Reviewed by Morgan Haley
Charlie Gordon – a naïve New York resident with an IQ of 68 – wishes for nothing more than to be able to understand the jokes he hears and how to perform the menial tasks he is given to do for work.
When he hears of a new scientific operation that is supposed to raise IQ and intelligence levels exponentially, he volunteers himself. The effects of this experiment change Charlie’s life forever.
Flowers for Algernon documents Charlie’s experiences in his perspective through progress reports he is required to write by the scientist experimenting on him. The transformation of Charlie as he becomes aware of his surroundings is astonishing. As he slowly gains intelligence, however, the consequences are not all good. In fact, the very procedure used on him was also tested on a mouse. During the novel, when the mouse suddenly dies, Charlie is left in tumult.Keye’s Flowers for Algernon was an interesting read, and I highly recommend it for those who enjoy reading both plays and science fiction.
Haley is in the Gifted program at Hahnville High. She is president of the Interact Community Service club at HHS.
Editor’s note: Book reviews are published weekly in agreement with Hahnville High School gifted English teacher Deborah Unger in conjunction with the Brown Foundation Service Learning Program.
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