Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

52 reviews

moxiereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

thegreatelise's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Un des meilleurs livres que j'ai pu lire de ma vie, je l'avais lu pour la première fois pendant mes années de collège pour les cours, je ne me souviens pas exactement quelle année c'était mais j'avais autour des 13 ans, et déjà à l'époque, ce livre m'avais énormément touchée, et m'avait fait réfléchir, je ne comprenais évidemment pas toute la profondeur de celui ci.
Aujourd'hui, j'ai 19 ans, et cela fait 2-3 ans que l'envie de le relire trotte dans ma tête, et je l'ai enfin fait.
J'ai adoré de A à Z et encore plus qu'à l'époque je pense, évidemment durant cette seconde lecture j'avais plus de connaissances qui m'ont accompagné dans mes réflexions sur ce récit et sur ce que représente le fait d'acquérir de l'intelligence ou l'ignorance que l'on peut avoir face aux moqueries si on ne comprend pas que ce sont des moqueries.
Il va sans dire que le point fort du livre est l'écriture et l'évolution de l'orthographe ainsi que de la tournure des phrases du personnage que je trouve brillante et que je trouvais déjà brillante à l'époque. Je me souviens encore de mon choque en lisant la première page.
Le personnage est très touchant du début à la fin, même si il parait un peu odieux par moment lorsque son intelligence est à son apogée, je ressentais tout de même de la compassion pour lui.
J'ai, plusieurs fois au cours de ma lecture, eu les larmes aux yeux, dû à la fois au livre lui même mais aussi des souvenirs et de la nostalgie qu'il me fait éprouver.

Cela ne touche plus le récit en lui-même mais j'ai aussi été plutôt émue par la partie sur la vie de l'auteur et l'écriture de la nouvelle puis du roman. J'ai été touchée par ce qu'il a écrit en tant que personne qui rêve également d'écrire, ça m'a donner de l'espoir ainsi que de la motivation à poursuivre mes rêves.

Et enfin lire la nouvelle originale boucle la boucle et m'a aussi apporté son lot d'émotions.

J'aimerais maintenant le lire en anglais, pour avoir la langue d'origine du livre et la réelle écriture de l'auteur.
Je pense sincèrement que c'est le genre de livre que tout le monde devrait lire au moins une fois dans sa vie, et si la personne n'en a pas la motivation, de lire au moins la nouvelle, même si le roman est évidemment bien plus développé et complet.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

milly_gm01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Dementia

scifi_rat's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

3.5

the reviews that talk about how sad charlie's journey made them and how this is generally a very sad and tragic book feel inherently ableist. if anything this book is about trauma and learning and coming to terms with the kind of pain that self awareness can bring.

some of the psychology and sociology feels dated in many ways but ultimately it does the job it sets out to do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sharktwoth's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

bookishfaye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I think there are things about this book for its time that are important & in some ways foundational in literature depicting disability; however, man oh man does this NOT hold up well over time. From the violently ableist language used repeatedly, to the constant misogyny and overall written by a man vibes this book simply does not age well. 

I think as a response to Frankenstein/the Prometheus myth and with commentary about man playing god within science and also monstrosity, there are some interesting things at play within this book. There were moments where I felt very seen by Charlie, and at times very beautiful/important language towards disability as well, it’s just a very very hard read that has extreme ableism/misogyny culture from the late 1950’s marked all over it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

dazedl's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

How will i ever recover from the emotional whirlwind this book has sent me? 😭😭😭

I read the short story years ago when I was a teenager - and coming back to this book in my mid 20s, I have a newfound appreciation towards the central themes of childhood trauma, intellectual disability and messing with someone's true nature. I found myself having deeper empathy and understanding towards Charlie's character development more than my first reading of the short story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty

phantastic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Minor: Forced institutionalization

lizdon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

m4rtt4's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

incredibly thought-provoking AND heart-breaking; I wish the mouse had been in a bigger role but overall very interesting and an important read.

it was scary how he became possessive and aggressive and expressed his male sexuality and masculinity through those means after "gaining intelligence"

, really makes you think what should even be called intelligence and how easily we exclude emotions and kindness from it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol