The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a novel by Stephen Chbosky (and was made into a hit movie in 2012). Perks is a year-long series of ‘Dear Friend’ letters, written by 15-year-old Charlie, to an anonymous older teen whom Charlie believes is non-judgmental and won’t be freaked out by his references to drugs, sex and mental health issues. Charlie’s letters reveal that he is sensitive and very bright, but is struggling with post- traumatic stress disorder and filled with deep sadness owing to the suicide of his only school friend. He’s also filled with rage but doesn’t know why until the end of the story (when a sexual encounter triggers a repressed memory of his being molested by his aunt, who herself was a victim of child molestation by a family member). Perks provides various avenues for meaningful conversations around drug use, sexuality and wellbeing as well as dealing with mental health issues.