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challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Dementia
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm still thinking about this book after finishing it hours ago and god man. This is such a good book, it accurately depicts how evil people can be towards people with mental disabilities/neurodivergencies, and how these people will hate if they come off smarter than they expect because they can't control them anymore. The way people treated Charlie was exactly how I've been treated throughout my life as a neurodivergent person. It's also the same behavior I have seen towards mentally disabled students at my schools. You can just tell that Daniel Keyes has had experience teaching students of different backgrounds, because everything feels scarily accurate. Even though media has had issues with its portrayals, especially during the 1960s, I'm glad that Charlie was taken seriously and his struggles weren't depicted in a comedic manner.
It also has an interesting take on how 'knowing too much' can destroy you, especially since the main character turns into an asshole later on with his newfound intelligence. Most people would think 'oh being smart is a good thing!'... Not in this story. Instead, what is positive in this story is to show a kind heart towards others.
May all the flowers of the world be put on Algernon's grave.
It also has an interesting take on how 'knowing too much' can destroy you, especially since the main character turns into an asshole later on with his newfound intelligence. Most people would think 'oh being smart is a good thing!'... Not in this story. Instead, what is positive in this story is to show a kind heart towards others.
May all the flowers of the world be put on Algernon's grave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Dementia
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is an interesting book. reddit recommends it a lot, and i was very skeptical at first, but surprisingly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I think the pacing is great. a good, tight story. there is the use of an offensive word in the book, and it is used LIBERALLY, so I do wish I knew that when I started reading. but the concept of the book is interesting enough that I did finish it, and I liked the ending. I think keeping in mind the 1959 publication date helps...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death
the r-word is used a lot... and that is extremely off putting in the text
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flowers for Algernon is an incredible book!
It made me feel grateful that I get to read and understand books to the extent that I can.
This book is very reflective of how we treat people with disabilities in our society and touched on philosophical questions such as “What is a good life?” or “Is it possible to attribute more meaning to one way of life over another?”
I found it quite fascinating to be reminded that, even though this was written in the mid 20th century, some fundamental questions about humanity and existence in general have always been around and will never be answered - and that our ancestors have thought about the same questions when lying awake at night.
As a girl in STEM, I especially liked the scientific aspect of the book. I liked how, if indirectly, the question of ethics in scientific projects was woven into the story.
Charlie was a great protagonist and it was hard to read about him uncovering the way he’d been mistreated and abused by people he had considered friends and family.
All in all, this is a perfectly paced book touching on subjects such as science, philosophy, disability, trauma, abuse, sexuality and the endless search for who we are and what life is all about.
It made me feel grateful that I get to read and understand books to the extent that I can.
This book is very reflective of how we treat people with disabilities in our society and touched on philosophical questions such as “What is a good life?” or “Is it possible to attribute more meaning to one way of life over another?”
I found it quite fascinating to be reminded that, even though this was written in the mid 20th century, some fundamental questions about humanity and existence in general have always been around and will never be answered - and that our ancestors have thought about the same questions when lying awake at night.
As a girl in STEM, I especially liked the scientific aspect of the book. I liked how, if indirectly, the question of ethics in scientific projects was woven into the story.
Charlie was a great protagonist and it was hard to read about him uncovering the way he’d been mistreated and abused by people he had considered friends and family.
All in all, this is a perfectly paced book touching on subjects such as science, philosophy, disability, trauma, abuse, sexuality and the endless search for who we are and what life is all about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Excrement, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content
Minor: Dementia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fascinating idea explored excruciatingly well. You are there with Charlie, watching first for signs of enhanced intelligence and then for clues about his potential mental decline. You watch him rapidly reach rare heights of genius only to immediately tumble back to his origins, and you meet the different versions of him that he slips into as he moves out of one intellectual level into the next, up and down. Readers get to witness a man look at his past and future in a mirror, and they are asked to accept as Charlie has that the present is a loan from both. This story presents in gripping detail a concept you can easily curl into and ponder expansively.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts