The Perks of Being a Wallflower Add a review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 1999 young adult novel by American author Stephen Chbosky. Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows Charlie, an introverted and observant teenager, through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The novel details Charlie's unconventional style of thinking as he navigates between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood, and attempts to deal with poignant questions spurred by his interactions with both his friends and family.

Chbosky took five years to develop and publish The Perks of Being a Wallflower, creating the characters and other aspects of the story from his own memories. The novel addresses sexuality, drug use, rape, and mental health. It also makes several references to other literary works, films, and pop culture such as To Kill a Mockingbird, This Side of Paradise, On the Road, The Catcher in the Rye, Hamlet and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The book has been banned in some American schools for its content.

A film adaptation written and directed by Chbosky was released in 2012. The film boosted the novel's sales, and the book reached The New York Times Best Seller list.

Despite positive reviews from critics, the book has frequently been banned and challenged in the United States according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.