This book has been on my "to read" list for many years. The author lived in my home town and was a Professor at Ohio University, just like my parents, so it was often suggested reading for my high school English class reading assignments, but somehow I only just got to it. So glad I finally did!
This is the story of Charlie, a 32 year old developmentally disabled man with a very low IQ. This is also the story of Algernon, a lab mouse who has undergone a medical procedure in order to increase his intelligence.
Charlie is offered the opportunity to undergo the same procedure that was given to Algernon, and be the first human to vastly advance his intelligence and capabilities through this experiment.
The story is written in "progress reports" or journal entries that follow Charlie from the beginning of this experiment and follow the changes that he undergoes after his surgery.
Charlie begins as a man with childlike intelligence and grows to be a genius, even surpassing the capabilities of the scientists, doctors and brain surgeons who he works with daily during the experiment. He enjoys learning new things and his ability to do so is incredibly vast.
However, he finds that life isn't magically perfect now that he is "smart". He finds it difficult to make and maintain friendships, and develops romantic feelings that he doesn't understand or know how to respond to. He begins to have memories from his childhood that he had all but forgotten, many of which were not so pleasant. His social abilities have not increased with his intelligence. He had always believed that if he could just be "smart" life would be easy and happy, but finds that this isn't the case.
When Algernon, whom Charlie has become attached to and studies, starts to show a decline in the benefits from the experiment, and his behavior darkens, Charlie is fearful for his own future and and what will happen if and when he will also loose his abilities that were boosted from the surgery and be returned to his original disabled mental state.
An incredibly insightful novel, I highly recommend this one!
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