Best Books of 2014 - #1

We've reached the end of the countdown and my top book of 2014! 

There are so many decision I make as I make my top 10 list each year, but the #1 book is always my easiest decision. I honestly do not overthink it and let my emotions and heart guide the way. When I started making this year's list, this book was the first to come to mind. As I compared other books to it, none of them compared. Moreover, I feel that this book encompasses many of the issues other books discussed that I loved. It's a perfect mix of many of those books while standing on its own. And because I happen to read so many books I love on planes, this novel was read on a flight from Phoenix, and I didn't even try to mask my tears. 

1. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 

This book might come as a surprise if you know me well because I haven't talked about it much. It seems to personal to discuss. This book hits every piece of my heart and in the quiet moments of life, this book comes back again and again. Written in 1959, Flowers for Algernon was ahead of its time. To think that the author had explored something that could not be fathomed at the time, but is all too real today. This novel is a cautionary tale of the dangers of science. We could be destroying rather than helping ourselves. What cost is too high? Are people made equally? Whose life is more valuable? 

This is the story of Charlie, written from his perspective through diary entries. Charlie is mentally retarded and signs up for an experimental study to alter his intelligence. Keyes so elegantly captures the writing abilities of Charlie that I never question the authenticity. As Charlie undergoes more and more experiments, we see the changes to his intelligence develop through his writing. We also get to see how his view on the world changes, what becomes important to him over time, and what he loses. He also addresses the ways in which people treat him differently. Paralleling Charlie's story is the story of Algernon, a small white mouse undergoing the exact same treatments as Charlie. Algernon is our guinea pig who first tests every procedure. The turning point of the story comes when Algernon begins to digress. Charlie, now intelligent beyond the researchers, wonders what will become of him. 

While I won't give away the ending, the story does not truly reach its final destination. My only criticism, which was a masterful choice by the author, is that the novel just ends abruptly. But, really, there was no other way for it to end. My recommendation, is go out, grab a copy, and do nothing until you have savored every piece of this one. It's a perspective-changing book. I think a little bit differently about mental disability, the power of science, and the consequences to those we study. 

2014 was an amazing year for books! Some of the most heartfelt novels I have read were in this list. I cannot wait to see what 2015 holds!