Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
reviewed by Katya
This novel is an emotional rollercoaster, an eye-opener. I fell in love with the main character and wept at the end.
Charlie Gordon is the protagonist. The books is made up of journal entries by Charlie, who has agreed to undergo an operation that will make him "smarter". You see, for 32 years and 11 months Charlie Gordon has been labeled a "retarded" human. He is an outcast in society, his mother loathes him, and the loneliness that he feels sucks up his life. All he desires is to become like everyone else, just as intelligent. The operation makes him a genius, and he encounters new problems, for example his fear of women.
I highly recommend this novel. Not a single word is dull or listless and the reader discovers what life might be like for other outcasts of society....at least in the 50s. This is a novel for anyone, but I'd recommend it for teens or adults. I read this novel in school, and not a single person disliked it in our class.
Posted by Arlo at November 12, 2010 04:09 PM