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Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
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Flowers for Algernon (edition 2004)

by Daniel Keyes (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
15,691381335 (4.12)2 / 462
Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. HTML:Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.
As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?
.
… (more)
Member:tapestry100
Title:Flowers for Algernon
Authors:Daniel Keyes (Author)
Info:Harcourt (2004), Edition: 1st, 311 pages
Collections:Your library, To read
Rating:
Tags:SciFi, Fiction, Unread

Work Information

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

  1. 71
    The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon (infiniteletters)
    infiniteletters: Charlie is definitely not like Lou, true. But their experiences and perspectives have the same mental effect on readers.
  2. 40
    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (sturlington)
  3. 41
    Awakenings by Oliver Sacks (Mumugrrl)
  4. 97
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (unlucky)
  5. 10
    I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier (amwhitsett)
  6. 11
    Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch (aulsmith)
    aulsmith: Same theme of experimental intelligence enhancement. Disch's experimenters are much more sinister, and his experimental subjects much more intelligent.
  7. 00
    Mixtape for the Apocalypse by Jemiah Jefferson (kiparsky)
    kiparsky: Similar narrative structure used for a similar purpose, and both are brilliant and heartbreaking books.
  8. 00
    After Many a Summer Dies the Swan by Aldous Huxley (Jarandel)
    Jarandel: Similar introduction of a speculative/fantastical premise as a device for observing and criticizing the writer's present reality.
  9. 00
    Brain Wave by Poul Anderson (aspirit)
  10. 00
    The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (hilge)
    hilge: Not so much based on characters or storyline more a general feel to the book that make them feel like good matches
  11. 01
    Oversite by Maureen F. McHugh (aulsmith)
    aulsmith: A short story by Maureen McHugh about an experimental treatment for Alzheimer's that looks at the effect of loss and gain of mental functioning from a bystander's point-of-view.
  12. 02
    The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey (SomeGuyInVirginia)
  13. 04
    My Teacher Fried My Brains by Bruce Coville (infiniteletters)
    infiniteletters: More humor, less drama, but a similar effect in the end.
  14. 16
    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Patangel)
1960s (144)
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» See also 462 mentions

English (364)  French (6)  Italian (3)  Spanish (1)  Catalan (1)  German (1)  Finnish (1)  Tagalog (1)  All languages (378)
Showing 1-5 of 364 (next | show all)
Other than a few problems with the way this book it's written, I really enjoyed it and will recommend it in the future.

Charlie is an interesting protagonist that seems, at times, close to being one of numerous archetypes seen elsewhere (the bubbly comedic relief, the self-tortured artist, the antisocial genius) and yet manages to never fall into one of those categories, he's layered and that makes him seem real. ( )
  icallithunger | Mar 11, 2024 |
I want to read this again. I read for school either in junior or high school and remember it made me cry.
  jazzbird61 | Feb 29, 2024 |
I have been lucky enough to read a succession of great books recently but this tops the lot. Daniel Keyes’ humble story embodies why I read: for the transcendent feelings you get when a great story unfolds, leading you to consider a new part of life - or a bit you knew about already but were unaware as to how complex and rich in experience it was. Flowers for Algernon made me feel that. It taught me about ignorance and knowledge, about what intelligence may or may not be, about what it is to be able to make your own choices and what it is to be a slave to experiences and trauma. I found myself exploring and deliberating over how cognisant and ‘awake’ I’d prefer to be as well as contemplating the passing of time, memory and death. For a relatively simplistic story (in essence a man of considerably low intelligence is given an operation that turns him into a genius) this is expertly crafted and rockets into my top 10 and is a sure fire 5/5. ( )
1 vote Dzaowan | Feb 15, 2024 |
It is said greatest punishment in life is to have and lose. And I tend to agree with it. Loss is something that makes life difficult to a degree and if we cannot handle it then life gets very dark place.

For me this book strikes at two targets:

(a) Situation in which one reaches full potential in a short time span, and then loses it in the same rapid way and drops down to the levels where person is no longer able to figure out what did it actually lose (to make the tragedy even greater). This is what happens to Charlie. While his flight upward is very fast so is coming to terms with himself very difficult. And when he finally finds his place in the world he becomes aware he is to fall down with a helluva thud. And worse thing is - he wont even remember what he achieved and where did he fall from. To some this loss of oneself might seem weird and if that is the case I can only say, all the power to you , you never got dead drunk. That feeling of puzzlement, what happened situation is the greatest horror there is. Imagine losing almost all information related to few hours when you were drinking. Now apply it to Charlie who is losing tortuously slow (so he is aware of it) actual pieces of himself - horror indeed. Everything Charlie could be gets lost as time passes by, without any chance of recovery.

(b) Intellect is something that is treasured very much in our world. It is important but more important thing is human contact. What value is great intellectual force and ability if one sees all around him as strangers and starts treating them as objects? None. Human contact is what makes us humans and without this component life becomes only apathetic existence.

Both things strike even harder in last few years where old saying "homo homini lupus est" proved to be more rule than exception (like one would expect during conflicts). Level of hate and smugness present in people from the same area, and enforced by constant gaslighting, is incredible and causes division greater than it would be possible otherwise....ever...in history of the world. I have a feeling entire society is falling towards (under)ground level while losing even awareness of greatness it once stood on.

We follow Charlie from his rise from bottom to top of intellectual achievement only to find himself alone on that desolate peak because he just cannot establish human connections with anyone. He soon comes to terms that others are afraid of him (after all they knew him before the change, and feeling that some is intellectually below someone gives rise to fear and resentment). For the first time Charlie sees clearly how he was treated by people around him and this angers him. He was constantly ridiculed and this causes rage to seep out of him. But as time goes by he comes to conclusion that while kids jokes might have been very raw (as children's cruelty can often be) and people were often making jokes on his account, it was just the way people were coping with his condition and their inner fears when communicating with him - scenes with his mother and sister were truly heartbreaking. As he starts falling down and losing one bit of himself at the time he ends where he started, everything he achieved lost. All, except perhaps Charlie's ever optimistic view of the world that made his life bearable in the first place (thankfulness to be able even for a short span to live normal life, silver lining of sorts?)...... Tragedy.

Excellent book, not so much SF as a true human drama. Recommended.

Merged review:

It is said greatest punishment in life is to have and lose. And I tend to agree with it. Loss is something that makes life difficult to a degree and if we cannot handle it then life gets very dark place.

For me this book strikes at two targets:

(a) Situation in which one reaches full potential in a short time span, and then loses it in the same rapid way and drops down to the levels where person is no longer able to figure out what did it actually lose (to make the tragedy even greater). This is what happens to Charlie. While his flight upward is very fast so is coming to terms with himself very difficult. And when he finally finds his place in the world he becomes aware he is to fall down with a helluva thud. And worse thing is - he wont even remember what he achieved and where did he fall from. To some this loss of oneself might seem weird and if that is the case I can only say, all the power to you , you never got dead drunk. That feeling of puzzlement, what happened situation is the greatest horror there is. Imagine losing almost all information related to few hours when you were drinking. Now apply it to Charlie who is losing tortuously slow (so he is aware of it) actual pieces of himself - horror indeed. Everything Charlie could be gets lost as time passes by, without any chance of recovery.

(b) Intellect is something that is treasured very much in our world. It is important but more important thing is human contact. What value is great intellectual force and ability if one sees all around him as strangers and starts treating them as objects? None. Human contact is what makes us humans and without this component life becomes only apathetic existence.

Both things strike even harder in last few years where old saying "homo homini lupus est" proved to be more rule than exception (like one would expect during conflicts). Level of hate and smugness present in people from the same area, and enforced by constant gaslighting, is incredible and causes division greater than it would be possible otherwise....ever...in history of the world. I have a feeling entire society is falling towards (under)ground level while losing even awareness of greatness it once stood on.

We follow Charlie from his rise from bottom to top of intellectual achievement only to find himself alone on that desolate peak because he just cannot establish human connections with anyone. He soon comes to terms that others are afraid of him (after all they knew him before the change, and feeling that some is intellectually below someone gives rise to fear and resentment). For the first time Charlie sees clearly how he was treated by people around him and this angers him. He was constantly ridiculed and this causes rage to seep out of him. But as time goes by he comes to conclusion that while kids jokes might have been very raw (as children's cruelty can often be) and people were often making jokes on his account, it was just the way people were coping with his condition and their inner fears when communicating with him - scenes with his mother and sister were truly heartbreaking. As he starts falling down and losing one bit of himself at the time he ends where he started, everything he achieved lost. All, except perhaps Charlie's ever optimistic view of the world that made his life bearable in the first place (thankfulness to be able even for a short span to live normal life, silver lining of sorts?)...... Tragedy.

Excellent book, not so much SF as a true human drama. Recommended. ( )
  Zare | Jan 23, 2024 |
Definitely one of the best books I've ever read, but likely the saddest. I cried most of my way through it. While crying might be alright in movies, it is simply counter-productive for reading.

Since I read mostly science fiction, this "social science" fiction was quite a bit more difficult. I seldom connect with a character so close as I did to Charly. Obviously, his intelligence is quite different, though I too was concerned with my memory for a while. However, all the themes of loneliness and lovelessness that he experienced are very real for me and have always been. If his fate was so bad, I doubt there is any hope for me either.
( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 364 (next | show all)
[Keyes] has taken the obvious, treated it in a most obvious fashion, and succeeded in creating a tale that is suspenseful and touching - all in modest degree, but it is enough.
added by Shortride | editThe New York Times, Eliot Fremont-Smith (pay site) (Mar 7, 1966)
 

» Add other authors (37 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Daniel Keyesprimary authorall editionscalculated
Barroso, PazTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Burgerer, Eva-MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Delessert, EtienneIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dessauer, MariaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gallet, Georges HilaireTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Leek, JanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Monecke, HiltguntTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Moore, ChrisCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Paz, BarrosoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pekkanen, HilkkaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Podaný, RichardTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Powers, RichardIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rabkin, Eric S.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Santos, DomingoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sims, AdamNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Szepessy, GyörgyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thole, KarelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Woodman, JeffNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees anyone whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be to (sic) ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the den.
Plato, The Republic
Dedication
For my mother And in memory of my father
First words
Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remembir and evrey thing that happins to me from now on.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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This is the full length novel based on the short story. Please do not combine the two.
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Wikipedia in English (2)

Classic Literature. Fiction. Literature. HTML:Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.
As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?
.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary
What if your dream to

get smart came true, but then you

knew you'd lose it all?

(legallypuzzled)

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