May Meeting: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) is a young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky. Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows Charlie, an introverted and observant teenager, through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The novel details Charlie's unconventional style of thinking as he navigates between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood, and attempts to deal with poignant questions spurred by his interactions with both his friends and family.

On the topic of the book's banning, Chbosky as said, "It’s been so many times that I’ve honestly lost count. I know it’s made the American Library Association's top 10 list five times, so it’s happened a lot." Reasons for challenges include sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ themes, mental health, substance abuse, profanity and sexually explicit descriptions.

Hope to see you there!