Flowers for Algernon
At the suggestion of my subconsious, and in response to a recently-unburied memory of having read the story - prodded by Simon’s .sig and some other input, i just finished (and started) reading Flowers for Algernon. Whoah. What a heartbreaking book. I remember the story pretty well, but i don’t remember it having that kind of an impact on me when i last read it - either the story didn’t pack the same ‘punch’, or perhaps it was that i wasn’t mature enough at the time to really appreciate the horror of what happened to Charlie. Either way, it was pretty harsh. I think that pretty much anyone who can empathize with another human - and i’m not usually the type, as most people know - will feel hard pressed not to tear up at the end of that novel.
Given that i’m already in a harsh mood, maybe yesterday wasn’t the best day to pick the book up 
At any rate, i did. Read it beginning to end in about two hours - pretty much non-stop, with a small break to go swimming (Which is going well, thank you). For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, well, i don’t want to give it away. Suffice to say that it’s very sad, and it’s very good. It’ll make you think. I know it’s making me think - even re-evaluate the way i look at retarded people. I don’t know if it’ll have any permanent effect on my thinking on the subject, but i do feel that i have a slightly different outlook. It’s hard to read the last fourteen or so pages of Flowers and not come away feeling like you’ve been shown a dirty side of yourself.
Here’s something that interested me, though. I read this today, and coincidentally, there was a discussion on Slashdot about “What makes great Science Fiction?”. And, when i checked it out, there was over 1000 postings, and not one mention of this story. I’m peripherally aware that not many people think of it as a Science Fiction story - there’s no lasers, no aliens - at least not visible ones - and little or no high technology. But it did shock me that the folks over at /. didn’t even bring it up once - and usually there’s always at least one art-wanker who insists on proving that his definitions of a term are so much more advanced that he has to bring up an obscure, seldom-recognized title. Nope. Not even one.
I was dismayed.
But, no matter. At least the novel got read- which, if it had been clothed in the trappings of “real” scifi, it might not have. And that’d have been a shame.
I’m glad you enjoyed that book. You’re right though, it just tears you apart to read it…
Just the thought of someone being at the top like that and having a full and complete knowledge of how far and how fast they’re going to fall… yeah.
I think I read it pretty much in the same fashion as you, on a bus ride back to GP though. Once I’d picked it up, I just couldn’t put it down.
I think Sara’s gonna borrow my copy soon, too.
An amasing book that makes you go deep and feel as if your a character in the book. Makes you think about the past and how you had similar situations like Charly or any of the other characters. This book evokes emotion to all that reads the book. This book is perfect for a I.S.U