In addition to appearances on best-seller lists, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, has appeared consistently on the American Library Association (ALA) list of banned and challenged books since its publication by MTV in 1999.According to the ALA, Perks was one of the top 10 most challenged books for offensive language, references to drug usage, homosexuality, suicide, sexually explicit language and unsuitability for its age group in 2004 and from 2006-2009. Across the United States, Perks was actively censored by school and town boards.Written as a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, the book tells the story of Charlie and his experiences throughout his first year of high school. Intelligent but shy, Charlie has never felt like he fits in. When he is adopted by a small group of misfit seniors, he spends the year completely submerged in their complex lives.Through Charlies letters, Chbosky weaves an incredibly emotional story in what has been hailed as the best coming-of-age novel of our generation.The film adaptation of Perks was released Sept. 21. It was directed by the author himself and starred Logan Lerman of The Three Musketeers as Charlie, with Emma Watson and Ezra Miller as co-stars.With the author as the main creative force behind the project, the movie soared above expectations for such an emotionally charged story. The film was able to stay true to the plot and characters while handling the issues of homosexuality, mental illness and abuse with sensitive subtlety and skill.Heartbreaking and surprising, the film boasts outstanding performances from the entire cast. While there were cutbacks in development, this can only be expected of a story with such depth, and the choices made by the production developers did not take away from the film. The movie does not fail to hold up to its literary predecessor.
Film adaptation of ‘Perks’ holds up to the novel
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In addition to appearances on best-seller lists, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky, has appeared consistently on the American Library Association (ALA) list of banned and challenged books since its publication by MTV in 1999.
According to the ALA, “Perks” was one of the top 10 most challenged books for offensive language, references to drug usage, homosexuality, suicide, sexually explicit language and unsuitability for its age group in 2004 and from 2006-2009. Across the United States, “Perks” was actively censored by school and town boards.
Written as a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, the book tells the story of Charlie and his experiences throughout his first year of high school. Intelligent but shy, Charlie has never felt like he fits in. When he is adopted by a small group of misfit seniors, he spends the year completely submerged in their complex lives.
Through Charlie’s letters, Chbosky weaves an incredibly emotional story in what has been hailed as the best coming-of-age novel of our generation.
The film adaptation of “Perks” was released Sept. 21. It was directed by the author himself and starred Logan Lerman of “The Three Musketeers” as Charlie, with Emma Watson and Ezra Miller as co-stars.
With the author as the main creative force behind the project, the movie soared above expectations for such an emotionally charged story. The film was able to stay true to the plot and characters while handling the issues of homosexuality, mental illness and abuse with sensitive subtlety and skill.
Heartbreaking and surprising, the film boasts outstanding performances from the entire cast. While there were cutbacks in development, this can only be expected of a story with such depth, and the choices made by the production developers did not take away from the film. The movie does not fail to hold up to its literary predecessor.
