I think everyone can admit that freshman year was a scary time for most people. Which, looking back at now, I don’t quite understand. I mean, we all just wanted to fit in, right? We all just wanted to be accepted and make friends. It was a lot of pressure.
You’re probably wondering “What does that have to do with the book?” Well, the answer to that is: A lot more than you’d think.
In this novel written by Stephen Chbosky, he writes about a boy named “Charlie” starting his freshman year in high school. He’s writing daily (for the most part) letters to a friend who isn’t named. He hides everyone’s identities to keep their stories a secret, so he changes all of their names (including his own, hence the quotations around Charlie.) He writes about things most students go through eventually during their years in high school. Making friends, losing friends, dating for the first time, (okay, maybe not in this generation, but you get the point), drugs, bullies/bullying, depression, siblings going to college, feeling like an outcast, and balancing school with your social life. Do I need to go on?
Not only is this probably the best book I have ever read, it also brought back a lot of memories from my own freshman year. This book helped me realize I wasn’t alone (wow, what a total cliche). I wasn’t the only one looking for comfort in my first year. I mean, high school is hard.
This book helped me understand things a lot better about my fellow classmates. I can proudly say that I will always see a bit of Charlie in myself.
I wish I had read this book two years ago.
P.S.: There’s a movie coming out Sept. 21.