I went into reading this book not knowing anything about it other than what I saw on the preview for the movie, which really isn't much. The only thing the preview tells us is that this kid is in high school and he's probably not the most popular guy around.
It was a really easy read first of all, I think I read it in a total of 3 sittings. It probably took me between 5-6 hours. It was one of those books that you sit down to read and time passes but you don't realize how quickly. One night I read for two hours and it felt like 5 minutes. That is most likely due to the formatting of the novel. The entire book is letters from Charlie, a 15-year old guy who is really scared to start his freshman year of high school because his best friend killed himself and he doesn't have anyone else. He makes friends with some seniors that are in a "rougher" crowd, but absolutely loves them and they feel the same way about him. Basically, these letters are chronicling his freshman year and all of the experiences he has with his new friends.
Things I liked:
1. Charlie's whole entire world felt so realistic. There were so many details of his life that teenagers would be able to relate to. Personally, I didn't really relate to the character, because I didn't have the experiences he did, but I thought about how many of the students I saw at Mesa High could definitely relate.
2. I liked that at the end, Charlie was alright. He tells the reader not to worry about him, that even if he doesn't always feel good, eventually, he'll be fine again.
3. That his friends Patrick and Sam really loved him for who he was. He didn't have to change to impress them. Even though he did change because he was with them, they never forced him to do anything.
and my favorite...
4. He loved his English teacher and all of the books that he assigned him to read. I like that his teacher was there for him. I want to be that kind of teacher.
The things I didn't like:
1. I know that it was all part of his journey, but I hated that he started drinking and smoking and doing drugs. It's just the teacher in me, but I thought it was so sad to see such a bright person go down that path. It was hard to see what it did to him as well. When he woke up from his LSD trip, that was just really scary. I know it happens to real kids in high school, I just hate that it does.
2. His aunt. All through the book you think that she is this cool awesome lady that he really looks up to and loves because she always gets him two separate presents even though he was born on Christmas, but in the end, she is most likely the reason for his mental instability. I felt so horrible for Charlie, not only because he was sexually abused by his aunt, but because he still idolized her. He didn't know how to deal with what she did because he was so young. It was just heart breaking.
Now I just need to see the movie. I like reading the book before seeing the movie because I like being surprised in books. Plus, then I can see if I agree or disagree with the way the characters and experiences were portrayed, which is fun for me. I just don't know how I feel about Emma Watson playing Sam. I kept trying to picture it, but it was hard. But, we'll see!
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