Daniel Keyes (1927-2014) is an american writer. He was a researcher in psychology and too an essayist.

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction novel published in 1966. The story is about a young man, Charlie Gordon, who is a mentally retarded. He wants to be more intelligent and follow Miss Kinina lesson (who stay with him and help him during all the book). Dr. Strauss and Pr. Nemur are scientific who did an experience on a mouse called Algernon and the operation is a success: the mouse become very intelligent. So scientifics offer to Charlie the same operation. Then we follow his evolution trough his diary.

I will not tell you all the story but I can tell to you that it’s a very goog novel. The system of diary is very good. You can have fun (for exemple with error spilling at the beginning) but this novel can be very hard when charlie discover really his situation. We are helpless like him when he see Algernon become mad and die and so anderstand that it’s his destiny,.. In this book friendship are very important: Charlie discovers that he needs the same things (like love or attention) intelligent  or not; and the fact that he had more friends when he was « stupid ». And so and so….

If you want to know more, read it! really! I can say to you that you will not be disappointed!