Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
Podcast Introduction
"In this world, as imagined in the late 1950s, there is cutting-edge brain research underway. You can go in for surgery, and come out with a higher IQ. You might think the Algernon from the title is the main character, but no - Algernon is a mouse - a test subject who has had this surgery, and become much smarter than your average rodent." ~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
Socratica Reads Podcast
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon undergoes a groundbreaking experiment that offers him the chance to dramatically increase his intelligence. As his mind expands, he grapples with the joy, pain, and isolation that accompany his newfound awareness.
“This is where the book really makes me sad. I’ve been around brilliant people all my life. And you might think that the smarter you are, the less foolish you would be. But some of the smartest people I knew - the people I went to college with, my professors - so many of them were really just idiots about basic human kindness and decency.”
Kimberly Hatch Harrison
Recommendation
Parable of the Sower
The story unfolds against the backdrop of a society in decline, where disrepair and crime have taken hold. Through the eyes of Lauren Olamina, a young woman burdened with hyper-empathy, we witness the struggle to survive in a world where trust is dangerous and hope feels distant.
