The Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky / 213 pages / October Challenge Banned Books

Charlie is a wallflower.  He sees things.  He keeps quiet about them.  And he understands.  Unfortunately, he is not truly participating  in life.  He is a freshman and has senior friends, brother and sister, Patrick and Sam.  Charlie loves Sam.  Patrick is gay.  Using letters written to a friend as the vehicle, Charlie expresses his feelings and reactions to school, friends and family, and books recommended by his English teacher, Bill.  Charlie suffered a trauma (his favorite aunt sexually abused him) as a young boy which certainly affected who he was and how he reacted, but perhaps not forever.  Perks of Being a Wallflower was banned from a number of high school libraries in the U.S. by groups citing homosexuality, drug use, and sexual behavior.  There is a great deal of drug use, underuage drinking, descriptions of sexual acts, and inappropriate language.