flowers for algernon

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I have had a couple of friends who have been insisting for a while that I read this book. The people who have read it have a strong attachment to it, obviously. I thought that the subject matter seemed interesting, so I read it. I’m usually a slow and precarious reader, but I devoured this book in a weekend.

From Wikipedia:

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.^[2] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year’s Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).^[3]

The titular Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence by artificial means. The story is told as a series of progress reports written by Charlie, the first human test subject for the surgery, and touches upon many different ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.^[4]

I was deeply moved by the character of Charlie Gordon. When we first meet him, he is a simple, retarded man working in a bakery and attending school for the mentally impaired, abandoned by his parents but making do. He is snickered about for being slow, but he doesn’t really know any better and he thinks that all of his co-workers are just being friendly.

When his teacher helps him enroll in an experimental program at the university, his intelligence rapidly increases, and almost overnight he is able to fully communicate himself where he wasn’t before. He even gained culture and education. He was outsmarting even the scientists who had accelerated his intelligence. But soon, he began to deteriorate, and fear that he would return to his original state.

In my opinion, during his stint as an intelligent member of society, Charlie’s character experiences the full range of the human experience in just a short period. I don’t want to give too much away about the book, because I want everyone to read it and gain their own unique perspective on the story within. I strongly recommend this book!