I will never be a smoker, I will never knowingly put myself in debt, and I will never understand the concept of banning a book. It is really a ludicrous idea. There are so many books in the world; all of them fighting for a little attention, a little fanfare, but most are passed over. Then there are the banned books. The ones that are so big and scary - and thus totally publicized and given attention. Maybe it is truly a brilliant thing and I should become more of a supporter, because it seems that banned books often become the most widely read. Well done rebel rousers!
When you read reviews about Wallflower they are generally great or awful, and the awful ones tend to say that the book is cliched or that Charlie, our narrator, is far too sweet and naive. I tend to agree that the ending was a bit cliched, mostly because I believe, or at least hope to god, that some people don't fit in or don't feel complete without some big bad life altering event occurring. Sometimes people are just kind of lost, and there isn't some after-school special excuse as to why. But I have to disagree with the too sweet part. In the story we are always in Charlie's head, we don't see him the way other people see him, and anyone knows that there is a difference. When I go out I am care free and laughing, smiling at everyone and saying hello. Yet, on the inside, I am anxious and sad, scared and lonely. So it may be that in Charlie's mind he is sweet and naive but to other people he is some asshole who did them wrong. I mean when I was 16 I can't even begin to imagine all the ways I hid the person I really was from the people who were supposed to be my friends and my support. So I think we need to just take Charlie at his word and realize that no matter what we are never getting all of the story, just one aspect.
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