Flowers for Algernon

Author: Daniel Keyes
released: 01-04-1966
First Read: 26-08-2025
Last Read: 26-08-2025
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18373.Flowers_for_Algernon

This book I read on the recommendation of Exurb1a in one of his videos. It is about a man with a low IQ who has an experiment done on him to increase his intelligence.

This is the only book I can remember making me cry proper tears. I have read books which made me said or made my eyes water a little, but with this book I cried. It is an excellent book that is gripping from start to finish.

It is written from the perspective of Charlie, the man who has the experiment done on him. Throughout the book you see his spelling and grammar actually increase in the book as well has the things he knows and writes about.

This is so well written and so compelling because Charlie goes from being an unknowing outsider because he knows so little to a too aware outsider because of his hyper intelligence. He only has a few moments where you sense he has truly fulfilled his desires when he is intelligent and it feels like everything is fleeting.

I don't want to spoil the end for anyone who hasn't read it but let's just say that maybe everything Charlie went through was never worth it and he ended up worse off for it. You should probably read this.