In honor of Library Lovers’ Day, Digital Dialogs asked members of USF Libraries’ faculty and staff to share a story about a book that impacted their life. Read one of these stories below!
This guest post was written by Jessica Szempruch, Assistant Librarian at USF Libraries- Sarasota-Manatee campus, member of USF Libraries’ Research and Instruction department, and the co-sponsor of USF’s Virtual Book Club.
When I am asked to think about a book that changed my life, the very first title that comes to mind is Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 modern classic, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
I was a freshman in high school when the book came out. I had just given up my ambitions to play varsity basketball, realizing that my own awkward teenage self was better suited to performing with the drama club, reading books, or perfecting random arts and crafts. I was feeling lots of big feelings – just on the cusp of figuring out who I was in the world, and finding that I didn’t quite fit in to the boxes I assumed society meant for me. On a random evening trip to Barnes and Noble with my mom (a frequent pastime for me), I found this book nestled amongst the other young adult fiction titles. I don’t remember anything extra special about its placement. I do remember that I was immediately drawn to its bold green cover, and the blurb on the back made me feel certain this book was one I should buy.
Reading the book later, I felt an overwhelming feeling that, perhaps for the first time, I had been seen. In the very beginning of the book, the teenage protagonist Charlie begins writing a letter to an anonymous confidante, stating “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” From that moment, I was hooked. Charlie’s experiences throughout the novel came alive for me in ways that felt personal: the anxiety of growing up and changing rapidly, the intense weirdness inherent in being a teenager, the longing to feel deep, authentic feelings – to “feel infinite” – and, most of all, the intense desire to share it all with someone who understands you but will not judge.
In the years since, I have read the book multiple times, passing it on to friends who I hoped would come to understand me in new ways thanks to this book. When the movie adaptation came out in 2013, I went to see it on my own and wept continually through the final hour. I once again felt that spark I felt the first time. Though it has been a few years since I last read the story, I still remember how I felt that first time and look for that same feeling as I continue to read new books.
Over the past 25 years, thinking about this book has continually reminded me of the power the right story can have when it finds its way to the right reader at the right time. As a librarian and educator, I strive to help others connect with books that help them feel seen, supported, and validated. When I travel, I often look for copies of the book in Little Free Libraries, or on the shelves at hostels to bring home to join my original copy in my collection. One of my copies was found in a youth hostel’s free book shelf on a snowy Christmas backpacking trip to Vienna, Austria. When I see a copy in the wild, it reminds me that, as readers, we are connected in ways beyond our imagination.
Interested in experiencing this book yourself?
USF Libraries has copies of the book and a copy of the 2013 film adaptation in our collections.
Want to read more stories like this one?
Read the other posts in our Library Lovers’ Day series: