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Do they still present Flowers for Algernon in school? (1 Viewer)

D

Ditkaless Wonders

Footballguy
Recently I've been trying to recall the tale of Charlie Gordon. I remember being impacted by the story back in 4th grade. Ironically the memory fades as my faculties dull. I believe I will buy a copy for my daughter for Christmas if it is still in print.

What stories captured your imaginations as you moved into and out of adolescence? Perhaps your remembrances will get added to my daughter's Christmas presents.

 
My wife's a language arts teacher and I know she used to teach this story a few years back. Can't remember if she still does.

 
yes

ETA: There are two short stories I remember to this day

1. Is about a girl who moves from Earth to a planet where the sun comes out once every 20 years or so. She gets locked in the closet by some losers and misses the sun

2. A story about a boy who teaches his younger brother how to walk but the end up drowning in an ocean

 
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Flowers For Algernon had a tremendous impact on me as a chilld...wate wat was i takng bowt?

 
memories become increasingly challenging as time passes. I seem to recall that it was this story which got me looking into some short and serialized Science Fiction Stories leading quickly to satisfying times as an adolescent with Asimov, Herbert, Roger Zelazny, and others.

I suppose its foolish to hope my daughter might be guided down that route. She seems very self directed in her reading. She does have a bent, it seems, towards some of the themes I once enjoyed, though she expresses it through the Hunger Games and Divergent books.

I wonder if I could interest her in Brave New World.

 
I want to read Flowers again, but I am afraid it will bring back up some of the many repressed memories I have from that time in my life. I vaguely remember the book.

 
pantagrapher said:
Two short stories that I absolutely loved around that time:

The Scarlet Ibis

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Click to expand...
I'd forgotten about the Scarlett Ibis. Something about the relationship of a well brother with his infirm brother, "Doodlebug" wasn't it? I seem to recall a line out of context from that story going "Woo, woo! Look out god get off of my track!" I do remember being moved at the end by the imagery of Doodlebug and the Ibis and their broken necks similarly akimbo. I am going to add that to the books I buy her. Good call.

 
I like that my daughter enjoys a physical book. Nothing wrong with e-books, just something special in my mind about the feel and smell of leather and paper as one enjoys a book.

 
AcerFC said:
yes

ETA: There are two short stories I remember to this day

1. Is about a girl who moves from Earth to a planet where the sun comes out once every 20 years or so. She gets locked in the closet by some losers and misses the sun

2. A story about a boy who teaches his younger brother how to walk but the end up drowning in an ocean
Click to expand...
All summer in a day is the first. My wife used to teach that also.

 
AcerFC said:
1. Is about a girl who moves from Earth to a planet where the sun comes out once every 20 years or so. She gets locked in the closet by some losers and misses the sun
Click to expand...
"All Summer in A Day", by Ray Bradbury -- as noted above. Impactful for me, as well. The planet the girl lived on was Venus.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
I used to love short story Sci-fi.

A Sound of Thunder

With Folded Hands

There Will Come Soft Rains

Harrison Bergeron
Click to expand...
Taught in school? If so, your English/Reading teachers rocked.

Vonnegut novels are taught in high schools around here ... but I didn't get exposed to his short fiction until college.

 
I don't think any of my kids read Flowers for Algernon in school. May have to look into for one of my daughters as they both love to read. Thank you for mentioning that book hadn't thought about it in ages.

 
Doug B said:
Andy Dufresne said:
I used to love short story Sci-fi.

A Sound of Thunder

With Folded Hands

There Will Come Soft Rains

Harrison Bergeron
Click to expand...
Taught in school? If so, your English/Reading teachers rocked.

Vonnegut novels are taught in high schools around here ... but I didn't get exposed to his short fiction until college.
Click to expand...
I did have some good English teachers. I don't know if Harrison Bergeron was taught specifically but we did read at least one Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle maybe) and so it was at least mentioned.There were a couple volumes of The Golden Age of Science Fiction done by Asimov and John Campbell that were awesome. All the best authors were included.

 
Doug B said:
Andy Dufresne said:
I used to love short story Sci-fi.

A Sound of Thunder

With Folded Hands

There Will Come Soft Rains

Harrison Bergeron
Click to expand...
Taught in school? If so, your English/Reading teachers rocked.

Vonnegut novels are taught in high schools around here ... but I didn't get exposed to his short fiction until college.
Click to expand...
My class read Welcome to the Monkey House in junior high.

 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
pantagrapher said:
Two short stories that I absolutely loved around that time:

The Scarlet Ibis

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Click to expand...
Somehow I missed reading Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. I just may get that for myself.
Click to expand...
Loved that story - my kid just read it for his class.

The only other story that really impacted me (much more than anything else) in HS was Night, which my son also read this semester.

 
Flowers for Algernon, and the movie, make me cry like a baby. And that was before i had a son with a cognitive disability, it would probably put me in the fetal position now.

Hopefully they read this book in class, it is among my favorites

 
“How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibilty, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs or eyes—how such people think nothing of abusing a man with low intelligence.”

 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
memories become increasingly challenging as time passes. I seem to recall that it was this story which got me looking into some short and serialized Science Fiction Stories leading quickly to satisfying times as an adolescent with Asimov, Herbert, Roger Zelazny, and others.

I suppose its foolish to hope my daughter might be guided down that route. She seems very self directed in her reading. She does have a bent, it seems, towards some of the themes I once enjoyed, though she expresses it through the Hunger Games and Divergent books.

I wonder if I could interest her in Brave New World.
Click to expand...
How old is she? Brave New World has some pretty adult content.
 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
What stories captured your imaginations as you moved into and out of adolescence?.
Click to expand...
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Phantom Tollbooth

Xanth series by Piers Anthony

 
Officer Pete Malloy said:
Our 8th graders still read it. It's an awesome story.
Click to expand...
Loved it. Right around the same I read Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury. I am not into science fiction but was then and loved it. Going to have my daughter read it over Christmas.

 
MikeIke said:
Ditkaless Wonders said:
memories become increasingly challenging as time passes. I seem to recall that it was this story which got me looking into some short and serialized Science Fiction Stories leading quickly to satisfying times as an adolescent with Asimov, Herbert, Roger Zelazny, and others.

I suppose its foolish to hope my daughter might be guided down that route. She seems very self directed in her reading. She does have a bent, it seems, towards some of the themes I once enjoyed, though she expresses it through the Hunger Games and Divergent books.

I wonder if I could interest her in Brave New World.
Click to expand...
How old is she? Brave New World has some pretty adult content.
Click to expand...
13. I read these books before that age. She is doing school work 2 years ahead of her chronological age. She is, in my estimation, ready. She is probably more than ready, but I am a protective father, reluctant, as are many fathers, to see their baby grow up, while, paradoxically, hoping they grow.

 
I remember The Necklace, The Most Dangerous Game and Federigo's Falcon as being stories I really liked.

 
There's an anthology called "tomorrow's children" that had several stories I still remember. Last I checked it was out of print.

 
This thread is producing a fine list. I am glad I asked for acess to the memory of the collective. I suppose I could have put the question to google, but there is more "humanity" in this list.

 
She is 13. She is working in school at a sophomore level. She loves dance, music, ice skating, and horseback riding. She is accomplished at all but has, for the past two years given up practice of all but dance which she does five hours six days a week. She studied the violin for a year. She self taught a fair proficiency at the piano. She writes, novels, 13 thus far. They tend towards fantasy with strong female characters overcoming obstacles. She enjoys reading dystopian works though she never writes them.

As a child I was rather precocious as well, working several grade levels ahead. My particular bent was in math and science though I did manage an 800 on the verbal portion of the SAT's so I had some breadth as well. My daughter is thus far showing signs that she may retain her standing relative to her peers as she completes puberty, something I maintained to a slight degree, but thus far not to the amount it appears she will. Her motivation and drive are beyond my experience. Very soon she will grow beyond my experience.

 
Does she like history and vampires? How about humorous books? And horror? Would something along the lines of "The Monkey's Paw" be of interest?

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
Does she like history and vampires? How about humorous books? And horror? Would something along the lines of "The Monkey's Paw" be of interest?
Click to expand...
I have not yet found the key to unlocking her interest in history. Her mother has a negative view of the subject. I try to persuade them that history is nothing more or less than fascinating stories of human motivations. It is not dates and places, it is intrigue. I tell my wife that she knows and enjoys many histories, that in Game of Thrones, the history of the Sopranos and the Ewings. She is coming around and her attitude will reflect in my daughter.

As for horror or vampires, not so much. She has shown no interest in the Twilight palp, and has shown no interest in the works of Ann Rice. Who can say though, she changes and grows daily. The Monkey's Paw is a thought. I believe I will leave a copy out where she can run across it.

It is Interesting to me that though she loves fantasy she has shown no interest in mythology. I tore through that stuff around 8 years old. I spent maybe two weeks on little else. I never revisited it again except in the Illiad and the Odyssey, I suppose, but for a brief time the subject held interest.

 
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She might like An Old Friend of the Family by Fred Saberhagen. It was written in 1979, so I have no idea how available it is. The protagonist is a teen girl whose great grandmother is Mina Harker. You can guess who the "old friend" is.

"The Bottle Imp" (short story) by Robert Louis Stevenson was good.

A sneaky way into history might be Ivanhoe (Scott) or The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Charles de Lint books (fantasy) might suit her. Jack of Kinrowan features a female lead and is a re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Also, Tanya Huff might be good. You need to review Summon the Keeper to see if it's too adult for her. Not that it's Fifty Shades or anything, but it does mention adult feelings. I would have loved it at her age, but she isn't my child.

Call of Madness by Julie Dean Smith is the first of four.

Emergence by David Palmer has a very strong female teen lead. Highly recommended. It is science fiction.

SInce you like mythology, you might want to try her on the series by Tom Deitz, starting with Windmaster's Bane. The series stars in the Celtic mythos, then segues into Indian myths (feather, not dot).

Mr R highly recommends Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey.

I'm sure we can think of lots more. Some of these are out of print. You'll have to go to eBay to find them. Lets us know what you think, and we'll refine our search.

 
AcerFC said:
yes

ETA: There are two short stories I remember to this day

1. Is about a girl who moves from Earth to a planet where the sun comes out once every 20 years or so. She gets locked in the closet by some losers and misses the sun

2. A story about a boy who teaches his younger brother how to walk but the end up drowning in an ocean
Click to expand...
Jesus Christ.

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
She might like An Old Friend of the Family by Fred Saberhagen. It was written in 1979, so I have no idea how available it is. The protagonist is a teen girl whose great grandmother is Mina Harker. You can guess who the "old friend" is.

"The Bottle Imp" (short story) by Robert Louis Stevenson was good.

A sneaky way into history might be Ivanhoe (Scott) or The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Charles de Lint books (fantasy) might suit her. Jack of Kinrowan features a female lead and is a re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Also, Tanya Huff might be good. You need to review Summon the Keeper to see if it's too adult for her. Not that it's Fifty Shades or anything, but it does mention adult feelings. I would have loved it at her age, but she isn't my child.

Call of Madness by Julie Dean Smith is the first of four.

Emergence by David Palmer has a very strong female teen lead. Highly recommended. It is science fiction.

SInce you like mythology, you might want to try her on the series by Tom Deitz, starting with Windmaster's Bane. The series stars in the Celtic mythos, then segues into Indian myths (feather, not dot).

Mr R highly recommends Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey.

I'm sure we can think of lots more. Some of these are out of print. You'll have to go to eBay to find them. Lets us know what you think, and we'll refine our search.
Click to expand...
I thank you for your thoughtful suggestions. I think we have generated a nice little list here. Actually thanks to everybody.

 
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