Not all books are the same. Every book takes you on a different journey and adventure. But some books end up changing your life. Some books teach you lessons. Some books promise to stay with you forever. And one such book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Review)

I remember I read this book sitting in the library of my college. And those precious hours of reading this book used to be my favorite time of the day. I devoured this book. It made me feel like I mattered. This book came into my life at a time when I really needed the lessons. There are so many perks of reading ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ that I can’t even begin to describe, but I will try, and I hope you find something valuable here.

One of the most important things that this book addressed is the significance of inclusivity. ‘Inclusivity’ in itself is a matter of great importance to every single human being alive on this planet. But we often forget to address it and most importantly, we entirely forget to consider it. Everyone wants to be included – more than a want, it’s a need because that’s our basic human nature. 

Human beings are social beings, and hence they long to be included. When a person feels ignored or excluded, they start to feel unimportant and invisible. And there is nothing more humiliating than to feel invisible amidst your classmates or co-workers. When Charlie is befriended by Sam and Patrick, he feels included, and it makes him feel like he matters. He finds a voice, a will to socialize. Furthermore, when Sam and Patrick include Charlie in their group of friends, Charlie doesn’t resist. In fact, he accepts their friendship with warmth and loves them just as much. 

The book is in the form of letters that Charlie writes to his unknown friend. And with every letter, he explores something about himself. He tries to understand himself. And honestly, this made me realize that before trying to figure out everything else, it’s so imperative to figure out who you are as a person. You don’t have to understand everyone, but it’s your responsibility to understand yourself. Figure out who you are at the core of your personality. Once you understand yourself, you will start accepting yourself as well. And acceptance is the key to building a positive self-image. 

So many teenagers suffer in silence because their self-image is distorted. They don’t see the magic in themselves and end up hating themselves. Tom Bilyeu, who is a renowned personality in the self-help and motivational world, said in one of his speeches that no one has the potential to hate you as much as you have. And the accuracy of this statement blew my mind. No one can hate you as much as you can hate yourself, and in the same way, no one can love you as much as you can love yourself. So, everything boils down to this one thing, and that is – your understanding of yourself. 

Another very important thing that ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ teaches you is the art of moving on in life. We all know that change is the only constant. Things change, people come and go, and you experience new things in life. Life ebbs, and it flows. And the only way you can live happily is by accepting these waves. Let it go. Move on. Stop dwelling. In the pursuit of clinging on to someone or something, you end up wasting some precious moments of your life.

Breathe and grow. But what if your past traumas still affect your present? Trauma can mess with you. It may take forever for you to forget something that shook your soul. It could be a loss, assault, death of a loved one, heartbreak, traumatic childhood, or anything as such. These things keep haunting you forever. But your traumas don’t define you. Your traumas are like a phase of darkness, but the Sun always comes up no matter what.

The clouds might take up the sky, and you may end up losing sight of the silver lining, but at the end of the day you are still alive and the sky is always there somewhere behind the clouds. The darkness never lasts forever. The light always shines in the end. One day all of your traumas will melt into a downpour, and you’ll see the light again. Hang in there, and have faith in yourself. You are greater than your ups and downs. Your traumas don’t define you. 

"When a person feels ignored or excluded, they start to feel unimportant and invisible." Can you relate?

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ makes you learn the magic in your present. Live in the present like there will be no tomorrow. Live it like this is all you have. And the moment you do that, the moment you start devouring your present, you’ll feel infinite. You will become infinite. The world will become infinite for you. You will see the magic; you will feel it and experience it. So maybe being a wallflower isn’t that bad after all. 

However, you know what is actually pretty bad? Not reading ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower.’ This book deserves to be read by everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Go grab your copy of the book ASAP! You can get the book here! 📖

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