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A review by raamkay
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
4.0
Captivating and unique I picked this up after seeing it on reddits must read books. Not massively into sci fi but this felt raw and original. The story combines various themes; notably the way mentally challenged people are treated in society but also that raw intelligence is both a gift and a curse. Charlie takes an operation that takes him from a retarded state to super human intelligence and enjoys all the benefits in quality of life that comes with it. The experiment goes wrong though, and Charlie regresses all the way back to severely handicapped. It's emotional to read the challenge he faces to retain even a slither of his new found intellect as he succumbs to an inevitable end in the deep dark abyss. This story will stay with me for a few more days yet!
Merged review:
Captivating and unique I picked this up after seeing it on reddits must read books. Not massively into sci fi but this felt raw and original. The story combines various themes; notably the way mentally challenged people are treated in society but also that raw intelligence is both a gift and a curse. Charlie takes an operation that takes him from a retarded state to super human intelligence and enjoys all the benefits in quality of life that comes with it. The experiment goes wrong though, and Charlie regresses all the way back to severely handicapped. It's emotional to read the challenge he faces to retain even a slither of his new found intellect as he succumbs to an inevitable end in the deep dark abyss. This story will stay with me for a few more days yet!
Merged review:
Captivating and unique I picked this up after seeing it on reddits must read books. Not massively into sci fi but this felt raw and original. The story combines various themes; notably the way mentally challenged people are treated in society but also that raw intelligence is both a gift and a curse. Charlie takes an operation that takes him from a retarded state to super human intelligence and enjoys all the benefits in quality of life that comes with it. The experiment goes wrong though, and Charlie regresses all the way back to severely handicapped. It's emotional to read the challenge he faces to retain even a slither of his new found intellect as he succumbs to an inevitable end in the deep dark abyss. This story will stay with me for a few more days yet!