The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Artist: Stephen Chybosky
Date of Action: November 30, 2012; May-July 2013
Region: North America
Location: Grandview Heights, Ohio; Tampa Bay, Florida; Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Subject: Explicit Sexuality, Sexual/Gender Orientation, Youth
Medium: Literature
Confronting Bodies: Parents
Description of Artwork: The book is about a high school boy, Charlie, who is trying to learn to "participate" in life. He befriends a group of interesting older kids who introduce him to partying and other activities. In letters that Charlie writes to an anonymous stranger, he talks about his family, his friends, and his complicated, often overwhelming, feelings about growing up.
The Incident: In Ohio: A parent wrote to a member of the school board, citing a two-page passage narrating a date-rape scene, other parents emailed the superintendent in an attempt to ban Chbosky’s book.
In Florida: A parent was upset about the sexual content in the novel, which was distributed to students for summer reading.
In Illinois: A parent of an 8th grade student in Glen Ellyn has requested the book be removed from the classroom library due to the explicit sexual material.
Results of Incident: In Ohio: The district decided not to ban the book.
In Florida: No formal response was made.
In Illinois: The book has been removed.