I read this book when I was probably about 12 and I plan on reading it again at age 24 to refresh my memory before the movie comes out. It is a great book and for those that think it's "filth" that teens shouldn't be exposed to, well clearly you lived a sheltered teenage life full of bible study and barbies. Whether a teen reads this or not they are most likely going to face some of these things and that's just a part of life.

With an honest, likeable main character who is constantly trying to parse out right from wrong but is never preachy, Chbosky delivers an extremely believable tale about the struggles and delights of adolescence. It will appeal most to readers searching for realistic depictions of high school life, deeply emotional subjects, and well-developed, three-dimensional characters. Readers should be warned that along with the honesty and realism come frank depictions of adolescent drug-use, sexuality, and use of profanities. We can see the book's age in a few references to technology, but as a whole it stands up to the test of time. The Perks of Being a Wallflower remains a relatable, important story that should be part of any Young Adult collection. Ages 14+

this book tells the truth about life. truly amazing! a must-read

I read this book when I was 16 and loved it. I responded to it in the same way I responded to Catcher in the Rye. It was a coming age tale that was able to convey the lonliness of adolescence. Just like Catcher in the Rye, the luster started to fog on it once I entered my 20s. I have absolutely no problem with some of the more "controversial" aspects of the book. In fact, one of the book's strengths is that Chbosky deals with topics such as sexuality and drug use with respect, and the characters do deal with the reality/consequences associated with this behaviour, and it is never glamourized. The problem with this book lies in the characters. Charlie is uninteresting in a Bella Swan kind of way. He is an empty shell into which the reader can insert themselves. Charlie doesn't react to things in his life the way he should, not unlike Holden Caufield. At times where you think he should be embarassed, he is not. He has no social grace, but expects this to be the norm. Because of this, all the Characters around him seem flat or stereotypical. I would recommend this to any teenager who feels alone and likes The Smiths. They'd enjoy and learn from this book. I would not reccomend it to anyone else.

This book has got to be one of my favorite books of all time. No matter how much I read this book, it never get's old and also shows how friendship can help someone get through the problems they are facing. I would recommend this book to any teens and adults.

beautiful

Excellent book. If you're looking for a short but memorable read, here it is. This is what teens are exposed to on a daily basis. Let's not pretend that kids don't know about sex and so called "adult" content. Overall, I enjoyed it.

i would give it 5 stars because thins book was so real i loved every part of it total page turner...

This book is an excellent example of the poor literary standards that are being pushed into kids’ hands nowadays. Instead of giving them Shakespeare, Dickens, Thackeray, Chaucer, Hemingway, teachers/librarians inexplicably want to expose children to literature that would be rated R if turned into movies. I am shocked that a librarian would “highly recommend” this piece of garbage to teenage kids! Just click on “Preview,” go to page 31 and see why it should never be read by minor kids. You’ve got to have extremely low morals to believe a minor child should be exposed to this kind of filth.

I am amazed at the people who favorably rated this piece of trash. The book is full of coarse language and highly graphic sexual imagery; this alone should disqualify it for consumption by minors. (For an idea of what this book is about, refer to “Notices.”) Aside from this, there is the poor literary quality: one would expect books destined to be read by minors to excel in the quality of the prose! (Despite the reports that this book has been “banned,” it can be easily purchased in any bookstore or the Internet. Also, libraries pullulate with it!)