Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon
Score Classic
What it's about
Charlie Gordon is a thirty-two-year-old man with an intellectual disability who works sweeping floors at a bakery and wants more than anything to be smart. He's chosen for an experimental surgery that has already tripled the intelligence of a laboratory mouse named Algernon. The novel is told through Charlie's own progress reports, which change as he does: his spelling, his understanding of the people around him, and his feelings about the past.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Nebula Award, has been taught in schools for decades, and is one of the most moving science fiction novels ever written.
You'll love it if you liked
The Giver
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Left Hand of DarknessGood to know
The early reports are written with misspellings that are part of the story. It's short and very sad.
By the numbers
- Readers86 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller38 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #35 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #43 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #114 of the 762 classics we rank
- #351 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
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The Lord of the Rings
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Ficciones
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Quick answers
Is Flowers for Algernon worth reading?
Yes. It won the Nebula Award, has been taught in schools for decades, and is one of the most moving science fiction novels ever written. It ranks #351 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Flowers for Algernon about?
Charlie Gordon is a thirty-two-year-old man with an intellectual disability who works sweeping floors at a bakery and wants more than anything to be smart. He's chosen for an experimental surgery that has already tripled the intelligence of a laboratory mouse named Algernon. The novel is told through Charlie's own progress reports, which change as he does: his spelling, his understanding of the people around him, and his feelings about the past.
How long does it take to read Flowers for Algernon?
About 8 hours (311 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Flowers for Algernon won?
Nebula Award winner (1966).
What should I read after Flowers for Algernon?
If you liked it, try The Giver by Lois Lowry, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. or The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.