This book isn't perfect, but it comes pretty close. I picked it up a year or so ago on the recommendation of a friend, and over the next few nights, I devoured it. This book presents an honest and poignant depiction of what High School can be like for some kids. The book did not shy away from taboo subject matter, but portrayed it in a frank and truthful way. The decision of using the epistolary format is a brave and ultimately powerful one that drew me in so that I was living life along with Charlie, feeling his triumphs and his failures, his joy and his suffering, and his confusion, something that anyone who has gone through High School can relate to. 
 This book isn't long, and will provide a heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting story that will not leave you unmoved. Even I found myself getting emotional at times, and books generally don't bring me to tears. 
 The Perks of Being a Wallflower provides some of the most meaningful and honest quotes about being human when it's hard to find yourself, and often found myself putting the book down so I could ponder a line for a few minutes. 
 I would recommend this book to anyone in High School or older, though you needn't have experienced High School to relate to the emotional journey of Charlie, a beautifully, humanly flawed narrator. 
 If you get a chance to read this book, do not pass it up. It may not be for everyone, but I think everyone should give it a shot. Hopefully you will find it worth it.