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THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

by Stephen Chbosky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 1999

Aspiring filmmaker/first-novelist Chbosky adds an upbeat ending to a tale of teenaged angst—the right combination of realism and uplift to allow it on high school reading lists, though some might object to the sexuality, drinking, and dope-smoking. More sophisticated readers might object to the rip-off of Salinger, though Chbosky pays homage by having his protagonist read Catcher in the Rye. Like Holden, Charlie oozes sincerity, rails against celebrity phoniness, and feels an extraliterary bond with his favorite writers (Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Ayn Rand, etc.). But Charlie’s no rich kid: the third child in a middle-class family, he attends public school in western Pennsylvania, has an older brother who plays football at Penn State, and an older sister who worries about boys a lot. An epistolary novel addressed to an anonymous “friend,” Charlie’s letters cover his first year in high school, a time haunted by the recent suicide of his best friend. Always quick to shed tears, Charlie also feels guilty about the death of his Aunt Helen, a troubled woman who lived with Charlie’s family at the time of her fatal car wreck. Though he begins as a friendless observer, Charlie is soon pals with seniors Patrick and Sam (for Samantha), stepsiblings who include Charlie in their circle, where he smokes pot for the first time, drops acid, and falls madly in love with the inaccessible Sam. His first relationship ends miserably because Charlie remains compulsively honest, though he proves a loyal friend (to Patrick when he’s gay-bashed) and brother (when his sister needs an abortion). Depressed when all his friends prepare for college, Charlie has a catatonic breakdown, which resolves itself neatly and reveals a long-repressed truth about Aunt Helen. A plain-written narrative suggesting that passivity, and thinking too much, lead to confusion and anxiety. Perhaps the folks at (co-publisher) MTV see the synergy here with Daria or any number of videos by the sensitive singer-songwriters they feature.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 1999

ISBN: 0-671-02734-4

Page Count: 256

Publisher: MTV Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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by Stephen Chbosky

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SEEN & HEARD

by Walter Dean Myers ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 31, 1999

The format of this taut and moving drama forcefully regulates the pacing; breathless, edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes...

In a riveting novel from Myers (At Her Majesty’s Request, 1999, etc.), a teenager who dreams of being a filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form of a movie script, with journal entries after each day’s action.

Steve is accused of being an accomplice in the robbery and murder of a drug store owner. As he goes through his trial, returning each night to a prison where most nights he can hear other inmates being beaten and raped, he reviews the events leading to this point in his life. Although Steve is eventually acquitted, Myers leaves it up to readers to decide for themselves on his protagonist’s guilt or innocence.

Pub Date: May 31, 1999

ISBN: 0-06-028077-8

Page Count: 280

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT MYSTERY & THRILLER | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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by Walter Dean Myers ; illustrated by Floyd Cooper

by Walter Dean Myers

by Walter Dean Myers ; adapted by Guy A. Sims ; illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

THE HIGHEST TIDE

by Jim Lynch ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2005

A celebratory song of the sea.

A shrimpy 13-year-old with a super-sized passion for marine life comes of age during a summer of discovery on the tidal flats of Puget Sound.

Miles O’Malley—Squid Boy to his friends—doesn’t mind being short. It’s other things that keep him awake at night, like his parents’ talk of divorce and his increasingly lustful thoughts about the girl next door. Mostly, though, it’s the ocean’s siren call that steals his sleep. During one of his moonlit kayak excursions, Miles comes across the rarest sighting ever documented in the northern Pacific: the last gasp of a Giant Squid. Scientists are stunned. The media descend. As Miles continues to stumble across other oddball findings, including two invasive species that threaten the eco-balance of Puget Sound, a nearby new-age cult’s interest in Miles prompts a headline in USA Today : Kid Messiah? Soon tourists are flocking to the tidal flats, crushing crustaceans underfoot and painting their bodies with black mud. Dodging disingenuous journalists, deluded disciples and the death-throes of his parents’ marriage, Miles tries to recapture some semblance of normality. He reads up on the G-spot and the Kama Sutra to keep pace with his pals’ bull sessions about sex (hilariously contributing “advanced” details that gross the other boys out). But Miles’s aquatic observations cannot be undone, and as summer draws to a close, inhabitants of Puget Sound prepare for a national blitzkrieg of media and scientific attention and the highest tide in 40 years, all of which threatens everything Miles holds dear. On land, the rickety plot could have used some shoring up. Miles is just too resourceful for the reader to believe his happiness—or that of those he loves—is ever at stake. But when Miles is on the water, Lynch’s first novel becomes a stunning light show, both literal, during phosphorescent plankton blooms, and metaphorical, in the poetic fireworks Lynch’s prose sets off as he describes his clearly beloved Puget Sound.

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2005

ISBN: 1-58234-605-4

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2005

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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by Jim Lynch

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower Book Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a poignant novel that anyone who has navigated through adolescence can relate to. After the death of his beloved Aunt and his best friend Michael, the main character Charlie embarks on a journey to find himself while dealing with crippling loneliness and anxiety as he enters into his first year of high school. With the help of some new friends, Charlie discovers how to live in the moment and let go of the past.

The novel is composed of hundreds of letters that Charlie writes to an unknown friend. This writing style allows readers an exclusive look into Charlie’s innermost private thoughts, creating a personal connection with the character. Charlie’s pain tugs on readers’ heartstrings, while his happiness traverses through the pages, bringing great joy to the readers.

Charlie begins ninth grade just after his dear friend Michael commits suicide. With no genuine support system to help Charlie work through his complex and confusing emotions, he feels completely alone. The only person that would understand Charlie is his Aunt Helen, who was his favorite person in the world, but she died in a car crash when he was seven. No emotion can be displayed in his home, as his father and brother have a twisted view of masculinity, believing that a true man must be aggressive and emotionless. With no other options, Charlie decides that his only form of self-expression is writing letters to a “friend”.

As a reserved boy, Charlie has a hard time participating in life. Although he is an isolated wallflower, he is constantly observing the world around him, soaking up information like a sponge. He befriends his advanced English teacher, Bill, who gives Charlie extra reading assignments. Charlie connects with many of the characters in the reading and uses the books as a way to process his experiences. Bill is arguably the most important authority figure in Charlie’s life, as his confidence in Charlie ignites his dream of becoming a writer and gives Charlie validation which he cannot receive anywhere else. He encourages Charlie to actively engage in life and to break down the barrier which keeps him hidden from the world.

While at a football game, Charlie meets two seniors, a boy named Patrick and his sister Sam. Their warm and welcoming personalities comfort Charlie, and they quickly become his best friends. Charlie falls in love with Sam, not just for her beauty, but for her kind personality. Sam and Patrick include Charlie in all of their activities, bringing him to parties and introducing him to their friends. Both of them expose Charlie to the real world, teaching him how to enjoy life and build healthy relationships, as affection is taboo in his family. Listening to Bill’s advice, Charlie begins to participate more, even going to his school’s homecoming dance. On the drive home, Sam stands up in the back of her pickup truck, and as they drive through a tunnel with the music blaring, Charlie says he feels “infinite”. This part of the novel resonated with me, as most people have had a moment where they felt limitless. A moment where all of their troubles dissipated and they genuinely enjoyed life. Above all, Sam and Patrick teach Charlie how to love and respect himself instead of conforming to others so easily.

Although his friendship with Sam and Patrick provides Charlie with newfound happiness, a multitude of factors plague his life with depression. Most of the people that Charlie knows have suffered from abuse. Both of Charlie’s parents were beaten by their fathers, and many of his aunts experienced abusive relationships. Patrick’s boyfriend was also whipped by his father for being gay , and Charlie’s sister was hit by her boyfriend. Along with physical abuse, Charlie has been exposed to many accounts of sexual assault. His Aunt Helen was molested, and he witnessed rape at a party. Furthermore, Charlie blames himself for his aunt’s death, as she got in a car crash while on the way to buy him a birthday present.

All of these factors contribute to Charlie’s deteriorating mental state, and similarly to Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, Charlie turns to drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol in order to cope. Eventually Charlie hits rock bottom after he digs up a traumatizing event from his past, causing him to question the person that he loved most. At the conclusion of the novel, Charlie decides that he cannot blame anyone for his painful experience, and with the support of his family and friends he moves forward and lives in the present.

This novel has been banned on many schools’ reading lists because of its blunt descriptions of touchy subjects such as rape , drugs, abortion , and offensive language. However, I strongly disagree with this decision. I believe that the themes in the book are even more relevant today than 20 years ago, when it was published in 1999. Chbosky sheds a light on numerous problems in today’s society, such as the stereotype that true men must be strong and emotionless, while women should accept abuse from men as normal. Chbosky challenges this notion through Patrick, an openly gay man who shows that men can be homosexual, and Bill, who is compassionate and sensitive. The novel also brings the issue of teen depression to the surface, which is needed more than ever in today’s world. Through Michael’s suicide, Chbosky highlights the grim reality of mental illness, a truth which many tend to ignore. The need for confronting these issues is presented through Charlie’s discussion with his parents about the disturbing experience he suffered at the hands of the most trusted figure in his life.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, specifically to high schoolers. The only complaint I have about the book is that the ending was too abrupt, and I wish the author continued the story line longer. The most magical aspect of the book is how relatable the characters are. Just like Charlie, countless high schoolers have felt out of place, like they were not actually living, but merely observing. Everyone has felt that fear of entering high school, not knowing if they would have friends to eat with at lunch or walk through the halls with. Along with the lows point that readers can identify with, they can also relate to the many highs that Charlie experienced. From something as small as singing with friends in the car, the novel reminds readers to relish the present and let go of the past. As for me, this book taught me to live in the moment and to stop obsessing over every petty issue, as high school goes by fast and you should enjoy the time you can with friends and family. If readers take away anything from this novel, it should be that bad times are not permanent, and as displayed by Charlie, things will always work out.

I truly admire that Charlie never tries to fit in with his peers or change who he is to please others. Charlie is not popular, in fact, his classmates think he is strange. Even though Charlie feels lonely, he consistently sticks to his morals and never acts different to make friends. In today’s society, people are constantly trying to fit into boxes to gain the admiration of others, but Charlie’s unique personality reminds people that in order to find real friends, you must be yourself. Although Charlie is not popular, when he is with Sam, Patrick, and his other friends, he feels complete, and that feeling is so much better than being on the top of the social hierarchy.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower brings readers on a journey through high school, all its lows and highs. It teaches readers about growing up and finding themselves in an unforgiving world. Some parts of the novel will make people ecstatic, others will make people depressed. The book may even make readers cry. But one thing I can guarantee is, this book will make everyone feel infinite.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – review

‘Although the book is, at times, very upsetting, it is ultimately uplifting and life-affirming’

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is narrated by Charlie, the titular ‘wallflower’, in a series of letters that he writes to a stranger, beginning the night before he starts his freshman year of high school in 1991. These letters catalogue Charlie’s attempts to “participate”, as he wanders wide eyed through a series of house parties and Rocky Horror Picture Show productions with his new, older friends. Along the way, Chbosky intelligently explores stock YA themes such as mental health, substance abuse and sexuality, whilst simultaneously reminding the reader about how exciting it is to be young and idealistic.

What makes Chbosky’s stream of consciousness style more beautiful than that used in Suicidal Tendencies’ hardcore punk song “Institutionalised”, for example, is the lyrical, philosophical nature of the prose. At one point, Charlie starts going to the mall simply to try and figure out why people go there. He see “Old men sitting alone. Young girls with blue eye shadow and awkward jaws. Little kids who look tired.” “It all felt very unsettling” to him. The writing here is so rhythmic that it’s almost hypnotic. I love the control that Chbosky exercises: he demonstrates Charlie’s deteriorating mental health to the reader simply by having him see sadness wherever he goes. Beyond the writing style, there is still a lot to like about the novel. The cast of characters is diverse. The female characters are numerous and as well developed as their male counterparts. Chbosky’s approach is always unflinching, even when the content is upsetting. Underpinning everything is a desire to acknowledge the complexities in other people, an understanding that nobody does bad stuff because they are innately bad. In this way, although the book is, at times, very upsetting, it is ultimately uplifting and life-affirming.

Maybe I’m just being sentimental, but it is actually difficult for me to find anything that I don’t like about The Perks of Being a Wallflower. My one criticism is that whilst Chbosky does include a gay character, that gay character is male. Humour me, dear reader, allow me one tangential rant. Can anyone think of a single YA book that isn’t explicitly about LGBTQ+ issues, that contains a lesbian character whose sexuality (like Patrick’s) is part of the narrative without being integral to the plot? I can’t. Culturally, we seem quite comfortable with the idea of a slightly effeminate, flamboyant, gay character and I guess I would have liked to see Chbosky be more original in this regard. However this gripe is not as much with Perks as with the YA genre as a whole. I do not expect every book to have an obligatory lesbian extra, but a sprinkling across the lot would be refreshing. On the whole, I think that Chbosky’s discussion of sexuality is excellent and very interesting. For example, Charlie used to kiss boys in the neighbourhood when he was little and is very aware that this concerned his father. Similarly, Charlie’s grandfather doesn’t like to hug family members – especially the boys. The contrast between the older generations’ fear of homosexuality and Charlie’s acceptance of Patrick is indicative of the way that society’s response to homosexuality was changing in the 1990s. It also has a kind of didactic purpose in showing the reader that it’s ok to be gay, which I think is particularly important in YA fiction.

However, I also ought to mention that sexual abuse and suicide feature quite heavily in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it would therefore be irresponsible of me to recommend it without a trigger warning. Furthermore, it is probably worth pointing out to parents who are inclined to censorship that this book does contain some additional (really quite exciting) drugs/sex/swearing content that would make the text unsuitable for younger readers.

With this in mind though, I cannot recommend The Perks of Being A Wallflower highly enough. In general, literature allows us to live other people’s lives through their stories. We can discover what it is like to be a different gender or age, to live in a different place or time with different values. In this way, reading is a remarkable feat of empathy. But occasionally we find a fictional scenario which in some way matches our own circumstances so profoundly that there is no need for empathy. When I first read The Perks of Being A Wallflower, I was Charlie. Although our backgrounds were in some ways different, I had never, and have never since, read a textual representation of adolescence that matched my own experiences so well. This is the strength of Chbosky’s writing. He crafts Charlie’s voice in a way that defies context. Charlie is inside every lonely teenager and every adult remembers him fondly. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a gift, and to Stephan Chbosky I will always be grateful.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky | 4.40 | 1,815,758 ratings and reviews

Ranked #1 in Mental Health , Ranked #1 in Growing Up — see more rankings .

Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower from the world's leading experts.

Emma Watson Recommends this book

Richard Speight Jr. A pal for 30 years, @StephenChbosky ‘s first book #ThePerksofBeingaWallflower had a MASSIVE impact on me & countless others. Then came his great movies. Now..THE NEXT BOOK! Be like me & buy it THE DAY it comes out. (Then harass him until he agrees to put me in the movie! 🎥 🤠) https://t.co/02bMKPgF9A (Source)

Jamie Grayson Holy shit there’s no way this book is that old because that really ages me but I COMPLETELY agree. This book is a masterpiece and a must-read. Lessons about being human are in there and those are important right now. https://t.co/fF1spEFrUH (Source)

Rae Earl It is a tremendously powerful study of PTSD, a mental health issue that isn’t talked about enough (Source)

Rankings by Category

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is ranked in the following categories:

• #11 in 10th Grade
• #16 in 11th Grade
• #7 in 13-Year-Old
• #10 in 14-Year-Old
• #10 in 15-Year-Old
• #16 in 16-Year-Old
• #9 in 8th Grade
• #11 in 9th Grade
• #3 in Abortion
• #5 in Abuse
• #3 in Adaptation
• #6 in Alcohol
• #14 in Amazing
• #21 in American
• #15 in Anxiety
• #15 in Awarded
• #6 in Banned
• #6 in Beautiful
• #6 in Best Friends
• #5 in Bullying
• #2 in Butterfly
• #4 in Candy
• #15 in Censorship
• #10 in Character Development
• #2 in Cheese
• #1 in Coming Of Age
• #2 in Contemporary
• #3 in Controversial
• #23 in Cool
• #21 in Cute
• #9 in Dating
• #2 in Depression
• #2 in Diaries
• #22 in Drama
• #6 in Dramatic
• #3 in Drugs
• #9 in Dying
• #20 in Easy Reading
• #3 in Emotional
• #18 in Emotions
• #22 in Family
• #11 in Finding Yourself
• #4 in Friendship
• #11 in Gilmore Girls
• #19 in Happy
• #6 in Heartbreak
• #9 in High School
• #11 in Holiday Reading
• #10 in Identity
• #17 in Important
• #21 in Inspiring
• #4 in Introvert
• #18 in Lesbian
• #9 in Life Changing
• #8 in Light
• #5 in Loneliness
• #22 in Meaning Of Life
• #16 in Modern
• #9 in Morals
• #15 in Movie
• #11 in Movies
• #16 in Must-Read
• #15 in Quotation
• #22 in Rated
• #4 in Real Life
• #2 in Realistic Fiction
• #13 in Reviewed
• #3 in Sadness
• #13 in Scribd
• #8 in Self Discovery
• #13 in Sexuality
• #6 in Shape
• #3 in Suicide
• #16 in Summer
• #6 in Summer Reading
• #3 in Teen Boys
• #3 in Teen Fiction
• #4 in Teen Girls
• #15 in Teen Romance
• #14 in Thought-Provoking
• #12 in Trauma
• #2 in Trigger Warning
• #4 in Twist
• #5 in Young Adult
• #6 in Young Adult Fiction

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Book Review

The perks of being a wallflower.

• Stephen Chbosky
• Contemporary , Drama

Readability Age Range

• MTV Books, a division of Simon & Schuster

Year Published

The Perks of Being a WallflowerX by Stephen Chbosky has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

The story is set up as a series of letters that the main character, Charlie, writes to an unnamed friend. Charlie has chosen to write to this person because this person didn’t sleep with someone at a party, even though he could have. Charlie needs someone to “listen” to him, to try and help him figure out his life. He thinks maybe his family has a part to play in the reason he is both happy and sad. The previous year, his good friend Michael shot himself, and a counselor said it was because he had problems at home.

Charlie writes about his home. He has an older brother who is a freshman in college and an older sister who is a senior in high school. Charlie is beginning high school and is afraid of what it will be like. His Aunt Helen used to be his favorite relative. She lived with his family for several years because of something bad that had happened to her. Charlie didn’t find out until much later that she had been molested as a child.

Charlie has difficulty fitting in with the other students in high school. He is smart, quiet and socially awkward. When another student tries to bully him, Charlie defends himself as his older brother taught him to do. He ends up severely hurting the bully, but he isn’t suspended because another student explains that Charlie was defending himself.

One night, Charlie’s sister tells a boy that likes her that he is a coward because he didn’t stand up to the class bully in the past. She uses Charlie as an example of a quiet kid who stands up to bullies. The boy is upset and hits her. Charlie’s sister gets quiet and asks Charlie to leave the room. She tells him not to tell their parents what happened. She later says that she and the boy are going out. Another night, Charlie walks in on them having sex.

Charlie gets up the courage to attend a football game by himself. He approaches a kid he recognizes from his shop class. The boy, Patrick, invites Charlie to sit with him. He introduces Charlie to the pretty girl at his side, Sam. They let Charlie tag along with them after the game to Big Boy and ask him questions about himself. Charlie is excited to learn that they aren’t dating but are stepbrother and sister. Later, he is ashamed because he has a dream in which he and Sam are naked on the couch, just as he’d seen his sister and her boyfriend.

Charlie doesn’t like that he’s seen Sam naked without her permission. He apologizes to Sam. She laughs, but not in a mean way, and gives him a hug. She tells him not to think of her that way because she is too old for him. Patrick tries to explain how relationships work, but Charlie becomes confused.

His English teacher notices Charlie studying people at a dance and later asks him if he always thinks so much. He worries that Charlie is only watching life, not participating in it. He then asks Charlie if he is having any problems at home. Charlie tells his teacher about the boy who hit his sister. The teacher calls Charlie’s parents, and they forbid his sister to see the boy again. Charlie’s sister tells Charlie that she hates him.

Charlie’s friendship with Sam and Patrick grows. They invite him to a party after the homecoming dance. It is his first party. The kids are all older, and many are drinking and doing drugs. The host gives Charlie a brownie laced with marijuana. While waiting for Sam to make him something to eat, Charlie walks in on Patrick and Brad — the high school quarterback, kissing. Patrick makes Charlie promise not to tell anyone.

For the first time, Charlie feels accepted. Understood. Later, when he tries to remember the night, he recalls how Sam stood up in the back of Patrick’s pickup truck as they drove through a tunnel. At that moment, Charlie felt infinite.

Back in school, Patrick tells Charlie about his secret relationship with Brad. It used to be that Brad had to get drunk or stoned before they could fool around, but now, as long as they meet in quiet places where no one really knows Brad, they can make love. Charlie’s English teacher challenges him with extra reading and essays, which Charlie enjoys. He begins to think that maybe he’ll be a writer and volunteers to work on a fanzine about punk rock that some of his new friends run.

Charlie is falling deeper in love with Sam. He wishes she would break up with her boyfriend, Craig. He doesn’t believe Craig listens to Sam or appreciates her beauty. Charlie talks to his sister about his feelings. She tells him Sam suffers from low self-esteem. When she was a sophomore, Sam was known as the “blow queen.” His sister admits that — behind her parents’ back — she is seeing the boy who hit her. She says they are in love and will get married when they finish college.

Charlie laments to his friend about how stressful the holidays are in his family. His grandfather usually drinks too much and loudly complains about black people, family secrets and how dry the dinner is. Charlie’s great aunt then locks herself in the bathroom and cries. All the men in the family have to urinate in the bushes outside while the girls just have to suffer. Charlie’s father drinks a lot when he’s around his father-in-law, but he remains quiet, even on the ride home.

This Thanksgiving is different, however, because Charlie’s brother is playing football for Penn State, and they all watch a VCR tape of the game. For the first time, no one fights. Charlie’s grandfather cries quietly. Charlie suspects it’s because he was is thankful that no one else in his family would ever have to quit school and work in the mill as he’d had to do as a teenager.

Charlie is excited about participating in a “Secret Santa” tradition with his new friends. Charlie gets Patrick’s name. Charlie gives Patrick several artistic gifts. For his final present he buys a book about Harvey Milk, a gay leader in San Francisco. Charlie’s first Secret Santa gift is a pair of socks. As the days go on, Charlie receives all the pieces to a suit, except the coat, and is told to wear them at the upcoming Christmas party.

Charlie is surprised to learn that Patrick was his Secret Santa until Patrick explains that all writers need a good suit and Charlie will be a great writer someday. Sam gives him an old typewriter with a note to write about her someday. She also gives him his first kiss because, unlike her experience, she wants Charlie’s first kiss to be with someone who loves him.

Charlie sinks into depression over the Christmas holiday. It is something he does every year since his Aunt Helen died. She died in a car accident on his birthday, which falls on Christmas Eve. Charlie feels guilty because she went out in a snowstorm to buy him a present. When Aunt Helen died, Charlie was hospitalized for his depression. He missed the rest of the school year while he underwent therapy.

At a New Year’s Eve party, Charlie tries LSD and ends up falling asleep in the snow. The police don’t suspect drugs as Charlie used to do this kind of thing after his aunt died. The doctor at the hospital suggests Charlie start seeing a psychiatrist. Charlie continues to have lingering effects from the drug — trees move, voices are distorted. He worries until Sam explains that some people are very effected by LSD. She gives him a few tricks to help the hallucinations stop and then warns that he should never do acid again.

At a school dance, Charlie sees his sister argue with her boyfriend. Later, he finds her crying in the basement. She admits she’s pregnant. The following week, Charlie drives her to an abortion clinic. Charlie starts to cry while he waits for his sister, wondering if this will change her. He hides in the car so no one will see him. When his sister finds him, she’s angry that Charlie is smoking. This makes him happy because he knows that the procedure hasn’t changed her. He promises not to tell their parents.

Charlie begins dating a friend of Sam’s, Mary Elizabeth. She is nice, but talks too much, always about herself. He is upset when Mary Elizabeth invites herself over to a special dinner he’d planned with Sam and Patrick. Charlie becomes very confused about his relationship with Mary Elizabeth, as she seems to change, becoming more needy and less self-assured the more they date and especially after they make out one night.

Later, at party, Patrick dares Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. Charlie decides to be honest and kisses Sam, not Mary Elizabeth. In the uproar that follows, Patrick takes Charlie home. He tells Charlie that they will call when things settle down. When several weeks go by with no call, Charlie stops by a mutual friend’s house to buy some marijuana. The friend tells him that Patrick is in a bad state because Brad’s father caught him and Brad together. He severely beat Brad.

When Brad finally returns to school, he won’t acknowledge Patrick. They fight in the cafeteria after Brad calls Patrick a faggot. Brad’s teammates get involved, and Charlie jumps in. He injures two of the football players before the fight stops. Charlie warns Brad that if he ever tries to hurt Patrick again, he will tell his secret. Charlie isn’t suspended, but he has to serve a month of detention.

After the fight, Charlie and his friends make up. Charlie spends a lot of time with Patrick to try and help his friend through the loss of his boyfriend. Patrick takes him to gay bars and to a park where gay men meet in secret. Mostly Patrick talks about how much better college will be. Charlie lets Patrick kiss him, but they go no further.

As the school year ends, Charlie must deal with many changes. His sister and his friends are graduating. Sam breaks up with her boyfriend when he admits that he’s been seeing other girls. Charlie realizes that he truly loves Sam because he isn’t happy that she is free now. He only cares that she is sad and hurt.

Before she leaves for a summer class at college, she talks to Charlie. She encourages him not to put everyone’s needs in front of his own, not to let people do things to him because he thinks it will make them happy. He has to be true to himself and make himself happy. Only then will he be able to find someone to love him for who he really is, not an image he thinks they desire. She asks him point blank what he wants and needs. Instead of answering, he kisses her.

The two end up on her bed. Charlie is enjoying touching Sam until she puts her hand down his pants. Then he stops her. He doesn’t explain his feelings, just that he is upset. He’s in such bad shape that Sam won’t let him drive home. Charlie dreams that night about a time when he was younger and watching television with his Aunt Helen. In the dream, she touches him like Sam did.

The following day he falls into a catatonic state. The next letter, addressed some two months later, explains that he stayed unresponsive for a week, but then began to get better. He stayed in the hospital for two months, working through his memories with a new doctor. His family and friends rally around him, and Charlie is eventually released. Charlie realizes that it does no good to blame anyone for what happened to him. In the end, everyone must deal with what happens in his own life and take responsibility for the choices he makes.

The day after he is released from the hospital, he, Sam and Patrick go out together. This time, Charlie stands in the back of the pickup truck as they drive through the tunnel. For the moment, Charlie feels infinite again. He tells his unnamed friend that this will probably be his last letter. He starts his sophomore year of high school the following day and will probably be too busy trying to live his life, rather than just watching it. He hopes things go well for his friend.

Christian Beliefs

Charlie’s parents were raised Catholic but are no longer practicing. Another student says that suicide is a sin. Charlie mentions that at a movie, a lot of the kids are still wearing their suits from Good Friday mass. It reminds him how on Ash Wednesday some kids come to school with marks on their foreheads. Charlie’s family celebrates Christmas with presents.

Other Belief Systems

Charlie says he believes in a god, but that he’s never given him a name. Mary Elizabeth is a Buddhist. She says that Zen connects you to the world, a part of nature.

Authority Roles

Charlie’s parents seem active in their children’s lives. His father is strict, but not abusive. He tells Charlie that his father hit him and his father swore he would never do that to his children. Charlie’s mother is quiet and caring. Charlie says his parents make a good team. Charlie’s English teacher recognizes Charlie’s intelligence and encourages him to read and write more. At the end of the school year, the teacher has Charlie over for dinner and makes sure Charlie understands that Charlie can call him anytime if he needs to talk to someone. Sam and Patrick’s parents leave them alone in the house with their friends to have a party. It is intimated that they understand that alcohol and drugs will be present, but that they don’t disapprove of this behavior.

Profanity & Violence

God’s name is used in vain as is Jesus’ name. A–hole, b–tard, bulls— and s—- are used. The f-word is used in various ways. Other objectionable words include dyke, faggot, p—ed and p—y .

The reader learns in the opening pages that Charlie’s friend shot himself in the head. Charlie’s father only hit him once, when Charlie made his Aunt Helen cry. His father swore not to hit his children because his stepfather had beaten Charlie’s father when he was a child. The stepfather had also beaten his mother and sister.

Charlie’s great Uncle Phil eventually found out about the beatings. He and several friends attacked the stepfather. The man died several days later in the hospital. No one was ever charged because in those days, people in the neighborhood didn’t call the police about things like that. Charlie beats up a bully who says he’s going to give Charlie a swirly (stick his head in the toilet and flush so that his hair will swirl around). Charlie’s brother had taught him to defend himself, before going away to school, by going for an attacker’s knees, throat and eyes. Charlie does that. The bully is badly hurt, but he never bothers Charlie again. Charlie’s grandfather tells how he once beat his daughters because they brought home C’s on their report cards. A boy Charlie’s sister likes hits her in the face after she berates him for being a coward.

Patrick hits Brad in the cafeteria after being called a name. After the two wrestle each other to the ground, while throwing punches, four of Brad’s teammates get involved. Charlie enters the fight to save his friend. Charlie hits one boy’s knee with a metal chair. He swipes another in the eyes. It’s not clear if he did this with his hands or the chair. The other boy holds his face so Charlie can’t see how bad he hurt him.

Throughout the book, there are several references to girls being forced or intimidated into having sex. Brad’s father walks in on Brad and Patrick having sex and beats his son so he is unable to attend school for several days. Patrick thought Brad’s father was going to kill Brad.

Sexual Content

Charlie relates how his friend Michael’s girlfriend said she’d kissed him. Sam gives Charlie his first real kiss because she wants it to be from someone who loves him. When she was 7, she was first been kissed by her father’s friend.

Before he goes on a date with Mary Elizabeth, Sam gives him advice on kissing. She tells Charlie that the trick is to kiss your partner back the way they are kissing you. On a later date, he and Mary Elizabeth kiss. Eventually, she leads him to take off her shirt and bra. He says they do everything they can do from the stomach up.

Charlie walks in on his sister and her boyfriend having sex on the basement couch. After he meets Sam, Charlie has a dream in which they are in the same position on the couch — both naked and with him on top and Sam’s legs draped on either side of the sofa.

Charlie writes that Patrick taught him about masturbation, explains what it is and claims to masturbate a lot, even though he feels like God might disapprove. Charlie relates how when he was younger and his parents weren’t home, his brother had a party in the house. Charlie was told to stay in his room. A couple entered. Charlie explained that he had to stay in the room, and they asked if he’d mind them using it. Charlie watched them kiss. The boy convinced the girl to let him take her shirt off. Charlie observed the boy kissing her breasts and putting his hand down her pants. She protested, so the boy took his own pants off and forced her to give him oral sex.

Sam wears her underwear in front of a theater full of people as part of a ritual involving The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Another of the movie’s rituals is a dance off. The loser has to pretend to have sex with a blow up Gumby doll. Charlie’s sister tells him that Sam was known as the “blow queen” during their sophomore year.

Charlie says that he finally found out the bad thing that had happened to his Aunt Helen. She’d been molested by a family friend as a child. She told her parents, but they didn’t believe her. The man was allowed to continue visiting the house. At a New Year’s Eve party, Charlie can hear Sam and her boyfriend having sex, and it makes him sad. He says everyone else at the party is either asleep or having sex as well.

Charlie talks about getting an erection in a parking lot after Mary Elizabeth complimented him. He later thinks how little the models in magazine ads wear and how some men probably buy the magazines and masturbate to them. Patrick and Charlie trade stories they’ve heard about kids in school. One couple didn’t have a condom so they used a sandwich baggie and had sex doggie-style. One boy became so drunk at a party that he tried to have sex with the host’s dog. Another boy got caught masturbating at a party and was teased about it for years. A girl masturbated with a hot dog and had to go to the emergency room.

Before Sam leaves for college, she and Charlie share an evening together. They kiss passionately and end up on her bed, without their clothes on. Sam guides Charlie to touch her intimately. When she tries to do the same for him, he begins to cry. The intimacy causes him to flashback to a time when his Aunt Helen molested him. After therapy, he remembers that she used to molest him while they watched television.

Charlie’s friend Patrick is gay. He is in a secret relationship with the quarterback of the football team, Brad. At first, Brad wouldn’t admit to being gay. He’d find Patrick at parties, and they’d kiss and make out. Brad would later say he couldn’t remember the party because he was too drunk. Over the summer, they had sex for the first time. Brad took the girl’s position and cried afterward. Now, they meet on golf courses or at parties where people will keep their secret. Patrick tells Charlie that it’s too bad he’s not gay. After he breaks up with Brad, Patrick takes Charlie to bars and parks where he can pick up men. When Patrick goes off with other men at these places, he tells Charlie not to make eye contact with anyone. That way they’ll know he’s not interested in them. Patrick kisses Charlie several times. Even though he isn’t gay and doesn’t particularly enjoy it, Charlie lets his friend kiss him because it makes him happy.

Discussion Topics

Additional comments.

Alcohol: Charlie’s mom drinks wine. Charlie relates how all the adults get drunk at holiday family dinners. Charlie and his friends drink beer, wine and brandy at different parties.

Drugs: Someone slips Charlie a brownie laced with marijuana at his first party. Eventually, Charlie regularly smokes marijuana. He also takes LSD at a party. Patrick is given marijuana by a friend as a Christmas present. Charlie uses his Easter money to buy marijuana.

Tobacco: Patrick and Sam both smoke. Charlie eventually becomes a chain smoker.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower Paperback – February 1, 1999

Purchase options and add-ons.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

• Print length 224 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 9 - 12
• Lexile measure 720L
• Dimensions 5 x 0.9 x 7 inches
• Publisher MTV Books
• Publication date February 1, 1999
• ISBN-10 0671027344
• ISBN-13 978-0671027346
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why. With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and his two friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoid the depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. When it all becomes too much, after a shocking realization about his beloved late Aunt Helen, Charlie retreats from reality for awhile. But he makes it back in due time, ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. Charlie, sincerely searching for that feeling of "being infinite," is a kindred spirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. --Brangien Davis

From Publishers Weekly

From school library journal, from kirkus reviews, about the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved..

Copyright © 1999 by Stephen Chbosky

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ MTV Books; First MTV Books/ Pocket Books Paperback edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671027344
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671027346
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 720L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.9 x 7 inches
• #33 in Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age Fiction
• #732 in Classic Literature & Fiction
• #2,055 in Literary Fiction (Books)

About the author

Stephen chbosky.

Stephen Chbosky (/ʃəˈbɒski/; born January 25, 1970) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for writing the New York Times bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999), as well as for screenwriting and directing the film version of the same book, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film Rent, and was co-creator, executive producer, and writer of the CBS television series Jericho, which began airing in 2006.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Lawrence Truett, aka Ltruett at en.wikipedia derivative work: RanZag [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Teen Book Review - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

• Book Review

Book Review by Nelson​ B. (a student at East Meck High School)

Rating: 4/5 / Borrowed digitally

The novel, The perks of being a wallflower is about many things and while it has a theme, the book is more of an account of the experiences of the main character. The main character’s teacher says “Try to be a filter not a sponge” before assigning The Fountainhead. This quote applies to the reading of this book. The book has conflicts in which you may not agree with the main character Charlie and his friends. This aspect of the book allows the characters to feel real because in the real world most things aren't right or wrong but in a grey area where there are positives and negatives to almost everything.

    The book follows Charlie, a freshman in high school. For the first few days of school, Charlie doesn't talk to anyone and he finds himself observing people more. This all changes when he meets two seniors named Patrick and Sam. Soon Charlie finds himself becoming friends with Patrick, Sam, and their group of friends. He attends a recreation of The rocky horror picture show that Patrick, Sam, and company do. He attends parties with Patrick and Sam. He spends a copious amount of time with them and becomes close with both of them. Charlie lives out the dreams and nightmares of a teenager throughout the book.

    I like this book for its portrayal of teenage life, Complex characters, and thought-provoking commentary from Charlie. This book displays a wide range of emotions. Its relatable and complex characters allow you to feel the same emotions the characters are feeling. The book’s use of journal entries to tell its story helps the reader connect to Charlie and it adds to the realism. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would read it again.

    The book shows all the sides of being a teenager and isn’t afraid to cover mature themes. The book uses its more mature situations in order to relate to teenagers. Many teenagers have experienced these hardships either first hand or by hearing about them. The characters partake in activities that some may see as unwise. These are in the book however to add realism not to encourage or promote these acts. This book will most likely only be fully appreciated by older teenagers due to its unflinching depiction of teenage life. Before reading this book readers should know there are themes of sexual abuse and those that are sensitive to that topic should be cautious about reading this book. Despite all this, I would recommend this book to those who can handle its subject matter.

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20 Years After ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ Stephen Chbosky Has a New Novel

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By Elizabeth Macneal

• Published Oct. 7, 2019 Updated Oct. 23, 2019

IMAGINARY FRIEND By Stephen Chbosky

Twenty years after his smash hit novel, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” Stephen Chbosky returns with a 700-page doorstop, “Imaginary Friend” — an ambitious tale narrated through multiple perspectives, mashing together horror, fairy tales and the (rewritten) Bible. It is about the strength of small communities and good versus evil. And evil there is in abundance: suicidal clowns, teeth scattered as sprinkles on ice-cream cones, a hissing lady who wants, we are told, to destroy the world. But Chbosky’s true skill is in turning a book of absolute horrors — both fantastical and real — into an uplifting yarn.

“Imaginary Friend” features a 7-year-old protagonist, Christopher, whose mother has fled an abusive partner and moved with her son to a small town in Pennsylvania. Heartbreakingly mundane concerns of poverty, bullying and fears of the violent ex finding them soon give way to a fantastic evil as Christopher begins to converse with “the nice man” who disguises himself as a plastic bag and warns about a malevolent “hissing lady.” Christopher goes missing for six days, and when he inexplicably reappears the coincidences roll in thick and fast — his mother wins the lottery; Christopher’s learning difficulties disappear. This isn’t so much coincidence as fate; somebody evil holds the strings. It is left to Christopher to confront these terrors.

[ This book was one of our 18 most anticipated titles of October. See the full list . ]

“He would be bigger for her. He would protect her. For his Dad,” Christopher decides, and he is true to his word. His consistent goodness is both heartwarming and a little implausible. The later biblical overtones — first subtle, which work well, and then spelled out, which add less — partly explain this. But by then it might be too late for readers who have struggled to believe in him.

It is some relief, then, that Chbosky does not narrate the novel solely from Christopher’s perspective. He is excellent on communities, and he picks apart this small town chillingly. These different accounts not only add real pace to the narrative, but convey how closely entwined, how claustrophobic small towns can be — especially when the horror screws are being tightened. The other characters work because they are flawed; their inconsistencies are explained, often movingly.

Almost everyone, it seems, has a tragic history, but Chbosky has his eye firmly on humanity. The abuse is layered on so thick because he wants to explore how chains of abuse repeat themselves. It is in exploring the horrors of reality that Chbosky is most effective — “girls sold to pay for rice and men disgusting enough to buy them”; a murdered girl with “painted nails” whom the sheriff wishes he could have saved.

Right next to the real horrors are the fantastic, fairy-tale horrors, which are dialed up to 100 in places — an ice-cream truck delivering Popsicles that are actually “frozen deer legs,” luridly conveyed torture rooms, babies that crawl across the floor “like little spiders.” This horror, however, can feel too monstrous and nebulous to be believable.

And because the darkness is so prevalent, Chbosky seems anxious to amp up the sentimentality, too, to make sure that this is what triumphs. In writing a book about so much — fate, destiny, redemption, power — the plausibility of characters and narrative can sometimes be lost to this loftier thematic aim. Chbosky is best not when he looks at the extremes of good and evil, but when he looks at the gray in between — at everyday people, their trauma, their interactions, and the hundreds of human inconsistencies and desires that can make a community fall apart and knit itself back together again.

Elizabeth Macneal is the author of the novel “The Doll Factory.”

IMAGINARY FRIEND By Stephen Chbosky 706 pp. Grand Central. $30.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen chbosky, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Introduction

The perks of being a wallflower: plot summary, the perks of being a wallflower: detailed summary & analysis, the perks of being a wallflower: themes, the perks of being a wallflower: quotes, the perks of being a wallflower: characters, the perks of being a wallflower: symbols, the perks of being a wallflower: theme wheel, brief biography of stephen chbosky.

Historical Context of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Other books related to the perks of being a wallflower.

• Full Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• When Written: 1996-1998
• Where Written: California
• When Published: 1999
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Genre: Young Adult fiction, epistolary
• Setting: Pittsburgh suburbs
• Climax: Charlie experiences a mental health crisis during which he realizes that his favorite aunt molested him as a child.
• Antagonist: Childhood trauma
• Point of View: First person

Extra Credit for The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Muse. Chbosky has directed films starring Emma Watson twice: once for the film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012 and for the most recent Beauty and the Beast adaptation in 2017.

Mentors. Chbosky based the character of Bill, Charlie’s English teacher, on Stewart Stern, who was the screenwriter for Rebel Without a Cause and Chbosky’s friend and mentor.

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The perks of being a wallflower, common sense media reviewers.

Book-based drama for mature teens tackles tough subjects.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Teens may sometimes feel lost or inconsequential,

Charlie has issues -- he blacks out when he's

One character is shown to have assaulted another w

Both same- and opposite-sex couples make out (view

Language includes "f--k" (once), "s

Brands seen/mentioned include Olive Garden.

Underage teens drink (beer and hard liquor), mostl

Parents need to know that The Perks of Being a Wallflower (based on the same-named book by Stephen Chbosky) is an edgy, moving, and layered coming-of-age dramedy that's frank about the troubles and exploits of teenagers. You see them fret over their futures, push back against parental intervention, drink,…

Positive Messages

Teens may sometimes feel lost or inconsequential, but when they find their footing and are able to tap into their authentic selves, they can feel (per the movie) "infinite."

Positive Role Models

Charlie has issues -- he blacks out when he's in a fight, for instance, seemingly out of rage -- but despite the challenges he's faced, he's a loyal friend with good intentions and a big, open heart. His friends, though juggling their own issues, are kind and supportive of one another.

Violence & Scariness

One character is shown to have assaulted another who's defenseless (to provide more specifics is a big spoiler, but it's tragic). A truck is shown barreling straight for another car, the driver in peril. Teen boys harass a gay student and, at one point, beat him up; another rises to his defense, pummeling the others (viewers see mostly the aftermath). Another gay teen hides in the closet for fear that his parents and friends will disown him or worse. A boy hits a girl.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Both same- and opposite-sex couples make out (viewers see them kissing and groping each other), and there's talk of people having sex, though viewers don't really see it.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "f--k" (once), "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "jerk," "spaz," "piss," "slut," "hell," "goddamn," "oh my God," and more. The word "f-g" is used as a slur.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Underage teens drink (beer and hard liquor), mostly at parties, where they also smoke weed. One teen also has an acid trip.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Perks of Being a Wallflower (based on the same-named book by Stephen Chbosky) is an edgy, moving, and layered coming-of-age dramedy that's frank about the troubles and exploits of teenagers. You see them fret over their futures, push back against parental intervention, drink, make out, and use drugs. One girl also blithely jokes about being bulimic. Expect to see couples (both same- and opposite-sex) making out, teens bullying each other, and plenty of swearing. There's also a big reveal about a major, tragic trauma. Harry Potter 's Emma Watson co-stars, but this is a much more mature role for her than Hermione. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (29)
• Kids say (141)

Based on 29 parent reviews

SUCH A GOOD MOVIE AND STORY!!!

Great movie, strong message., what's the story.

Charlie ( Logan Lerman ) is starting high school, a momentous and fairly joyous occasion ... if not for the fact that his best friend killed himself months before, and Charlie himself is recovering from a breakdown of sorts. It's a scary situation, until he befriends Patrick ( Ezra Miller ), a charismatic, openly gay senior whose biggest heartache is that his closeted boyfriend refuses to acknowledge their relationship in public. Patrick's step-sister, Sam ( Emma Watson ), a sweet girl saddled with an unfair reputation, takes to Charlie, too -- and vice versa. Together they navigate the treacherous waters of high school with some success, until Charlie is forced to face his past again.

Is It Any Good?

Watch out for Logan Lerman. If his work in THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is any indication, he's that rare young actor who can carry the weight of complex emotions without reducing them to tics that are too often the actorly shorthand for teenage alienation. As Charlie, Lerman is fantastic and sympathetic -- key for a film of this make. We believe his diffidence, we understand his fear. The same can be said (to a slightly lesser extent) for both Watson, who's passionate and forceful as Sam in a way that she wasn't -- or couldn't be -- as Hermione Granger, and Miller, who has made a cottage industry out of playing vulnerable, eccentric characters (which is admirable, but it would be great to see what he could do playing a quieter role).

Author Stephen Chbosky directed this adaptation of his book , and the movie bears the imprint of his careful hands. But it feels strangely modern for a story set in the early 1990s (the cultural references say as much), and Charlie's stunning revelation in the end is hurried, and so doesn't stun as much as it should. The parents, too, feel like afterthoughts, confusing given the caliber of actors playing them ( Dylan McDermott , for one). But on the whole, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a gem, and certainly not a wallflower to ignore.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the movie depicts teens. Are the characters and their decisions realistic? What about the consequences of those decisions?

How does the movie portray drinking and drug use? Are they glamorized? If you've read the book, how does the movie's take on these subjects compare?

How does the movie depict bullying ? What should teens do if that happens to them? What should they do if they see it happening to someone else?

Parents, ask your teens about the sense of alienation that the movie suggests teenagers have. Are real teens this disaffected and disillusioned?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 21, 2012
• On DVD or streaming : February 12, 2013
• Cast : Emma Watson , Ezra Miller , Logan Lerman
• Director : Stephen Chbosky
• Inclusion Information : Non-Binary actors, Queer actors
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Book Characters
• Run time : 103 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens
• Last updated : February 15, 2024

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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The Centreville Sentinel

"We're always on the prowl."

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Book Review

Karyna Hetman January 15, 2021

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story following the life of the protagonist, Charlie, as he navigates his way through his first year of high school. It touches on relevant issues high schoolers face as well as more difficult topics through a light hearted yet suspenseful story. 

The story is told through letters by Charlie, written to a “dear friend” who he dares not disclose. In these letters, Charlie reveals some sadness from his past such as his friend committing suicide, his aunt, who he was close to, dying in a car accident, and rough times dealing with his trauma. Because of this, Charlie starts high school without friends, but soon forms a special bond with his English teacher, who tells him he would like to see him participate more, not just in class, but more importantly, in life. Charlie then finds two friends that are seniors, Sam and Patrick, and adventures through his first year in high school with them, participating like his teacher had told him to. In between writing about fun events going on in his life with friends, Charlie reveals dark anecdotes about family secrets. The reader notices that Charlie goes through difficulty with his emotions, but the big surprise that answers the question of why Charlie reacts the way he does is not revealed until the end. 

I watched the movie adaptation prior to reading the book, and I found the book much more insightful than the movie. It made me rethink my position on the argument of whether books or movie adaptations are better. In the book I got to read Charlie’s deep thoughts and analysis of scenes I was familiar with from the movie. Reading the book was like watching the movie from a different perspective in that I was seeing through Charlie’s eyes and mind rather than viewing the scenes as an outsider. When I watched the movie I was confused on what was eating Charlie up inside and how his past trauma affected him. Reading the book gave me answers to those questions as I could better understand the emotions Charlie was feeling, which I couldn’t obtain from just reading his face. In an experiment conducted in 2006 to test the correlation on whether reading fiction makes people more empathetic, Kieth Oatley says “people who read more fiction were better at empathy and understanding others.” I found the book to back this finding as I gained more insight and awareness on mental illness. The story exemplifies how past trauma can affect people, and since Charlie never told anyone about what he went through as a child, no one understood why he acted the way he did at times. This taught me that it’s tricky to judge someone based on their actions as we don’t know what emotions caused a person to act in the way they did. 

The author did a great job in making this coming of age book relatable for high schoolers while also dealing with deeper issues such as childhood trauma and mental illness. The book was entertaining throughout as the reader almost cheers on Charlie when navigating his way through freshman year. It was also suspenseful as it takes the reader through the ups and downs of Charlie’s emotions and unravels the mystery of his past. The ending opened up a can of worms as we finally get closure on Charlie’s situation and feel deeper empathy for him. This story puts a twist on the coming of age genre as it deals with more than just relatable teen drama but also brings forth the conversation of many uncomfortable topics. It shows that opening up is not easy, as Charlie does not reveal his big secret until the last few pages of the book. In conclusion, The Perks of Being a Wallflower illustrates the complexity of individuals in that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

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Karyna Hetman is a Senior at CVHS and is in her second year of Journalism. In addition to being an editor and contributor on the Sentinel staff, she plays...

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, one kid's lucky freshman year.

Now streaming on:

We are republishing this review in honor of the 10th anniversary of the passing of Roger Ebert . Read why one of our contributors chose this review here .

All of my previous selves still survive somewhere inside of me, and my previous adolescent would have loved "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." The movie has received glowing reviews, and some snarky ones that seem to have been written by previous adults. The film is about an alienated high-school freshman who sees himself as a chronic outsider, and then is befriended by a group of older kids who embrace their non-conformist status.

The movie confirms one of my convictions: If you are too popular in high school, you may become so fond of the feeling that you never find out who you really are. The film is based on Stephen Chbosky's best-selling young-adult novel, which was published in 1999 and is now on many shelves next to The Catcher in the Rye . It offers the rare pleasure of an author directing his own book, and doing it well. No one who loves the book will complain about the movie, and especially not about its near-ideal casting.

The story, set in the early 1990s, tells the story of Charlie ( Logan Lerman ), who begins it as a series of letters to a "friend." He enters high school tremulously and without confidence, and is faced on his first day by that great universal freshman crisis: Which table in the lunchroom will they let me sit at? Discouraged at several tables, he's welcomed by two smart and sympathetic seniors.

They are Sam and Patrick, played by Emma Watson in her own coming-of-age role after the "Harry Potter" movies, and Ezra Miller , who was remarkable as an alienated teenager in " We Need to Talk About Kevin ." Charlie makes the mistake of assuming they are a couple, and Sam's laughter corrects him; actually, they're half-siblings. Charlie is on the edge of outgrowing his depression and dorkdom, and is eerily likable in his closed-off way. One of the key players in his life is the dead aunt ( Melanie Lynskey ) he often has imaginary meetings with.

Patrick is tall, gangly and gay; Sam is friendly and lovable. Charlie gets a quick crush on her, but she explains she has a b.f. and encourages his friendship. Through them, he meets the quasi-punk Mary Elizabeth ( Mae Whitman ), who definitely is interested in dating him, and a pothead named Bob (Adam Hagenbuch), who nudges Charlie toward adventures most teenagers have once in life, and few should have twice.

We learn a lot about their high school crowd by finding out they're instrumental in the local midnight showings of " The Rocky Horror Picture Show ." When Charlie is unexpectedly pressed into service playing a key role one night during their performance, it provides him with a turning point that may be contrived but is certainly entertaining.

Their crowd is artsy, outsider, non-conformist. They become the influence that rescues Charlie from his deep insecurity and his depression over the suicide of a friend; they teach him it's OK to be who he is. In his first year, he learns a little, very tentatively, about sex, drinking and drugs, and a lot about friendship.

He's also guided by Mr. Anderson ( Paul Rudd ), his English teacher, who steers him toward seminal books including, yes, The Catcher in the Rye . Why is it that English, drama and music teachers are most often recalled as our mentors and inspirations? Maybe because artists are rarely members of the popular crowd.

Note: This review includes material from my Toronto Film Festival blog post about this title.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight — all involving teens

103 minutes

Logan Lerman as Charlie

Emma Watson as Sam

Ezra Miller as Patrick

Kate Walsh as Mom

Dylan McDermott as Dad

Melanie Lynskey as Aunt Helen

Paul Rudd as Mr. Anderson

Mae Whitman as Mary Elizabeth

Written and directed by

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heartfelt and sincere adaptation that's bolstered by strong lead performances.

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Nicola Coughlan Is the Beating Heart of Bridgerton

By Savannah Walsh

Before Bridgerton , “I’d never read a romance novel,” Nicola Coughlan admits shortly after swapping her chunky gold statement earrings for a pair of headphones in Vanity Fair ’s Still Watching podcast studio. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is really steamy. Like, whoa. I laughed thinking about, Imagine me filming this one day. LOL. Could never be me.”

That was nearly five years before she filmed the Netflix sensation’s blockbuster third season , in which Couglan’s Penelope and Luke Newton ’s Colin consummate their yearslong friendship during a carriage ride that set the internet ablaze . While she initially may not have been able to envision herself in Julia Quinn ’s bodice-ripping Romancing Mister Bridgerton , which serves as the basis for the new season, Coughlan now revels in morphing from an “oddball in the corner,” as she’s put it , to a leading lady years in the making.

“Realistically, love is the most beautiful thing in the world,” says Coughlan, whose eyes up close actually are the most remarkable shade of blue . “I don’t know what it is that it’s seen as something flippant or silly, because it’s not. It’s everything.” Plus, she points out that romance is one of the most-read genres in the world. “The world is a dark and scary place, and I think this show came round and people realized they needed it, but they didn’t know they needed it.”

It didn’t take long for TV mogul Shonda Rhimes to realize that Bridgerton needed Coughlan. After two seasons spent playing Clare “Look at the state of you” Devilin on Derry Girls, a coming-of-age comedy set in Northern Ireland, Coughlan booked the pivotal role of Penelope Featherington with a single audition. “It has to be her,” said Rhimes , making Coughlan the first acting hire of her Netflix era . After locking in the show’s overlooked debutante turned revered gossip columnist, Rhimes and Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen built a vast ensemble of future romantic leads around her. Although the first two seasons of the series were centered on other people’s love stories, Coughlan’s soulful, searching Penelope remained Bridgerton ’s beating heart—an embodiment of both the hopeless romance and ruthless scandal that viewers fell for in droves .

Over the course of her most recent global press tour for Bridgerton, it has emerged that Coughlan is very much online . She can rattle off Jennifer Lopez ’s bodega order from memory, and she’s open about her devotion to all things Bravo. “Oh, I outed myself so bad,” Coughlan laughs when asked about her internet habits. “I started really enjoying TikTok because I wasn’t on my own algorithm. But that has changed because I’ve been doing press for six months. I’m now, like, every second video.”

That hasn’t stopped Coughlan from lurking in the comments section of carriage scene reaction videos, branding viewers as “horny little devils,” or speculating about the show’s celebrity fans. “The one thing I want to know is, do we think Beyoncé watches Bridgerton ?” Coughlan asks.

At this point, the better question is who doesn’t watch Bridgerton. After premiering on May 16, the show earned 45.1 million views in its first weekend on Netflix—the best debut in the show’s history —and the whole thing isn’t even out yet; the season’s final four episodes drop on June 13.

As season three begins, Penelope ditches her wardrobe of citrus colors and poodle-tight curls for a transformative makeover—one driven very much by Penelope herself. “I had someone in an interview say to me, ‘It’s sad that she’s forgotten who she is; she’s a Featherington,’” says Coughlan. “Well, no…. In the first two seasons, she doesn’t want to be dressed like a huge Post-it note. It’s not her. At her core, she’s a real romantic…and she wants to dress in a romantic, soft way. That’s why I really love the physical transformation. Because, yes, there’s an element of, she wants to find a husband, but I feel like it’s her finally going, ‘This is who I see myself as.’”

Penelope’s newfound confidence catches the attention of the eligible Lord Debling ( Sam Phillips ), who proves a worthy suitor—on paper, anyway. “It’s so important for her to see herself as desirable,” says Coughlan. “She cannot fathom herself through Debling’s eyes. When he first speaks to her and he’s like, ‘You could make one wither,’ she’s like, Me? This is crazy. ”

It was important to Coughlan that Colin’s attraction to Penelope, who has long held a candle for her childhood best friend, is not driven by jealousy or her new look. Instead, Colin’s feelings awaken during their long-awaited first kiss, which Penelope views as something of a goodbye: “This is the most embarrassing thing I could’ve done. I have basically begged this man to kiss me,” says Coughlan. “But she thinks she’s destroyed her life. She sees her future as the spinster. I’m living with my mother who torments me, my sisters who hate me, I’ll never get out of this. What have I got to lose? Nothing. I’ll have that one kiss. It will sustain me forever, and that’s it…. And that’s the moment he finally sees her.”

While Colin is soon besieged with sexy dreams of Penelope, she is tormented over whether she’s bound for a secure, but stale marriage with Debling. In episode four’s ball, she watches two ballet dancers soar across a stage in the middle of the room. “Penelope is watching and that part of herself she’s hidden away and tucked down deep, the true romantic, it just goes, ‘No, I’m actually still here. You can’t deny me forever,’” says Coughlan. “In that moment, she just knows, Unless this man can love me, I can’t do it. She has to ask him—and obviously it’s never going to happen.”

A botched proposal from Debling, who senses Penelope’s “affections are already engaged elsewhere,” gives way to an impassioned mid-carriage confession from Colin. “It feels crazy, being allowed to talk about it now,” says Coughlan. “But that scene encapsulates everything that’s wonderful about Bridgerton. It’s got the suspense, it’s got the miscommunication, the heartfelt longing for one another, the profession of love, and then it’s got the sexiness. It’s got this brilliant pace.”

Just as thrilling as Colin’s declaration of love is the heated nod of consent she gives him before they physically escalate their encounter. “Because she’s also desired him for so long,” says Coughlan. “We realize later on, she doesn’t know about sex fully, but she’s aware of her body and where she wants him to touch her. It’s lovely because it’s so easy to see virgins on TV portrayed in a way that they’re like terrified and have no agency, but that’s not the case. The consent is managed so beautifully, and that’s down to the writing and the brilliant Lizzy Talbot, the intimacy coordinator, because we want it to seem like it’s not teacher-student anymore. We’re in this together. It’s the first time that they completely see each other and they’re on a level and it’s like, Let’s go.”

After their Pitbull -scored— and approved! —tryst comes to an end, Colin hops out of the carriage. “It makes me so sad for her that she thinks he’s walking away,” says Coughlan. “Because she’s just so used to stuff going wrong. And you’re like, ‘It’s not going wrong this time. It’s not going wrong!’” Instead, Colin utters a proposition straight out of Quinn’s novel: “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington, are you going to marry me or not?” Coughlan knows it’ll be difficult for fans to await her answer in season three, part two . “People are going to have our heads. It’s only a couple of weeks. They’ll live.”

Even three seasons in, Coughlan finds it hard to grasp how huge Bridgerton has become. “It’s too bizarre and overwhelming because you film it in such a bubble,” she says. “Then the sheer scale of it and the love that people have for it—I don’t know if I’ll ever take it in. Maybe when I’m 80 I’ll be like, ‘Whoa, I was in that show and it meant that to people.’”

Coughlan, who booked Derry Girls at the age of 31, says that finding success when she did informed her ability to absorb all of the attention while giving her best to the press. “People say, ‘Was it media training?’” she says. “I’m like, No, it was working in retail, where I had to sell face creams and you have to say hi to everyone that came in, giving everyone the freshest version of yourself.”

Her years spent shilling skincare and scooping frozen yogurt linger. “I used to get about eight British pounds an hour when I was working,” Coughlan says. That’s not a lot, particularly in a nation that doesn’t have much of a tipping culture. Actors who hit pay dirt immediately are at something of a disadvantage, she says: when you “get this insane job and all of the perks that come with it at a young age, it would seem like that’s normal,” she says. “And I’m hyperaware that it’s not.” Now 37, Coughlan is glad things unfolded for her in the order they have. “I’m sure if me in my 20s could see me now going, ‘I wouldn’t change a thing,’ I’d be really annoyed, but life experience, yeah, you can’t buy that. You gotta go through it.”

During the final three weeks of production on season three, Coughlan split her time between Bridgerton and a leading role on the Tubi series Big Mood, a sardonic comedy created by her best friend, Camilla Whitehill. “God, it was so intense…. It’s really hard to explain, and it makes me laugh because I said [in another interview], ‘I just kept crying.’ Then it was picked up as a headline. It was like, ‘She kept bursting into tears on set.’ I’m like, No, no, no, no, no. We need context.”

During the week, Coughlan donned ball gowns as Penelope. On weekends, she’d zip through modern-day London as Juicy Couture tracksuit-clad Maggie, a writer diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder. All of the crying “was partly exhaustion,” she says, and partially prompted by the profound experience of making this chapter of Bridgerton. “I’d never had such a good partner like I’d had in Luke,” says Coughlan, who may keep a Polaroid of herself and Newton tucked inside her phone case. “Then with Big Mood …acting-wise, that was the most challenging role I’ve ever had to play.” Even though the characters are “chalk and cheese”—a cheeky British idiom for polar opposites—“they’re so inextricably linked in my head,” she says. “Once I finished, I was so spent. I was like, I got nothing left.”

But Coughlan isn’t retreating to the shadows anytime soon. “I’ve actually just gotten a new job that will start right after the press tour,” she says. “So, no rest for the wicked. But it’s super different to anything I’ve ever done, and with some really good people.” ( Deadline later reported that Coughlan will lead the upcoming thriller-drama Love And War, based on the real-life story of an Irish woman’s fight to rescue her six-year-old daughter from war-torn Syria.) Then there is the fourth season of Bridgerton, in which Coughlan and Newton will return to christen a new couple. “People are like, ‘Are you sad that you’re not the main love story?’ I’m weirdly not, only because I feel like I couldn’t have given it anything more,” she says. “I don’t have any regrets. I feel like I’ve left it all on the pitch.”

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Savannah Walsh

Staff writer.

By Julie Miller

By Hillary Busis

By David Canfield

10 Movie Adaptations Written by the Author of the Book

T here are numerous branches in the writing field and those who are good in one area might not necessarily be good in the other. Studios and directors thus prefer to hire professional screenwriters, rather than the original creators of the story, whenever they intend to transfer a captivating story from paper to the big screen. However, there have been a few occasions when the book authors also wrote the screenplays for the film adaptations. Surprisingly, despite many of the writers not having taken on such a role before, the end products were mostly impressive. Even so, this hasn’t gone on to be a major trend. For the most part, book authors have been content with sitting back and enjoying the royalties rather than getting additional pay as a screenwriter.

Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl is one of the movies that trigger relationship-phobia , as it involves a wife faking her death and then framing her cheating husband for the murder. The movie benefits from strong performances by the highly underrated Rosamund Pike and a surprisingly stern Neil Patrick Harris, but the smooth-flowing plot and rich dialogue are the most remarkable things about it.

The captivating screenplay was crafted by Gillian Flynn, who wrote the crime thriller novel that the movie is based on. Because of the praise she received for her work in the movie, she made a proper fray into Hollywood, going on to write a screenplay for the film, Widows, as well as the TV shows, Sharp Objects and Utopia. For the latter series, Flynn also serves as the showrunner.

The Godfather (1972)

Mario Puzo has lived every book author’s dream. He wrote The Godfather as a way to ease the stress of a hand-to-mouth life and the book became so successful that Paramount executives gave the green light on an adaptation. For the movie, Puzo was hired to help write the script, a role that earned him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

As successful as Puzo has been, the many details revealed in the BTS Paramount+ series, The Offer prove that his work wasn’t easy. There was interference from the actual mob and an alleged restaurant assault by Frank Sinatra, who told Puzo to "go ahead and choke." Apparently, the legendary singer wasn’t too thrilled about the fact that the author based the character of Johnny Fontane on him.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a touching film that explores reclusion and the challenges brought about by terminal illnesses. In it, a boy who has a hard time making friends in school becomes close to a girl who has been diagnosed with leukemia. The film is based on Jesse Andrews’ debut novel, and the author serves as the screenwriter.

RELATED: 15 Worst Book-to-Movie Adaptations in Modern Movie History

Jumping from a debut novel straight to a debut movie is truly impressive, but it all didn’t happen out of luck. Before his book even became a bestseller, Andrews made an effort to write a screenplay and placed it on The Black List (an annual review of Hollywood screenplays that haven’t yet been picked up). Just as he hoped, he was approached with an offer.

The Exorcist (1973)

Two years after he wrote The Exorcist , William Peter Blatty was approached by Warner Bros for both the rights and an offer to write the adaptation’s screenplay. The author gladly accepted and what resulted was a horror masterpiece that went on to gross over $400 million at the global box office.

Even though the main story is still that of a mother trying to get her possessed child exorcised, Blatty didn’t just clone the events of the book for the screenplay. There are a number of ways The Exorcist movie differs from the novel , and the changes make the story even juicier. The fact that Blatty wasn’t new to the world of screenwriting also helped. Before working on the horror flick, he had written scripts for eight different movies.

Jurassic Park (1993)

In Jurassic Park , things go wrong when paleontologists tour an island theme park that’s full of dinosaurs that have been genetically developed from prehistoric DNA. Since there was a scarcity of dinosaur and evolution movies in the ‘80s going to the ‘90s, four different studies bid for Michael Crichton's before it was even published. The rights ultimately went to Steven Spielberg and Universal Pictures.

For the script, Universal figured that there would be no better person to pen it than Crichton himself. Interestingly, the movie’s plot only covers about 20% of the novel’s content. The rest of the scenes were either too violent or would have been impractical to film, so they were left out. Fans who want to enjoy more gore can thus go back to the book, which even begins with a horrific sequence of a Procompsognathus attacking a child.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Stephen Chbosky is yet another book author who was very qualified to write a screenplay. Before he wrote and directed The Perks of Being a Wallflower (based on his own book), he had served as the showrunner of the postapocalyptic action drama, Jericho, and the screenwriter of the films, Rent and The Four Corners of Nowhere.

The story — which covers a teenager’s tribulations during his freshman year of high school — is based on Chbosky’s own life, so it’s not surprising that he insisted on writing the screenplay once he sold the rights to John Malkovich’s Mr. Mudd Productions. Depression, substance abuse, and bullying are some of the major topics discussed in the film. There are no major deviations from the source material, hence this is one of the few cases where “the book is better than the movie” debate isn’t applicable.

Hellraiser (1987)

The horror in Hellraiser originates from a mystical box that summons sadomasochistic extra-dimensional beings who are incapable of differentiating pain and pleasure. The movie has plenty of disturbing scenes, which are all plucked from Clive Barker’s 1986 bestselling novella, The Hellbound Heart .

For the adaptation, Clive Barker adopted the ‘Jack of all trades’ approach by not only writing the script but also directing the movie himself. The writer made the decision because he was unimpressed by the previous adaptations of his works. The choice paid off, with Hellraiser not only making a sizeable profit but also spawning numerous sequels.

Goodfellas (1990)

Goodfellas is a perfect film in many ways. It has some of the best performances in a gangster movie and lines of dialogue that still ring in the minds of genre fans to this day. Though most of the events happened in the real world, Martin Scorsese relied on the storytelling skills of Nicholas Pileggi.

The movie is loyal to Pileggi’s book, Wiseguy, though some of the best lines were improvised by the actors. In fact, the back doesn’t have many quotable lines. Still, Pileggi deserves credit for coming up with a coherent screenplay, considering that he had never worked in Hollywood before. Fans can also look forward to yet another mob movie written by Pileggi. Wise Guys , starring Robert DeNiro is set to be released in early 2024, and it will center around the feud between the Dons, Vito Genovese, and Frank Costello.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Something Wicked This Way Comes ’ case is an interesting one because it took more than 20 years for the movie to be adapted. Ordinarily, Hollywood grabs the rights to books much quicker than that. Despite the delay, executives at Disney were still able to convince the book author Ray Bradbury to take up the script duties.

RELATED: Recent Books That Need an On-Screen Adaptation

The film follows the strange encounters of two boys after a traveling carnival comes to their town. What’s more fascinating about the story is that it actually began as a screenplay. After Bradbury failed to get funding, he converted it into a book, and it wasn’t until decades later that his dream of having a movie made became a reality.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Maximum Overdrive is nowhere near decent, and it’s easy to see why Stephen King has shied away from writing and directing movies based on his own books ever since. The plot — revolving around homicidal sentient machines killing humans — is based on “Trucks,” a short story in King’s anthology book, Night Shift.

For an author known for being one of the greatest storytellers of all time, it still baffles fans how he made a film with such a poor plot. The movie’s highlights only involve machine attacks. When it comes to the character development, dialogue, and pacing, things are rather dull. On a positive note, the film’s failure taught King a tough lesson. From there on, he has stuck to what he knows best and has continued to receive the praise he very much deserves.