Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is possibly one of the saddest books I've ever read. The book is actually a published diary by a mentally retarded adult named Charlie Gordon. Charlie Gordon is thirty years old and he works at Mr. Donner's bakery, there his so called friends play tricks on him, and poor Charlie doesn't even know it! Charlie Gordon attends a school for mentally retarded adults in Miss Kinnian's class. Miss Kinnian, known as Alice decides to recommend Charlie for a scientific experiment. Charlie undergoes many tests and he befriends a small white lab mouse named Algernon. The scientific procedure has already been tested on Algernon and it has been very successful. All Charlie ever wanted to be is smart so he undertakes a surgical procedure in order to increase his I.Q. As Charlie's intelligence grows more and more he starts to take a new look on life. Charlie is even smarter than some of the doctors around him! He discovers more about himself and his family. Charlie grows to have some feelings for Alice. Soon, Charlie notices that Algernon's intelligence is suddenly deteriorating. Charlie finds out that the treatment will stop working and his intelligence will sadly decrease as time goes by. Even though, Charlie is still mentally retarded, he is thankful for the little time he had to be smart. This book is very heart warming with some sad spots, but I would recommend this book to mature young adults.