The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written by American novelist
Stephen Chbosky. It was published on February 1, 1999 by MTV. The story is narrated
by a teenager who goes by the alias of "Charlie"; he describes various scenes in his
life by writing a series of letters to an anonymous person, whom he does not know
personally. The story explores topics such as introversion, teenage sexuality,
homosexuality, abuse, and the awkward times of adolescence. The book also touches
strongly on drug use and Charlie's experiences with this. As the story progresses,
various works of literature and film are referenced and their meanings discussed.
The story takes place in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1991.1992
school year, when Charlie is a high school freshman. Charlie is the wallflower of
the novel. He is an unconventional thinker, and as the story begins he is shy and
unpopular. Chbosky names J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye as an inspiration,
and pays homage to Salinger's work by naming it as one of the books that Charlie's
English teacher Bill gives him to read. The book was third on the American Library
Association's list of the top ten most frequently challenged books of 2009, for
reasons including the book's treatment of drugs, homosexuality, sex, and suicide.

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