Flowers for Algernon

By Daniel Keyes

Categories: Literature & Fiction

Daniel Keyes's 1966 novel is told through the progress reports of Charlie Gordon, a gentle man with an intellectual disability who works in a bakery and longs to be smart. Charlie is chosen for an experimental surgery that has already raised the intelligence of a laboratory mouse named Algernon. As the treatment takes effect, his reports change in spelling, thought and feeling, and he begins to see his past, his coworkers and the scientists who study him in a new light.

Recommended by 4 people

• Naval Ravikant
• Jordan Peterson
• Neil deGrasse Tyson: “As a kid, I remembered reading Flowers for Algernon.”
• PewDiePie: “Great recommendation, really enjoyed this one.”