I was absolutely shocked and silent when I finished this book. I couldn't even tell anyone about it. All I could say to my roommates was, "I cannot believe the book I just read." The insight that Charlie gives to the issues that teenage students deal with is incredible. At first, I thought that the book was inappropriate, and I couldn't believe some of the material the author had chosen to include. The further I got into the book though, the more I realized that these were real issues that some students in middle school and high school deal with every day. I never dealt with problems like this, but for some students, drugs, sex, alcohol, and abuse are very real. Throughout the whole book, I was trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with Charlie...was he mentally disabled in some way? I wasn’t really sure. A few hints surfaced while I was reading, but when I reached the end and realized what he had experienced, it all made sense. It was like those parts in movies when they do a quick flashback of lots of different scenes when the mystery is finally solved. I could not imagine facing adversities like these and being a normal person. Charlie wasn’t normal for sure, but who really is? Was he just super gifted? I can definitely see why this book is on banned lists for school libraries. I am not even quite sure I would let an eighth grader read this, let alone any younger middle schooler. Although some students may be dealing with the very things in the book, I just could not let them read it! The book does offer deep insight into the struggles of teenage years, but it is troubling. I definitely liked it and got a lot out of it, but it just seems like a lot for a middle schooler to take in. I feel like this post is a little scattered, but the book was just overwhelming and so much to take in. I would definitely recommend it to education majors. We will eventually come in contact with students who have experienced this kind of trauma before...I feel like I'll be much more aware of students who are having problems after reading this.
I actually appreciate the jarred / somewhat disconnected feel of this post, because it does reflect the raw and somewhat shocking content of the book. It is a book that gives us a lot to think about - and there certainly are kids for whom this book is one that will resonate.
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