I Read Banned Books: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association

This week is Banned Books Week, and it's one of my favorite events of the year because I just love reading and learning about everyone's experiences with banned and challenged books. I also love reading all the articles and seeing the infographics that individuals and companies put together to create awareness. But mostly, I love celebrating the fact that I read banned books, and that I will never stop reading banned books because every book is a book worth reading.

This week, I'll be sharing a few of my favorite banned and challenged books with my readers. I hope you enjoy this little mini series, and getting to know a different side of me.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Why not start off Banned Books Week by sharing a favorite of mine? 

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my favorite books for a number of reasons. First of all, Stephen is from my hometown, and I always love reading books by local authors. But more importantly, Charlie's story really resonated with me. While I hadn't experiences a lot of what Charlie went through, I felt so much compassion and empathy for him. I loved reading his letters because it was just such an intimate experience. I really felt like I was his friend. I don't think I'll ever find a book that comes close to Mr. Chbosky's, and I'm okay with that because it's an amazing book that I think all teenagers should read.

Shameless Plug: My review for the book can be found here. 

Why the Ban?

Once again, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was one of the most banned and challenged books of 2014. According to the American Library Association, the book is often banned and challenged because of "drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group." Other reasons include date rape and masturbation.