by Daniel Keyes
The story of Charlie Gordon and Algernon the mouse is unique, literally, there is no other book remotely like it. A mentally retarded man who doesn't even know how cruelly he's being treated at work undergoes an experimental surgical procedure and develops first a normal intellect, then a genius-level one, and then reaches new peaks of cognitive power yet unseen in the world. What he goes through as his memories lay open to his new power and he has to accelerate from permanent childhood he has lived in to a mature adult is displayed in loving detail.
The book is a series of "Progress Reports" written by Charlie, at first terribly misspelled and in his writing we see his powers growing. The book has been twice made into film and the Cliff Robertson/Claire Bloom film is an excellent adaptation, chilling in parts, and a classic movie. F4A is a classic book., a masterpiece.
Review by Chris Fox "Cheopys"
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