Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Flowers for Algernon

Mentally-disabled bakery worker Charlie Gordon is recruited to be the first human test subject in an experiment designed to increase intelligence. Through his progress reports, he describes his growth as the treatment causes his intelligence to grow beyond that of the scientists who came up with the procedure. But when Algeron, the prize animal test-subject shows signs of a breakdown, Charlie begins to follow the same path.

This book is an impressive achievement in its ability to gradually shift the voice of the protagonist as he changes. The use of language is excellent.

Charlie himself, however is not a very appealing character. The book has a strong incel vibe to it, and takes a lot of the joy out of the learning and discovery that Charlie embarks on, as he discovers that his growing awareness creates its own sets of problems. Moments of happiness are fleeting, and the victories that Charlie achieves are glossed over in favor of the problems he encounters. The story is also based on some fairly outdated ideas about the nature of intelligence.

I enjoyed the complexities of the characters, but found the story overall to be frustrating mostly hopeless.

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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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