Flowers For Algernon The Best of the SF Masterworks

Flowers for Algernon really inspired me. The science fiction story tells Charlie‘s journey to becoming intelligent. The unique writing style makes Charlie‘s development particularly tangible. At the same time, it is also about how society deals with people with a low IQ and the question of whether intelligence is really all that is worth striving for in life.

This is a book I will keep in my mind for very long time. I wish we had read it in school to be talked about. Although it is written in the first person only, I got extremely touched by his story and was able to feel completely with him. A story that might become true in the future.

"Flowers for Algernon" ist eine wirklich spannende Erzählung. Besonders hat mir der variierende Schreibstil gefallen, der mit einem extrem ungewöhnlichen Mittel den Mentalen Zustand des Protagonisten widerspiegeln kann. Diese Geschichte fordert das Verständnis von menschlicher Intelligenz, und den Umgang mit benachteiligten heraus - und das in einem wirklich fesselnden Prozess. Klare Kaufempfehlung!

Der Druck bei der SF Masterworks Edition war leider zum Teil sehr blass oder Teile von Buchstaben haben komplett gefehlt. Naja, trotzdem lesbar. Das Buch ist inhaltlich sehr gut, das "SF Masterwork" trifft auf jeden Fall zu. Lässt sich echt gut lesen, ist zu schwer zu verstehen.

The book is about Charlie Gordon - a mentally retarded thirty-two-year-old man, who is chosen for a surgery, which should increase his IQ. Charlie has to write his feelings, thoughts and experiences in “progress reports”, which is the content of this book. Keyes shows Charlie’s increasing intelligence by bettering of grammar, spelling, and punctuation in the progress reports. When Charlie grew intelligent he recognised that the feelings people have about him are affected by superiority, some treated him cruel and those who were kind often did it because of charity. Also his character changes: Before his operation he is a warm-hearted and trusting person but with the increase of his IQ he gets cold, arrogant, and disagreeable. It’s a very moving story that gives an insight how a life of a mentally retarded person can be and how some people treat persons that aren’t as intelligent as they are.