Flowers For Algernon
By Daniel Keyes
Summary
Charlie Gordon, a 33 year old retarded adult, wants with all his heart to be smart and normal like everyone else. He had a rough childhood and his parents got rid of him and sent him away to a school for the retarded. His Uncle took him away from there and got him a job at a bakery. While he was at a school, he is asked to participate in a experiment at Beekman College where he will undergo a surgery to become smarter. A mouse named Algernon also participated in this surgery earlier. He agrees and starts the process. Throughout the book, Charlie learns how to become normal; how to deal with emotions, feelings, communication, interaction, and he becomes even smarter than the scientists who helped him. But he notices Algernon is acting funny and his brilliance is decreasing. What will become of Charlie? Will he become retarded as he once was? Or is it just a fluke that happened to Algernon? Read this book to find out!
Algernon
Algernon is a white mouse who went through the same surgery as Charlie. He became extremely smart and could run through any maze you put him in. But sadly, his intelligence is decreasing...
Books
Charlie read a ton of books to become as smart as he is. He studied different languages, phycology, biology, and many others.
Mazes
Algernon ran through many mazes to become smarter. Also Charlie did a few on paper and raced against Algernon.
Why Read This?
This book is like nothing I've ever read. It is very unique and kind of touching. It really makes you think about how you treat other people and see others. It is written from a different perpective than most books. The New York Times calls it "A tale that is convincing, suspenseful, and touching..." I think you should read it because it is very different than other books and is very interesting.