The book I read for the Reading Without Walls Challenge was The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It is the school year of 1991-1992 and the main character, Charlie, is starting his first year of high school. His best friend recently committed suicide, so he has no friends starting the school year. However, Charlie befriends a group of outcast seniors and feels as if he belongs. Throughout the book, the reader learns more about Charlie’s personality and his past. I faced two of the three challenges with this book. Firstly, I don’t normally read books about regular people and their mostly, ordinary lives. I am drawn to sci-fi/fantasy books. This book was about a somewhat regular boy going into high school. There were no magical powers in this book. There were no vampires, werewolves or zombies. The genre was different than most books I read for fun. Second, this book was in letter format. When I find books written in poems or letters, I shy away from them. I assume those books don’t have a lot of depth on the subject. However, this book revealed to me that a book written in a different format than normal is still worth a read. Interestingly, some of the lessons Charlie learned in the book I took into account in my life. Charlie’s Advanced English teacher told Charlie, “It’s just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life” (Chbosky 24). As an introvert, I don’t normally spend my time with people or talking to people. I find myself thinking quite a lot about life or other things. I will think about things I wish to accomplish, but never start working towards completing those goals. I pass off daydreaming for living. When I read this quote, I knew it to be true about me. Later in the book, Sam is telling Charlie how he puts everyone else’s wants, or what he thinks they want, before what he wants. I sometimes feel at fault for that. Sometimes I feel as if my feelings aren’t as important because I’m not popular or outgoing. It connected with what I have been thinking about with my beliefs recently. A person’s feelings are validated by them being alive. Every breath they breathe and once breathed validates their feelings. There feelings aren’t any less important than the star-football player or the student with the best GPA. Everyone’s feelings matter. This book is the reason why I won’t only read sci-fi or fantasy books anymore. I believe everyone could find something in this book that will make them think. Hopefully, they would then act on what they have learned and participate in their life. I know I will definitely find ways to participate in my life. Written by Sydney
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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November 2022
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