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David Charlesworth's Furniture Making Techniques: A Guide to Handtools and Materials
Book
In this indispensable new guide to the basic principles of furniture making, David Charlesworth...
Charleston Farmhouse: A Photographic Recollection of the Home of the Bloomsbury in Sussex
Book
After Duncan Grant died in 1978, Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex lost the last of its original...
Sarah Daglish (1 KP) rated Flowers for Algernon in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Sensationally clever without being pretentious
I found this book on a blog recommending books for depression sufferers, although I'm not sure in retrospect why this book was on that list. The book is written in the form of progress reports written by the protagonist, Charlie, who starts off the book as an adult with severe learning difficulties, during a less enlightened era. Despite his rough treatment by a society that fails to understand him, he is thoroughly charming, warm and kind, but above all desperate to better himself by learning to write and read. When he is offered the chance to undergo groundbreaking experimental surgery that will elevate his capacity to learn, he jumps at the chance. Algernon is a lab mouse who has had the surgery already and is considered a genius (by mouse standards).
Although this is technically science fiction, I found it more a focus on society and the perceptions of intelligence and happiness. I grew such fondness for Algernon and Charlie, I found the ending truly heartbreaking.
I'm not normally a fan of the sci-fi genre, but I couldn't put this down.
Although this is technically science fiction, I found it more a focus on society and the perceptions of intelligence and happiness. I grew such fondness for Algernon and Charlie, I found the ending truly heartbreaking.
I'm not normally a fan of the sci-fi genre, but I couldn't put this down.