Book Review: Flowers for Algernon
By Elizabeth Suggs
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a fantasy tale about a science procedure on a lab rat and a man.
The story is written as a diary by a mentally disabled man named Charlie. He and a lab rat, Algernon, have an experimental procedure done to cause their intelligence to skyrocket. This seems like a breakthrough in science, and maybe it is! But what it means is not necessarily what anyone had planned.
I really enjoyed this book. In fact, it was hard to put down. I found myself more than just a reader in this story. I saw through Charlie’s eyes. I listened to his stories and became a watcher of his world. Charlie is a very interesting character, and his change of intelligence is hopeful, even with the ending.
Keyes writes in a way to make a reader think about possibility, not just in science, but in how people act around others and how that can change drastically with IQ. It also shows that there is a happy medium of intelligence because, at one point, the road becomes solemn and lonely. This slow progression is interesting and heart-wrenching.
Here is my favorite quote, which really sums up the ideas of the book:
How strange is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes—how such people think nothing of abusing a man born with low intelligence.
Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend. This is one of those must-read classics, but please, ONLY read the book. The movie is atrocious.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com