I've decided to put the rest of the review for The Perks of Being a Wallflower up in one shot.

Also, I'm thinking of doing an author spotlight next, so check back soon! Anyhow, here we go:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Part III

Craig said the problem with things is that everyone is always comparing everyone with everyone and because of that, it discredits people.

I agree. I think it definite discredits people and it definitely diminishes the uniqueness of the individual.

He did ask me to visit him in his office after school to discuss it, which I did. He made tea, and I felt like a grown-up. He even let me smoke a cigarette in his office, but he urged me to quit smoking because of the health risks. He even had a pamphlet in his desk that he gave me. I now use it as a bookmark.

Cheeky and hilarious.

All night, he kept yelling, "Flaunt it, baby! Flaunt it!" which is his favorite line from his favorite movie, The Producers.

I adore The Producers. It's one of my favorite musicals, in fact. And it just happens that this is one of my favorite lines! If you've got it, FLAUNT IT!

Just before the scene, I thought about Sam, and I thought that if I touched her in that way on stage and meant it, it would be cheap. And as much as I think I might want to someday touch her like that, I never want it to be cheap. I don't want it to be Rocky and Janet. I want it to Sam and I. And I want her to mean it back. So, we just played.

God, I love Charlie. I love that he wants it to be special. That he wants to to mean something - to both of them.

On present giving:

I would give someone a record so they could love the record, not so they would always know that I gave it to them.

I know I should have been grateful because it was a very nice thing to do. But I wasn't grateful. I wasn't grateful at all. Don't get me wrong. I acted like I was. But I wasn't. To tell you the truth I was starting to get mad. Maybe if she would have given me the copy of the book that she bought for herself, it would have been different. Or maybe if she had just hand-copied the rain poem she loves on a piece of nice paper. And definitely if she didn't make me show the book to everyone we know.

I completely agree with Charlie. A present is given so that the person can love it always, not so that other people will always know that you gave it to them.


Part IV

I wish I could report that it's getting better, but unfortunately it isn't. It's hard, too, because we've started school again, and I can't go to the places where I used to go. And it can't be like it was. And I wasn't ready to say good-bye just yet.

When my best friend left for college, this was the quote that ran through my head over and over again. Moving on and moving forward is very hard to do, but alas not impossible. And sometimes the change is a good thing, even if you don't realize it.

It's much easier not to know things sometimes. And to have french fries with your mom be enough.

I agree. Sometimes the most comforting moments are the silent ones. Those moments when someone just knows. Not about anything in particular, but they just know how you're doing without you having to utter a single word. It's also good to shut down sometimes. To not know things and just be.

But things change. And friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody.

So true.

It was pretty straightforward, I thought, and the great part is that I took what the author wrote about and put it in terms of my own life. Maybe that's what being a filter means. I'm not sure.

That's exactly what being a filter means.

"I would die for you. But I won't live for you." Something like that. I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people.

Gorgeous and flawless statement.

And we were talking about things that seemed important at the time. And we were looking up that hill. And then Patrick started running after the sunset. And Sam immediately followed him. And I saw them in silhouette. Running after the sun. Then, I started running. And everything was as good as it could be.

You have to love those infinite moments that repeat forever in your mind.

I realized that throughout the course of the evening, I wasn't happy about Craig and Sam breaking up. Not at all.
I never once thought that it would mean Sam might start liking me. All I cared about was the fact that Sam got really hurt. And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter.

Oh, Charlie. I love you.

When I was driving home, I just thought about the word "special." And I thought the last person who said that about me was my aunt Helen. I was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think everyone is special in their own way. I really do.

I so agree. We all need a little reminder sometimes.

Then you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it.

Timeless.

Under the books was a card that I wrote using the typewriter Sam bought me. The card said that these were my copies of all my favorite books, and I wanted Sam and Patrick to have them because they were my two favorite people in the whole world.

I love this idea of giving away the things that mean the most to you. I've done it myself on occasion. In fact, I gave away my original copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower to someone special and I'm really happy I did.

By the way, I ended up getting straight A's this whole year. My mother was very proud and put my report card on the refrigerator.

Uh-oh. Another grade posted on the fridge? Oh dear.

About love:

Charlie, don't you get it? I can't feel that. It's sweet and everything, but it's like you're not even there sometimes. It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things.

If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it, too. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me. And if they do something I don't like. I'll tell them.

Epilogue

On passing the blame:

And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to blame.

One brother grew up to be a successful carpenter who never drank. The other brother ended up being a drinker as bad as his dad was. When they asked the first brother why he didn't drink, he said that after he saw what it did to his father, he could never bring himself to even try it. When they asked the other brother, he said that he guessed he learned how to drink on his father's knee. So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.

I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have. Good and bad.

I've always felt that all the above quotes are undeniable. Like I said before, people pretend their problems aren't their fault and try to pass on the blame entirely too frequently. Sometimes there's no one to blame. Sometimes things just happen for no reason. And sometimes the reason just doesn't matter anymore, it's the lesson that matters. I also think it's ridiculous to tell your children that such and such is going on in China or Thailand or wherever. They are still sad. They are still upset. And saying that doesn't improve the situation at all.

As we went into the tunnel, I didn't hold my arms like I was flying. I just let the wind rush over my face. And I started crying and smiling at the same time. Because I couldn't help feeling just how much I loved my aunt Helen for buying me two presents. And how much I wanted the present I bought my mom for my birthday to be really special. And how much I wanted my sister and brother and Sam and Patrick and everyone to be happy. But mostly, I was crying because I was suddenly very aware of the fact that it was me standing up in that tunnel with the wind over my face. Not caring if I saw downtown. Not even thinking about it. Because I was standing in the tunnel. And I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite.

My heart strings? They exploded a long time ago. So beautiful.

Please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And I will believe the same about you. Love always, Charlie

I love the optimism at the end of the book. It's such a reversal. So proud of Charlie and so happy for him.

I adore this book. If I had choose a book that really touched my life, this book would definitely be up there in my picks. This review was a bit more slack than my other ones because I just feel that the quotes speak for themselves. The passages above really are only a small portion of the amazing writing in the book. Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed my review and I hope you all pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It truly is a completely engaging, heartbreakingly beautiful, hilarious and devastating book. The characters are each unique and compelling and it's frightening how very little things have changed in the course of a decade.


Rating for The Perks of Being a Wallflower: A+

P.S. I heard a rumor that this book was trying to be made into a film and I truly hope that never comes to fruition . It would just ruin it.