented on the irony of the sales spike every time parents have tried to ban its placement on school reading lists.

The Perks of Being a A Wallflower has been adapted and directed by Chbosky for the cinema and will be released later this year, with Logan Lerman and Harry Potter 's Emma Watson taking on the roles of Charlie and his first love Sam.

(via AceShowbiz )

I have decided that maybe I want to write when I grow up. I just don't know what I would write.

Stephen Chbosky was born on January 25, 1970 in Pittsburgh. He has described himself as a passionate reader when he was a child. Despite The Perks being set where he grew up and covering the period shortly after he left high school, Chbosky has claimed that the novel is only semi-autobiographical. Like its 1950s precursor, it centres on a troubled mentally ill central character who is unable to understand the motivations of those around him. Another major influence which may have informed The Perks of Being a Wallflower - was the writer of Rebel without a Cause . Chbosky met Stewart Stern shortly after graduating from high school in 1988. He has since described Stern as his mentor .

(via YA Reviews )

Prior to The Perks ' publication, Chbosky wrote, directed and starred in his first film The Four Corners of Nowhere . which was shown at The Sundance Festival. His debut novel was published by MTV in 1999, with heavy promotion from the popular music channel. He went onto write the screenplay for the hit musical Rent, which received mixed reviews . In recent years, he has begun writing for television. His biggest production to date has been Jericho , a drama series about a town coping with the aftermath of a nuclear attack. It was aired in 2006 by CBS Paramount Network Television. The series received poor ratings , causing to cancel the show. It was briefly brought back after a campaign from fans , only to be cancelled again in 2008.

I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesnt try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist.

Chbosky's epistolary novel begins with our anonymous narrator/letter-writer calling himself Charlie to avoid being identified and recounting a series of events ignited by the mysterious suicide of fellow student Michael Dobson. The letters are addressed to someone who may have known Dobson, but who Charlie has not personally met. He chooses the addressee because he hears that the former had "decided not to sleep with someone even though they could have". Dobson is a cipher whose death allows Charlie to engage for the first time with his fellow pupils in a compulsory group counselling session, held by the school. Dobson was also his only friend in middle school and the wide emotional reaction to his death makes Charlie keenly aware of the hypocritical attitude of the other students.

On the cusp of being a freshman, Charlie writes to the unknown figure about his own family and the quiet unspoken grievances he notes between them. Most poignantly, he feels even more isolated by the fact that his older brother and sister are entering into the "real world" college and relationships respectively. Privately, Charlie still finds himself missing his Aunt Helen, who had lived briefly with the family during what he recalls as the happiest years of his young life.

When he becomes friends with seniors Patrick and Patrick's beautiful step-sister Sam, life changes dramatically. He suddenly feels accepted for the first time in a group even though he is unable to shake off his crush on Sam. He becomes closer to them over the next year, spending time with their group of artistic and creative friends. Sam inducts him into relationships with his first kiss which she gives him after revealing her own bad experiences made her want to be sure his first kiss is with "someone who cares" about him. Later, he attracts the attentions of the self-absorbed, opinionated Mary Elizabeth, who asks him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. He is unhappy in the relationship but finds himself unable to break it off. However, he finally shows his true feelings in the most brutal way possible when asked to kiss the prettiest girl in the room at a party, he kisses Sam in front of Mary Elizabeth.

Isolated from the group for his hurtful behaviour, he retreats into himself. During a series of family events, he depicts the internal tensions of his extended family and the backgrounds of his parents, realising that he is lucky that he has benefited from their drive to raise their own children well. Back at school, he makes his peace with Patrick and Sam when he protects Patrick in a fight with Brad, his former boyfriend. Brad has been forced to end his liaison with Patrick after his father discovered the two together. Shocked by being publicly insulted by Brad, Patrick begins drinking by himself. Charlie becomes closer to him, out of worry about what will happen if Patrick speaks to no-one about his emotional turmoil over Brad.