The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Every now and then a book comes along that changes you forever. Small, green, and rather unassuming, The Perks of Being a Wallflower found its way into my life when I was a sophomore in college. I read it while taking the train home for Christmas break. I was very tired out and sad at this time in my life.

There was a stillness outside, the kind that comes with cold, Midwestern winters. Everything lay under a blanket of snow, waiting for the warmth of spring to melt the blanket and make living possible again. This book was like a piece of spring for me, giving me a sense of human connection and helping me feel alive again.

I felt a sense of connection because the book introduced me to my friend Charlie. He’s the main character of the book. Now, I know some people will be thinking, You can’t be friends with fictional characters. You can though, if they’re special enough. I was and still am friends with Charlie. You see, this can happen thanks to the magical power of books. From ink and paper spring forth feelings, entities, friends. And Charlie’s real in all of the ways a best friend should be real. He’s real in the feelings he’s given me, the ways he’s comforted and understood me, and the things he’s taught me.

I’ve incorporated bits of his life–sayings, actions, ways of looking at the world–into my own. Perhaps one of the greatest things he’s done for me is, in times of deep sadness, let me know that I’m not alone. Our personalities are extremely similar, so he showed me that there is someone else out there who really gets what it’s like to feel like a wallflower. In my next post, I’ll try to tell you what it’s like to be a wallflower. In the meantime, I hope you can snag yourself a special book like this one.