Flores para Algernon

Charlie Gordon, a man in his thirties with an intellectual disability, works at a bakery and attends a class taught by Alice Kinnian. Scientists select him for an experimental surgery that already made a mouse, Algernon, much smarter. The book is told as Charlie's own progress reports, whose spelling and thinking change as his intellect grows. He becomes brilliant, learns how people treated him, and falls out of step with those around him, then sees Algernon begin to decline.

For readers who like science fiction that cares about people over gadgets. It is brief and moving, and leaves you with questions about intelligence, kindness, and how we treat those we think of as lesser.

Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?