AUTHOR:    Stephen Chbosky  
AGES:    High School (14-18)
REVIEW:   In the tradition of Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Chbosky’s novel follows the painfully inept Charlie as he struggles to make a place for himself at his school.  In this short novel, Charlie, an awkward sophomore in high school, writes letters to an unidentified friend, presumably the reader. Charlie chronicles his attempts to navigate high school, make friends, meet girls, and figure out who he is. His English teacher recognizes his potential and points him towards books that might help him.

What I like most about this book is that Charlie’s descriptions of high school are ruthlessly accurate. When Charlie’s best friends, who are seniors, leave for college, you feel exactly how sad Charlie is. Students will immediately latch on to the realistic details of high school life. Blogger Stewie81 says on his blog that this novel is a “caricature of real life apt enough to make some people consider their own experiences.” In another blog (Sellers Library Teens) the reviewer says that “this is a classic coming-of-age novel with a striking perspective.”

This novel is well suited for high school students, but be cautious—the same realistic elements that make this book easy to relate to are also quite adult in nature (including both sex and drugs). I would definitely discuss the ending with the class (in which the Charlie remembers being molested as a child). This difficult ending is also one of the weaknesses of the novel; it seems as if Chbosky wants to “explain” Charlie’s sensitivity and awkwardness with this revelation. Students who identified with Charlie throughout the novel might not be able to relate to this fact of his life.

You can check the plot summary at Barnes and Noble  or at The Book Marque.

Guest Blogger:  Edward C. is an Algebra I teacher and Chess Team coach at a high school in Memphis, TN. He is an avid reader and constantly on the search for new books. Edward is in the Teacher Education program at the University of Memphis. In the future, Edward sees him self continuing to teach and continuing to improve himself through higher education.  Edward is a student in Dr. Anna Clifford's IDT 7061 course, Spring 08.

 


Comments

Michael G.

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:10:52

Edward, this sounds like another complex and valuable book for teens. It fits well with the other recently listed, such as Speak. Thanks for sharing.

 

Julie S.

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:28:16

This book sounds like a good one to read in high school, where some students might be dealing with some of the same struggles. I haven't gotten to read it yet, but books where the reader can identify with the main character or other characters of the book are usually the books that make a big impact on the reader. I know when I was in high school, and even know in college, I like to read books such as this so I don't feel like I'm the only one going through similar situations. Therefore, I believe all students should be shown books such as these to identify with the struggles of the main character, because most teenagers will identify in some way.

 



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