Wow. Just, wow.
I have finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it is a spectacular read. I think part of what makes it such is how understated it is, how you finish it and then it lives with you and keeps creeping back into your consciousness after you've placed it back on the shelf. You can't help but feel "both happy and sad" for Charlie, and hope that, after you finish the final page, things will only continue to get better, and easier, for him.
I would absolutely include this novel in my personal classroom library and I would very seriously consider using it for a unit during the school year. Dare I liken it to a modern-day Catcher in the Rye? I kept drawing parallels between the two novels for their frank and funny observances of life through the eyes of an adolescent boy who is teetering on the edge, somewhere in that no-man's land between childhood and adulthood.
There's something simultaneously infinite and finite about this moment in time, and it is so formative to our growth as human beings. This book is valuable because it does not belittle this place of existence, but embraces it and explores it and lays it bare for the world to see - and that is very important for our young people, who need to be assured that their thoughts, feelings, urges, and all of the extreme changes their brains and bodies are going through - are all valid and important and not wrong.
I guess that's all I have to say about this novel right now.
I like what you said about the finite/infinite aspect of youth. Something similar occurred to me as I was writing about The Outsiders. I also had Jack and Diane stuck in my head for about a half hour, so that was fun.
ReplyDeleteI also like the parallel between Charlie and Holden, as there's a special place in my heart for both. That didn't even occur to me as I was reading Perks, and now I'm vaguely ashamed. So, I'm glad you pointed it out!
Ha! That seems like a very apropos song for these novels! I just cracked "The Outsiders" but I think I'm going to love it and I can already see why it's still relevant. And do not feel ashamed - I'm glad I could draw that parallel. That's what I love about these blogs - getting other people's perspectives and thinking I've got it all figured out and then having a classmate blow my mind with some insight that I didn't even consider. I love it!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the parts of this book I loved was the inclusion of pop culture in music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As soon as I was done reading the final page I went on Itunes and looked up every song on Charlie's mix tape. It created a sound track for the movie and helped create a tone that stays will me months later. Young adults live through music and attach a large part of their identity to it. Any book that brings music into text is magical.
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