Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes, is a book that is an emotional roller coaster. This book includes science that may one day not be imaginary but may become reality and can be used on people with intellectual disabilities in today's world. The book begins with a man, who is mentally retarded, writing in a diary about them. using it in surgery changed him for the better. This man's name is Charlie Gordon. He is the kind of man who works hard to achieve only small results and never gives up. He desperately wants to become intelligent so he can communicate and live just like everyone else does. Charlie wants this operation so he can be smart and show everyone that it's not like it used to be. "Gimpy yells at me all the time when I do something bad, but he really likes me because he's my friend. Hell, if I act smart, he won't be surprised." (p 5)Charlie writes this in his progress report and it shows that he wants to please everyone by being smart. Scientists first try this experiment on a mouse to see if it can work. The mouse improved the speed at which it learned and became smarter every time the scientists taught the mouse something new. Since the experiment was successful, they decided to start testing Charlie to see if he was the right kind of person. They start with tests like the inkblot, the rough shock test and had him compete with the mouse named Algernon, seeing who could complete the same maze first. The scientists ultimately decide that Charlie is the perfect subject for the experiment due to his motivation and desire to be intelligent. As Charlie's IQ begins to grow, so does his ability to understand how cruel the world around him truly is. As Charlie's knowledge grows, his attitude changes along with those of those around him. Charlie loses his job, his friends, his happiness, and even his will to care or learn. On the contrary, Charlie also experiments and learns a lot from this experiment. He experiences love, freedom, the ability to read and write, and the ability to remember what happened to him all these years.