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Flowers for Algernon is a deeply moving novel, told through the journal entries of Charlie Gordon, who undergoes experimental intelligence-boosting surgery.

It's a poignant dive into human dignity, scientific ethics, and what true wisdom means. This book powerfully explores the value of every individual, making it an unforgettable, thought-provoking, and ultimately heartbreaking read that truly sticks with you.

Charlie gets an operation to become smart.

1) It was groundbreaking when it was written, very ableist now. 2) As someone who worked with people with intellectual disabilities for 14 years, I have met many people who held the same beliefs written in the book. 3) I wish it focused more on the Charlie is a human being no matter the IQ, not the science/philosophical bull. 4) I‘m not sure the author ever met a person with IDD.

116/334

Sci-fi enough to still be relevant today, this book questions the ethics of academia and science, particularly in genetics and psychology. I would have never come across this book had a student not encouraged me to read it. I‘m glad I did. Charlie will stick with me for a while - as will his delightful teacher, Alice Kinnian, who may be the true hero of the story.

2025 Reading Bracket

So far my reread of Flowers for Algernon is leading the way

Starting off this Saturday morning with a good sob--god I love this book!

There was so much I forgot, so what a joy to reread this. But no matter how many times I read it (and it's been quite a few) when Charlie's writing start's to deteriorate the tears start flowing; and that last line......😭💔

14/80

"progris riport 1 martch 3
Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remembir and every thing that happins to me from now on."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

My IRL book club pick for February and I couldn't be happier, it's been over 20 years since my last reread.

Do you think when our little friend, Algernon, refused to run in the maze and solving puzzles, he was having an internal struggle? Maybe he was questioning why does he actually needs to do these things, maybe he was questioning his freedom...

5/5 🌟

This interesting, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking book raises questions about the pursuit of scientific progress and its impact on individuals. It also highlights the cruelty, indifference, and pity often faced by people with mental disabilities. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Idk how I never read Flowers for Algernon in school, but when I saw this in a Little Free Library, I had to add it to my TBR. Glad I did- excellent book, intriguing message 5/5

Read this back in High School, then about 20 years ago and now again. A perennial favorite. Charlie's first person “progris riports“ allow the reader to become a part of Charlie's progression and regression and truly empathize with each step forward, each frustration, the triumphs and the fears. A very worthwhile read.

#middlegrademonday
@Karisimo

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

I remember reading this heart-wrenching story about Charlie Gordon with my 8th graders. It was first published as a short story and then a novel and then made into a movie. There was never a dry eye in the room after finishing this one. 😢

This book rips your heart out! Again and again, and again. I realised as I was reading it that I had read it before, but it must have been when I was a teenager I think. I couldn‘t remember most of it but it seemed familiar. Anyway brilliant book showcasing the best and worst of humanity. It was never going to end well. 😭

This was an interesting novel focusing on a young mentally disabled person who undergoes surgery to become “smart”. Although he does become smarter, he also becomes less happy and focused more on the way people perceive him and how successful he is. 4/5

A riveting read from start to finish. The narration in the form of progress reports as we follow Charlie on his journey through the book is a clever way of moving the story forward. Glad I finally got round to reading it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#tlt #threelistthursday @dabbe

📙 The Giver by Lois Lowry

📕 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

📘 Blindness by Jose Saramago

What a rollercoaster of a book. The ups and downs and emotional upheaval that this story demands is not something I am used to in the multitude of literature I have absorbed over the years. I have never found myself having genuine pity for a character in a while as I have in Charlie Gordon‘s plight. A wonderful story that will assist the reader to see the benefit of being kind to your fellow man and brother as blessings are not congruent.

Although we know the end of the maze holds death (and it is something I have not always known--- not long ago the adolescent in me thought death could happen only to other ), I see now that the path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--- one of many ways---and knowing the paths I have followed and the ones left to take will help me understand what I am becoming."

"But then, I can't blame him because he doesn't realize that finding out who I really am--- the meaning of my total existence involves knowing the possibilities of my future as well as my past, where I'm going as well as where I've been

My son has to read this for 7th grade English this year, so I decided to read it since I haven‘t before. It‘s different than I expected. More sex & alcohol—especially for a Louisiana school, but I like the premise & arc of the story. Not going to mention the sex parts to my 12 y.o. before he reads it—I‘ll ask him about it when he‘s at those parts. He has to read it next quarter. Brave teacher to assign this & wonder if other parents have read it.

Finally going to start this. It's been on my want to reads list for quite a few years and I finally got a copy. I'm not sure I'm ready to get my heart broken 💔 but I know it's going to happen. I guess I better get the tissues handy. 🤧 😭

#MarchMagic
#neurodiverseprotagonist
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

An oldie, but still a favorite of mine.❣️

Ok, so I went modern classic for #FavoriteClassic 😬

#MarchMagic

Quite an emotional read but most importantly a good book on understanding human psychology.

5🌟/5🌟

Really good book would read again.

This is an emotional book about Charlie Gordon. Charlie has an extremely low IQ. He gets a treatment that increases his intelligence but this raises the question if being smart will make him happy. Will definitely recommend to anyone who wants a good read.

I would rate this one a 4.5/ 10. This book really didn‘t stick out to me. Although the way it‘s written is very different and it shows the main character development.

I thought the whole concept of the book would‘ve been interesting and how the author showed his progression and regression within the book was also interesting. However the part I didn‘t enjoy in the book was the characters itself, the people put in Charlie‘s life were all terrible role models for him. The whole experiment just felt unrealistic with how with only one successful rat they decided to try it on humans. The ending also felt rushed.

A bittersweet story.

Read for

#52BookClubReadingChallenge2022

I enjoyed this book. It is a little bit challenging to read at the beginning but opened my eyes to the struggles of the mentally challenged people of our world.

Personally not my favorite book… there were components I thought were fascinating such as the book being written specifically to show disability and written in the format of daily progress updates. I expected to feel a close tie with the character and never felt that connection. It was a little slow and didn‘t hold my attention and honestly felt like wasted time by the end. I think there was potential but I was disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the stream of consciousness and epistolary style of the writing. It was a great way to see Charlie‘s first progression and then regression.

I read this book, is kinda hard for me to really review for this book. I think this book is ok, just kinda for understand to me at least. Charlie have some problems with him, he is not smart. But he under a surgery that make him smart, but the time going, he become different, but in the end he went back to what he was before. I like this end, that show on the world now, there still a lot thing that human can‘t touch yet.

The book gave a really different, but unique story of a surgery to make someone mentally challenged smart. I thought the book did well of keeping me entertained and wasn‘t too boring throughout the duration of the novel, but was definitely different from other books.

I thought this book was okay. It‘s not one of my favorites, but it‘s not the worst. I was as interested in this book, but I still enjoyed reading some of it.

I liked this book, but there were some parts that I didn‘t like.

If you are someone who wants to read a book from the perspective of a man who is mentally disabled, this is the book to read.
It was interesting to read in the beginning with all of the misspelled words and wrong grammar punctuations, but as a whole it was an okay book. I didn't like the way most people treated Charlie throughout the book, but was happy when his friends took him back after everything that happened to him.

The book was good and give a nice insight on how scientific experimentation on humans, even when you think the person has nothing and the only thing you can do is help, still changes a lot and affects many.

It was kind of boring, I didn‘t care for it much. There were some spots that were interesting to me but not many.

I overall really enjoyed the progression and regression of this book. I thought the format with the letter styles showcased perfectly how Charlie‘s mental comprehension increased and decreased so rapidly. Overall I would recommend this book for people over the age of 15 or 16 just due to a couple things mentioned in the book.

. The book felt realistic and did a good job of arousing awareness to the mentally handicapped and reminding us that they are just as human as we are. Charlie got annoying in the middle when he became all cocky and him exploring his feelings made it quite odd. However the closure with his family, and him returning to his old self made it better. The writing of the book was effective and creative. However some parts were not necessary to the book.

Flowers for Algernon is a very eye opening book. It shines a lot of light on the mistreatment of people with mental disabilities. I thought it was a very good book. I liked the way it was told in letters. I felt like we were reading into his journey through his whole operation. It was a nice point of view. I liked Charlie when he was not smart though. I though he was much nicer and cared more when he didn‘t know everything. This was a great book.

I didn‘t like this book. I had no emotional connection with the character and the story ends the same way it begins which leaves no room for satisfaction or a feeling of completion. The writing style was great, though. The fact that the main character was telling his story through progress reports the whole time keeps the tone scientific, which is the point of the book. I just wish that there was some sort of permanent growth in the character.

Overall the differentiation of text throughout gave a perspective that we would not have seen otherwise. The overall central message is great- showing how people with mental disables can be mistreated.

The story of Charlie is fascinating, insightful, wholly absorbing and heart wrenching - all at the same time.

Through the writing of progress reports, Charlie‘s journey from ‘moron‘ to genius and back to ‘moron‘ is gripping.

Even though this is ‘sci-fi‘ or futuristic, it is at the same time an exploration of what it means to be human.

An excellent read that will resonate throughout time.

Thanks for Tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
There were the first things that came to mind:

Book - Flowers For Algernon
Author - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Movie - Fantasia
Singer - Freddie Mercury
Song - Friend Like Me

4✨ I‘m not really sure how to verbalize everything going on in my mind right now. Charlie is intellectually challenged and is seeking a way to be smart because his mother drilled into his head he needed to be. He has a surgery to basically re-wire his brain to be able to learn and mentally grow. He writes a journal so we see his growth to be a very intelligent individual. The mouse Algernon goes through a similar process with a maze. ⬇️

This was written in such an interesting and unique perspective. I was not expecting anything that happened in this book, but glad I read it!