Banned Book Club: "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Schedule
Tue Sep 29 2026 at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Bookstore1Sarasota | Sarasota, FL
About this Event
The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn, dedicated to reading and protecting the most important and threatened books for our generation.
This month, we’re reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky — a beloved coming-of-age novel told through a series of letters from Charlie, a quiet and perceptive high school freshman trying to make sense of friendship, love, and the world around him. As he finds his place among a group of misfit seniors, the novel captures both the exhilaration and vulnerability of adolescence.
The book has been frequently challenged and removed from school curricula for its depictions of sexuality, mental health, substance use, and abuse. Its candid portrayal of trauma and teenage experience has made it a target, even as those very elements are what have made it a lifeline for generations of readers.
Intimate, heartfelt, and quietly devastating, The Perks of Being a Wallflower reminds us what it means to feel deeply, to struggle, and to connect—offering a portrait of growing up that is as painful as it is hopeful.
We will meet in person in the loft at our store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $15.99, which includes a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower to be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.
Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed the feature film adaptation of his award-winning novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He has worked in film and television, on projects including the film version of the smash-hit musical Rent; the TV show Jericho; and others. He also edited Pieces, a collection of short stories. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Chbosky graduated from the University of Southern California’s Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Follow Stephen on X @StephenChbosky.
ABOUT BOOK BANS:
Books are under profound attack in the United States. PEN America's latest report, Banned in the USA: The Normalization of Book Banning, found that 6,870 books bans were enacted during the 2024-25 school year, across 23 states and 87 public school districts. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it.
Check out some frequently asked questions about book banning: https://pen.org/book-bans/book-bans-frequently-asked-questions/
Where is it happening?
Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 19.02
