Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

42 reviews

benegesserwitch's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Ableism, Dementia, Child abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Medical trauma, Excrement, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders

ellaticonstellation's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I actually liked this a lot. Charlie's journey is inspiring! Damn, what happened was mad. I mean, he started as mentally challenged and ended the same way. Amazing! I mean, his dream of becoming smart happened, but it's not as glittery as he thought.

Remembering a lot of painful memories sucked. There's a reason why the unconscious is there to help us cope with life's greatest challenges. Being knowledgeable has its perks and curses. 

Experiments may be magical, but not an assurance of permanence. It's like being sharp, but we need to maintain it in our own way. 

Algernon! You're a great metaphor! 

I will never forget this story. 

Thank you, Daniel✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Bullying, Gaslighting, Ableism, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Panic attacks/disorders

moxiereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Ableism, Confinement, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Excrement, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia

milly_gm01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Dementia

scifi_rat's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

3.5

the reviews that talk about how sad charlie's journey made them and how this is generally a very sad and tragic book feel inherently ableist. if anything this book is about trauma and learning and coming to terms with the kind of pain that self awareness can bring.

some of the psychology and sociology feels dated in many ways but ultimately it does the job it sets out to do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Excrement

Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

nuii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this in 1 day and cried my eyes out. 
There are heavy subjects, yet narrated with such an ease that's so grippling, relatable and heartfelt. It makes me think alot about humanity, morallity, consciousness, what makes us human, what makes us happy, who are we and what are we looking for? 
It's a complex read (thought-provoking and emotional) without being pretentious or over-complicated. The focus is on where it should be. 
A rant: 

I cant imagine grieving yourself while being alive. I was hoping for a better outcome for Charlie...but his reversal back to a more (for lack of a better word) primitive state of mind perhaps is the peace that he deserves? His happiness is in the little things, limited - yet unstained by the burden of awareness... 
A vr interesting take on the biblical story of Adam and Eve, here, Charlie ate the forbidden fruit and suffered the consequences. In many ways, ignorance is indeed bliss, but that is not to say (his) learning worth nothing at all. Quite the contrary...the complexity of it all is, indeed, the human experience: to love, to grieve, to hate, to hurt, to heal...therefore, to live. A blissful paradise of innocence may shelter us from bitterness, jealousy, etc but maybe it also shelters us from having actual drive and connection(?)
Man, i do love this book. I'll keep thinking about all of this some more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Child abuse

kirnet's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, mostly about whether or not an intellectually disabled character would be given the nuance and respect he deserved. I’m glad to say that this book is written from a place of empathy and humanity, and it grapples with a lot of real traumas, emotions, and complications in human relationships. The focus on sex and romance was interesting to me, and I think it was needed as the right to sexuality and romance is a very real tenant of disability rights and justice. A lot of care was put into this book, even if it maybe didn’t get everything right, and it read as much more modern than I expected.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Chronic illness

madalina0_0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Ableism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Violence and Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment and Physical abuse