We are infinite

This weekend I read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". My expectations were pretty high going in, especially after seeing all the critical praise it received and hearing positive feedback from friends who read it. Now after reading it for myself I can say it was even better than I had hoped. What a wonderful book this was. I wish I could have read it in high school. It's a coming of age story of the high school freshman Charlie who is struggling with a lot of issues that don't simply appear on the surface. It is unique in how it is written and also how it doesn't shy away from uncomfortable but relevant topics. No matter what your high school experience was like I bet there is some situation or character that you could relate to. Probably not to the full extremity, but at least part of it. For me there was a lot about Charlie that I had an easy time relating with. That's not to say I had a similar high school experience to Charlie. My problems were not even remotely close to as bad as what he deals with, and thankfully so. But for as different as our experiences were, he was still the easiest character for me to relate to. This book made me love Charlie and want nothing but the best for him. Maybe that is partly why I can't stop thinking about it and already want to read it again.What Stephen Chbosky has written feels very genuine to say the least. If you have not read this book I would highly recommend doing so. In my opinion, it is no exaggeration to call this a modern classic.

Here are just some of my favorite quotes from the book.

"we accept the love we think we deserve." -Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." -Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"I am very interested and fascinated how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other." -Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them." -Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower