Literature

Flowers for Algernon

Daniel Keyes · 1966

Lindy Score

7,113·Classic

60 yrs

Age

3

Endorsers

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Why it endured

A man with an IQ of 68 undergoes experimental surgery that makes him a genius — then watches it fade. One of the most emotionally devastating science fiction stories ever written.

What they're saying

3 people recommend this book

Andrej KarpathyAI researcher & former Tesla AI Director

A man with low IQ becomes a subject in an experiment that promises to increase intelligence. The book is written in a journal form and chronicles the transformation. Whether you will enjoy the book comes down to your motivations coming in. I read this book primarily because I find the the topic of increasing intelligence / superintelligence to be interesting. Hence I enjoyed the first half of the book. Unfortunately, the book later turns into something more similar to a drama, having little to do with scifi and more with human relationships. However, if you're only looking for a good story with a fun speculative added element and a hint of philosophy then you might just enjoy it! 3/5

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Naval RavikantEntrepreneur & philosopher

“Understand” by Ted Chiang is a brilliant revisit of “Flowers for Algernon.” Drop everything and read it.

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PewDiePieContent creator & book reviewer

It's a very tragic sad story. It was really fun to read from start to finish however and I really really enjoyed it. It was a great recommendation. Thank you, Brad. Appreciated it.

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