Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyesby Daniel Keyes
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 40 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend this novel for its emotional story of a man's changing intelligence, often calling it sad and moving; one critic found it a weepie for its own sake.
People recommend this novel for its emotional story of a man's changing intelligence, often calling it sad and moving; one critic found it a weepie for its own sake.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 93%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 13 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Emotionally moving, makes readers cry
“That story was so sad, reading it was like actually going through the process together with the main character.”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Part-human part-mouse brain developed in science breakthrough” “Had me in tears by the end. One of my favorite books.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Terence Tao, at 8 years old [pdf]” “man did it have me in tears at the end”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Terence Tao, at 8 years old [pdf]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Feels like a weepie for weeping
“it felt like a weepie just for the sake of weeping”
Comment from 23 Jul 2026 in “Couple pay >$800k for a gene-editing therapy for their daughter. She died.”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Flowers for Algernonby Daniel KeyesThis page | 13 | 1 | 93% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
10 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Highly recommended to those who haven't read it!”
“That story was so sad, reading it was like actually going through the process together with the main character.”
“Another great and somewhat sad read is Flowers for Algernon.”
“it felt like a weepie just for the sake of weeping”
“listening to the audiobooks recently was a revelation”
“I read it first in 2022, then re-read it last year and it still held up!”
“It's amazing how the book catched the family (and parental) dynamics so well”
“man did it have me in tears at the end”
“Had me in tears by the end. One of my favorite books.”
“the ever poignant, Flowers for Algernon”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.