Author Topic: EP490: Flowers for Algernon  (Read 24988 times)

shanehalbach

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 189
  • Clockwork Lasercorn
    • shanehalbach.com
Reply #25 on: May 01, 2015, 08:50:30 PM
I must have done it right, it's already up on the site.  ;D
« Last Edit: May 01, 2015, 08:52:34 PM by shanehalbach »



benjaminjb

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1389
Reply #26 on: May 01, 2015, 09:21:06 PM
Very interesting to revisit a story I knew (like most people here) from school.

And, like everyone here noted, DKT's reading was really good.



tmaple

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #27 on: May 05, 2015, 02:36:26 AM
I remember this from high school,when it was done as a play.  Having seen my father through Alzheimer's, and wondering if it's in my future, I hear this story very differently now.
And, as others have said, the reading was outstanding.



Ariadnes-thread

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 32
Reply #28 on: May 06, 2015, 07:10:26 AM
Such a good story, and a masterful reading, too! Somehow I'd never read this story or the novel, and while I'd vaguely heard of it and knew that it had some major character with intellectual disabilities, I don't think I even knew that it was science fiction until it showed up on my podcast feed. Somehow I think I'd conflated it with the very very different novel Flowers in the Attic, weirdly enough. And I couldn't be more glad to be disabused of my vague conflations and assumptions in exchange for getting to listen to this fantastic story. As a relatively new SF reader, I'm always thrilled when Escape Pod introduces me to the classics of the genre!



GrnEgz

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #29 on: May 07, 2015, 11:13:20 PM
It's been a quarter century since I was last exposed to this story in my 8th grade English (Mrs Hall) class at Goddard Jr High and it's amazing at the similar deep visceral reaction I had both times. I had a similar reaction this time around as many others have already mentioned, the fear of a dementia state.

I've lost several loved ones (both people and pets) over the years and a few of them to dementia. Watching a once quick witted and vibrant person slowly slip into forgetfulness and frustration is just heart-wrenching to me. I love my brain and I love the pleasure I get from the act of learning, pondering, solving or discovering. A great fear of mine was borne out in this story, becoming handcuffed to a malfunctioning brain afflicted with any form of dementia; to be aware that this amazing ability I once had is beginning to no longer serve me. To forget where I am, where I came from, who my friends and love ones are or even who I am. To struggle to find memories or simple words. To have the ability to converse, discuss or exchange ideas slowly being taken away is a literal nightmare for me. I briefly did experience this while trying to find the right dose of a medication I'm taking and I was truly scared when word began to fail me.

This, I think, is what grabs me so deeply when I heard the story again. To have decades of memories and the fruits of education slip away uncontrollably and just barely beyond reach. So tantalizingly close, and yet forever far away; the modern day Tantalus.



George

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #30 on: May 12, 2015, 08:57:26 PM
I first read this story about six years ago in the anthology Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol 1 and it has haunted me more than any other book or film or TV show I've read or seen since. 

This is in part because Charlie has to accept the bitterly cruel knowledge that he will, piece by piece, be forced to forfeit his mental acuity, his memory, his relationships, and his dignity. Truly, he is losing the sum of his identity, except his heart.  It may or may not be a poor comparison, but this story makes me very fearful of Alzheimer's disease, which seems to become closer to an inevitability as we enjoy longer lives. 

The second reason this story cuts so close to the bone for me is it puts me in mind of my sibling.  This person has suffered all their life with a learning disability, high anxiety, and morbid obesity brought on not by their diet, but by some other factor no doctor had been able to diagnose in decades of fruitless appointments.  This individual has been afforded none of the good fortune I have,  but like Charlie, they maintain a kindness and determination that belies more grit than most of us could ever summon.  This story makes me very ashamed I have never been able to improve my sibling's lot in life.

I almost didn't listen this week, knowing how  I would be affected, but I trusted it would be well treated by Escape Artists, and was not disappointed.  Thank you Alasdair and Dave.



The_Hol-Man

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • The Hol Story
Reply #31 on: May 15, 2015, 06:32:04 PM
I don't have anything more to say than this story was just as amazing here as it was the first time I read it  so many years ago.  Thanks for bringing us this classic!

 -Andy



FrogNLotus

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Reply #32 on: May 17, 2015, 12:15:21 AM
The thing I like about Escapepod and the other Escape Artist podcasts is that they connect me with current and past masterpieces in each genre.  Thank you!  I've been enjoying these since 2011 and my life is richer for it. 



Max e^{i pi}

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1038
  • Have towel, will travel.
Reply #33 on: May 20, 2015, 02:00:39 PM
Wow.
I was daunted by the length of this episode, and I'm glad I found the time to listen to it.
I think that the greatest indication of how good this episode (story plus reading) was, is how many people who don't post often came to say something about the episode. Not to mention all those people who joined specifically to comment on this thread.
Well done, Dave. And thank you to the Keyes family.

Cogito ergo surf - I think therefore I network

Registered Linux user #481826 Get Counted!



J.T. Evans

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 9
    • J. T. Evans
Reply #34 on: May 23, 2015, 04:32:13 AM
I almost crashed my car into the rear of another because it was hard to see through the tears I cried as Dave finished his narration. He captured the emotional highs and lows with absolute perfection, and the raw entry hit me hard. The final line was delivered with such a gut-wrenching finality that I decided it was best for me to pull over and continue my good cry before continuing on with my errands.



MooG

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Reply #35 on: May 30, 2015, 03:52:12 PM
Finally got around to listening to this story and I thought I'd stop by to add to the praise for Dave Thompson's reading. I wondered how this would work as audio given how much the text plays a part in telling the story. In truth I think it's still better read than listened to but that's not to diminish the effectiveness of the reading.

I know some of the people who read stories sometimes read the comments; so I'd like to ask them if narrating what's generally regarded as a classic puts on extra pressure. After all if the podcast turns out rubbish it's difficult to blame the source material if everybody reckons it's brilliant.



matweller

  • EA Staff
  • *****
  • Posts: 678
Reply #36 on: June 02, 2015, 01:25:41 PM
Dave can answer this on his own, but I can say there was more discussion about the portrayal of this story than on almost any other I've seen in my 4-years-or-so here.

There was some added concern about doing justice to a classic. There was also a lot of concern about expressing the thoughts of a learning-disabled individual without being ham fisted or stereotypical, and as you said, a lot of Charlie's ability is expressed in the text in ways that don't necessarily translate to audio -- how do you convey awkward line spacing or misspellings that are phonetically correct?

It was a challenge, and I'm very proud of the result of Dave's careful consideration.



DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #37 on: June 02, 2015, 02:56:52 PM
Wow, everyone. Thank you so much for the kind words on the narration. It was an honor and a privilege to read it, and I'm really grateful to Mat and Norm for asking me. I am really floored by all the love :)

I know some of the people who read stories sometimes read the comments; so I'd like to ask them if narrating what's generally regarded as a classic puts on extra pressure. After all if the podcast turns out rubbish it's difficult to blame the source material if everybody reckons it's brilliant.

Mat kind of touched on this, but I'll add.  I was a little concerned at messing up a classic, but I knew the story itself would still be around. I was much more concerned about playing Charlie in a way that was respectful. I didn't want to make him sound silly, and I knew in an audio performance, that would be a very easy mistake to make. It would be very easy for the story -- and specifically the narration -- to become problematic.

Thankfully, Mat was aware of that too, and so we discussed it at length via email, and I sent him some rough samples from different sections of the story, and then went ahead and recorded the whole thing. It was more of a collaborative experience than the stories I've narrated in the past (or requested narrations for), which I am really thankful for. And when it came time to record, it all went very smoothly. And I'm very gratified by the response it's received.


hardware

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 192
Reply #38 on: June 03, 2015, 08:30:46 AM
One of these titles that you constantly hear referenced, but I never got around to reading (not a staple in Swedish schools), so it was a privilege to get it served in this form. Thanks for educating me, Escape Pod. Other than that, like everyone here has said, great reading of an amazing story!



mb

  • Guest
Reply #39 on: June 05, 2015, 01:44:27 PM
absolutely AMAZING story
I so loved the way its language reflects the increase and subsequent degradation of intelligence
While I loved the general idea, I felt the worldbuilding was a bit off: this seemed to be official research, but whey don't they care for him? why is there no insuranced that supports him in the end? I understand what they author was trying to do, but in some cases I just felt 'now this is not realisitic at all, this just doesn't make sense'. But then again it is a short story, and maybe this was a way of compressing what was said to the important minimum...

on that note: I just realised that this was then turned into an actual much longer novel. I am not sure I'd be interested in that, though. I think this short story had the perfect lenght for this theme and style... I might have glance at the book just to see what is different.



bounceswoosh

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 305
Reply #40 on: June 05, 2015, 09:05:54 PM
I would not assume that someone would get lifetime health insurance just because they were in a study. I hope I'm wrong about that.



Devoted135

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1252
Reply #41 on: June 07, 2015, 09:21:31 PM
You also have to keep in mind this story's age, which very much plays into those aspects.

I distinctly remember reading this in my 7th grade English class and being really impacted by it. That was the class that helped me to understand and love poetry, and great classics like this one. Rikki Tikki Tavi, anyone? It was also the class in which I completely to failed to memorize all 50-ish prepositions in the English language, a task I felt was entirely arbitrary. ::)

I also have to continue the piling on of praise for Dave's narration. I could hear the misspellings and punctuation errors. And the descent of his IQ was heart-breaking all over again, even though I knew it was coming. Thanks so much for bringing us this episode!



Captain (none given)

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 16
  • Activate Ridiculosity Drive
Reply #42 on: June 30, 2015, 03:20:15 AM
This story in all its forms is furthermore banned for my life for the same reason that my father no longer associates with John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men: I become non-functional due to emotional overload. This is especially a problem due to the fact that I'm usually driving as I listen to these podcasts. My oldest brother is mentally disabled and is the main reason that I'm set to go into the field of neurology and my father and I have trouble listening to stories where mentally disabled persons are abused, taken advantage of, or generally don't get the happy ending because we always think of my brother in those situations.

Classic story, I love it, but keep it away from me.

"The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart." -- Maya Angelou


SilverSeadragon

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Reply #43 on: July 29, 2015, 04:45:36 AM
I, like many others, read this story in high school. I found it a sad but enjoyable experience back then.
With the addition of years of life experience and this absolutely beautiful reading, this hit me hard. Alzheimer's runs in my family, and the end had me bawling. I had to explain to some very confused co-workers why my headphones made me cry!
I love the format of this story too. So much is said with so little.



jaxdracon

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Reply #44 on: July 31, 2015, 09:14:30 PM
I liked this one so much, I listened to it again on a road trip with my kids. They were speechless the entire time. And didn't fight. The power of science fiction!

Way to go DKT.



Devoted135

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1252
Reply #45 on: August 01, 2015, 01:50:29 AM
I liked this one so much, I listened to it again on a road trip with my kids. They were speechless the entire time. And didn't fight. The power of science fiction!

Way to go DKT.

That's a big win!



BoojumsRCool

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 27
    • The Boojum
Reply #46 on: August 08, 2015, 11:03:39 PM
The combination of the story and narrator was perfect! Many other voices would not have held me long enough to get hooked on a very good story.

Boojums ARE cool!


adrianh

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 752
    • quietstars
Reply #47 on: August 09, 2015, 08:01:06 AM
Can't really add anything to what everybody else has said. A classic story, one of my all time favourites, wonderfully read.

One particular sad point for me was that until I listened to the intro I had somehow missed that Keyes had died last year.

One interesting thing, since Alasdair mentioned Keyes time working in the comics industry, was that the idea for the story started as a comics pitch called "Brainstorm" that he didn't submit to Stan Lee since he thought it would work better in prose form.



(from Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey By Daniel Keyes)



Sgarre1

  • Editor
  • *****
  • Posts: 1214
  • "Let There Be Fright!"
Reply #48 on: August 09, 2015, 01:50:47 PM
Ironic, because sometime in the 90s they did an "Algernon" pastiche with The Rhino.



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #49 on: August 10, 2015, 08:12:30 PM
I haven't subscribed for years, but I'm going to have to make this one a special download. I read the short version in high school (mid/late '80s), and the novel two or three years ago.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising