Daniel Keyes seldom wrote science fiction but is highly regarded for one classic, “Flowers for Algernon.” As a 1959 novella it won a Hugo Award; the 1966 novel-length expansion won a Nebula. The Oscar-winning movie adaptation Charly (1968) also led to a 1980 Broadway musical.

    It’s a very thought-provoking* story, all the more so when you consider that it was written about 40 years ago when society was a bit less tolerant* of the mentally retarded* than it is now. Charlie is a man in his 30s with an IQ of 68 when the book starts.

    Algernon is an extra-clever lab mouse thanks to an experimental brain operation so far tried only on animals. Charlie eagerly volunteers* as the first human subject.

    Through a controversial experimental operation, his IQ gets higher and higher until it soars* at one point to 185.

    The story is told through the journal* entries that he is told to keep for the researchers in charge of the study. Through Charlie’s words, you can see how sharply his intellect grows and how difficult it is for him.

    Getting smarter brings cruel shocks*, as Charlie realizes that his merry “friends” at the bakery where he sweeps the floor have all along been laughing at him, never with him.

    Charlie’s experience is painful. Just imagine learning all of life’s hard truths in a matter of weeks rather than the normal development from an innocent* child to a worldly* adult. And the ending of the book is heartwrenching*.

    (SD-Agencies)