Flowers for Algernon

I needed a couple of days to emotional recover from this book to write a proper review. Flowers of Algernon is brilliant and heart-breaking.“I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been.” This book was first published in 1958 as a short story that won the Hugo Award, and in 1960 as a novel, winning the Nebula's award. Despite being a well-known Science Fiction work, studied in many schools across the world, I've only discovered it because it was mentioned on the [b:Bewilderment 56404444 Bewilderment Richard Powers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632843882l/56404444.SY75.jpg 87106649] novel by [a:Richard Powers 11783 Richard Powers https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263155076p2/11783.jpg] (and I am so glad I did).The book tells us the story of Charlie, who has an intellectual disability and is the first human subject to an intelligence-enhancing surgery, after the success of the same procedure on Algernon, a laboratory mouse.This book looks at what it means to be human, to love, to be intelligent, about what grounds us and can contribute to our happiness, while grasping ethical and moral issues such as the treatment of intellectual disabled persons. For me, it is also a book about inevitability. “I don't know what's worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you've always wanted to be, and feel alone.” There is a reason why some books become classics: they are simply good. This is one of those books and it should be read by everyone. Merged review:I needed a couple of days to emotional recover from this book to write a proper review. Flowers of Algernon is brilliant and heart-breaking.“I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been.” This book was first published in 1958 as a short story that won the Hugo Award, and in 1960 as a novel, winning the Nebula's award. Despite being a well-known Science Fiction work, studied in many schools across the world, I've only discovered it because it was mentioned on the [b:Bewilderment 56404444 Bewilderment Richard Powers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632843882l/56404444.SY75.jpg 87106649] novel by [a:Richard Powers 11783 Richard Powers https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263155076p2/11783.jpg] (and I am so glad I did).The book tells us the story of Charlie, who has an intellectual disability and is the first human subject to an intelligence-enhancing surgery, after the success of the same procedure on Algernon, a laboratory mouse.This book looks at what it means to be human, to love, to be intelligent, about what grounds us and can contribute to our happiness, while grasping ethical and moral issues such as the treatment of intellectual disabled persons. For me, it is also a book about inevitability. “I don't know what's worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you've always wanted to be, and feel alone.” There is a reason why some books become classics: they are simply good. This is one of those books and it should be read by everyone.