Should We Ban "The Perks Of Being a Wallflower"?

          Should Schools Ban the book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower?”

By: Maya MacDougall

          A lot of parents look out for their children, when it comes to what their children read. Many books are banned in school because of “sexual content” or because they have inappropriate language and scenes with drug use. Although “The Perks Of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky has these topics in its content, it is an important story that can help and comfort young adults and teenagers. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is about a boy named, Charlie, who enters high school, and through his friendships and challenging experiences there, finds out who he is. Charlie meets friends who experiment with drugs and alcohol. The story covers topics such as sex, suicide, illegal drug use, crushes and more. This is why so many students in middle school and high school are drawn to the book. They find it easily relatable. They recognize what the characters experience and witness, in their own lives, their friends’ lives and the lives of their fellow classmates; issues like depression, drug experimentation and alcohol consumption, and even child molestation. It is important for middle school kids to have access to these types of books, because it makes them aware of all those difficult issues.

          “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” should not be banned from schools because some middle school and high school kids are able to relate to some of the characters, and if they share the same problems that the characters have, or witness these problems at school or with their friends, the book can help them deal with these problems more easily.  For example, in the article, “Good Reads: The Perks of Being a Wallflower” it states, “If a teen has been abused, the logic follows, reading about another teen in the same situation will be comforting.” This shows that teens in their daily lives may have the same issues as the characters in the text, and the book gives them a way to understand ways of dealing with these problems. It also helps them relate to “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” because the story is realistic; it gets into some of the hard problems teenagers face. On page 205, Charlie says, “I don’t know what is wrong with me. It’s like all I can do is keep writing gibberish to keep from breaking apart. Sam’s gone. And Patrick won’t be home for a few days.” This scene shows how painful being lonely and losing your friends can be. This shows the reason why teens should have access to this book. They have similar struggles with the friends in their lives, as does the main character in “Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Many teens struggle with depression and loneliness every day. Relating to the character in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” can be comforting and helpful. The teen doesn’t feel alone in his problem.

        Since there is drug use, alcohol use, rape and molestation, the appropriate audience of this text is teenagers, because most of them are mature enough to read about such content. For example, in the article, “Banned Perks of Being a Wallflower” it states that, “Not every book is right for each person, but providing a wide range of reading choices is vital for learning, exploration, and imagination.” This shows how this book may not be for every teenager, because it of its mature content. On the other hand, other teens are mature enough to read it, because this book is for a specific kind of teenager, the kind who wants to be educated about the seriousness and consequences of drug use, alcohol use and rape.  Also, in the Good reads article, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower Discussion Goodreads,” it states that the book, “discusses homosexuality, drugs and its ‘explicit sexual content. Having to read this book myself, I agree that some parts require some maturity from the reader.” This shows that even if it has mature content in it, the readers meant for this book should be able to get through the vulgar parts.

          Many parents say that schools should ban this text because it has very inappropriate content, that isn’t meant for children or teens. As in the article, “Huffington post The Perks of Being a Wallflower” talks about how a father thinks the text should be banned, “The amount of vulgarity and the amount of pornography was just overwhelming.” This is an example of how some parents may think it should be banned, simply because of the amount of vulgar and pornographic scenes. Yet, in the book there are many parts with scenes of suicide or molestation, sexual assault such as rape and a boy punching a girlfriend, as well as drug use and alcohol use that can inform a teenager and be a warning to them. Teenagers can learn from reading a story about all these things. When they read a book like this one, they see how these issues can affect their life. Parents should be aware of how reading a book with these issues in it, doesn’t make their children want to experiment with things like drugs, sex and alcohol. They learn from the characters’ mistakes, as they read about their ordeals, in order to see the truth.  Naturally, this book has very mature themes, and teens should get permission from their parents before tackling it.

          Studies show that 12.12% people say that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is not suitable for teens. 27.99% say teens can deal with such content, 2.28% say it’s only for younger teens, and 38.3% say that we shouldn’t ban books at all. This shows that society have people who have different opinions on this topic, and that most people don’t even want to ban any book in this matter. Everyone has an opinion on banning “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” But we should not ban the book, because teenagers enjoy reading about certain difficult issues in their daily lives. Teenagers should read about the truth and what happens in the world. In “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” characters struggle with real problems like, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, even while they are dealing with their first kiss, first date, or other happier moments. It isn’t just about teen romance. It is a look into a life of what it is like to be a teenager today.