Krista Sitton Sanders

Contains Spoilers for Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a story told in first-person by Charlie, who writes letters to a stranger about his experiences because, “she said you listen and understand,” and he believes this stranger is a good person (Chbosky 2). Charlie is a shy, awkward freshman in high school and has already had to deal with the loss of a family member, his best friend’s suicide, sexual abuse, post traumatic stress disorder, and depression. As Charlie goes through his first year in high school, he also encounters drugs, smoking, alcohol, homophobia, underage sex, physical abuse, and abortion; all of these issues are listed by the American Library Association as common reasons for censorship. To top it all off, the language in Wallflower contains a generous amount of profanity. Looking at the list of issues that are featured in this book, logically, one could understand why this book has been invo