Other than a few problems with the way this book it's written, I really enjoyed it and will recommend it in the future.

Charlie is an interesting protagonist that seems, at times, close to being one of numerous archetypes seen elsewhere (the bubbly comedic relief, the self-tortured artist, the antisocial genius) and yet manages to never fall into one of those categories, he's layered and that makes him seem real. ( )

I want to read this again. I read for school either in junior or high school and remember it made me cry.

I have been lucky enough to read a succession of great books recently but this tops the lot. Daniel Keyes’ humble story embodies why I read: for the transcendent feelings you get when a great story unfolds, leading you to consider a new part of life - or a bit you knew about already but were unaware as to how complex and rich in experience it was. Flowers for Algernon made me feel that. It taught me about ignorance and knowledge, about what intelligence may or may not be, about what it is to be able to make your own choices and what it is to be a slave to experiences and trauma. I found myself exploring and deliberating over how cognisant and ‘awake’ I’d prefer to be as well as contemplating the passing of time, memory and death. For a relatively simplistic story (in essence a man of considerably low intelligence is given an operation that turns him into a genius) this is expertly crafted and rockets into my top 10 and is a sure fire 5/5. ( )

It is said greatest punishment in life is to have and lose. And I tend to agree with it. Loss is something that makes life difficult to a degree and if we cannot handle it then life gets very dark place.

For me this book strikes at two targets:

(a) Situation in which one reaches full potential in a short time span, and then loses it in the same rapid way and drops down to the levels where person is no longer able to figure out what did it actually lose (to make the tragedy even greater). This is what happens to Charlie. While his flight upward is very fast so is coming to terms with himself very difficult. And when he finally finds his place in the world he becomes aware he is to fall down with a helluva thud. And worse thing is - he wont even remember what he achieved and where did he fall from. To some this loss of oneself might seem weird and if that is the case I can only say, all the power to you , you never got dead drunk. That feeling of puzzlement, what happened situation is the greatest horror there is. Imagine losing almost all information related to few hours when you were drinking. Now apply it to Charlie who is losing tortuously slow (so he is aware of it) actual pieces of himself - horror indeed. Everything Charlie could be gets lost as time passes by, without any chance of recovery.

(b) Intellect is something that is treasured very much in our world. It is important but more important thing is human contact. What value is great intellectual force and ability if one sees all around him as strangers and starts treating them as objects? None. Human contact is what makes us humans and without this component life becomes only apathetic existence.

Both things strike even harder in last few years where old saying "homo homini lupus est" proved to be more rule than exception (like one would expect during conflicts). Level of hate and smugness present in people from the same area, and enforced by constant gaslighting, is incredible and causes division greater than it would be possible otherwise....ever...in history of the world. I have a feeling entire society is falling towards (under)ground level while losing even awareness of greatness it once stood on.

We follow Charlie from his rise from bottom to top of intellectual achievement only to find himself alone on that desolate peak because he just cannot establish human connections with anyone. He soon comes to terms that others are afraid of him (after all they knew him before the change, and feeling that some is intellectually below someone gives rise to fear and resentment). For the first time Charlie sees clearly how he was treated by people around him and this angers him. He was constantly ridiculed and this causes rage to seep out of him. But as time goes by he comes to conclusion that while kids jokes might have been very raw (as children's cruelty can often be) and people were often making jokes on his account, it was just the way people were coping with his condition and their inner fears when communicating with him - scenes with his mother and sister were truly heartbreaking. As he starts falling down and losing one bit of himself at the time he ends where he started, everything he achieved lost. All, except perhaps Charlie's ever optimistic view of the world that made his life bearable in the first place (thankfulness to be able even for a short span to live normal life, silver lining of sorts?)...... Tragedy.

Excellent book, not so much SF as a true human drama. Recommended.

Merged review:

It is said greatest punishment in life is to have and lose. And I tend to agree with it. Loss is something that makes life difficult to a degree and if we cannot handle it then life gets very dark place.

For me this book strikes at two targets:

(a) Situation in which one reaches full potential in a short time span, and then loses it in the same rapid way and drops down to the levels where person is no longer able to figure out what did it actually lose (to make the tragedy even greater). This is what happens to Charlie. While his flight upward is very fast so is coming to terms with himself very difficult. And when he finally finds his place in the world he becomes aware he is to fall down with a helluva thud. And worse thing is - he wont even remember what he achieved and where did he fall from. To some this loss of oneself might seem weird and if that is the case I can only say, all the power to you , you never got dead drunk. That feeling of puzzlement, what happened situation is the greatest horror there is. Imagine losing almost all information related to few hours when you were drinking. Now apply it to Charlie who is losing tortuously slow (so he is aware of it) actual pieces of himself - horror indeed. Everything Charlie could be gets lost as time passes by, without any chance of recovery.

(b) Intellect is something that is treasured very much in our world. It is important but more important thing is human contact. What value is great intellectual force and ability if one sees all around him as strangers and starts treating them as objects? None. Human contact is what makes us humans and without this component life becomes only apathetic existence.

Both things strike even harder in last few years where old saying "homo homini lupus est" proved to be more rule than exception (like one would expect during conflicts). Level of hate and smugness present in people from the same area, and enforced by constant gaslighting, is incredible and causes division greater than it would be possible otherwise....ever...in history of the world. I have a feeling entire society is falling towards (under)ground level while losing even awareness of greatness it once stood on.

We follow Charlie from his rise from bottom to top of intellectual achievement only to find himself alone on that desolate peak because he just cannot establish human connections with anyone. He soon comes to terms that others are afraid of him (after all they knew him before the change, and feeling that some is intellectually below someone gives rise to fear and resentment). For the first time Charlie sees clearly how he was treated by people around him and this angers him. He was constantly ridiculed and this causes rage to seep out of him. But as time goes by he comes to conclusion that while kids jokes might have been very raw (as children's cruelty can often be) and people were often making jokes on his account, it was just the way people were coping with his condition and their inner fears when communicating with him - scenes with his mother and sister were truly heartbreaking. As he starts falling down and losing one bit of himself at the time he ends where he started, everything he achieved lost. All, except perhaps Charlie's ever optimistic view of the world that made his life bearable in the first place (thankfulness to be able even for a short span to live normal life, silver lining of sorts?)...... Tragedy.

Excellent book, not so much SF as a true human drama. Recommended. ( )

Fascinant et poignant.