FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON: A Science Fiction Masterpiece That Still Makes Readers Cry
Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 October 2025
⏱️ 93 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Support our Halloween “Overcoming the Darkness” campaign to help people with depression: https://weirddarkness.com/HOPE
IN THIS EPISODE: The short story by Daniel Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon” became so popular it was later turned into a full novel, and then eventually made its way to movie screens. The short story was written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and was so loved that it won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.
SOURCES:
BOOK: “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964”, https://amzn.to/3SePNlh
=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: October 12, 2023
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/FlowersForAlgernon
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
#WeirdDarkness #FlowersForAlgernon #ClassicSciFi #ScienceFiction #DanielKeyes #AudioDrama #SciFiStory #LiteraryFiction #HeartbreakingStory #ClassicLiterature
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Weird Darkness is celebrating our birthday this month. We use this annual celebration to help those |
| 0:04.7 | who struggle with depression. Every October, we raise money for organizations that help people |
| 0:09.3 | overcome depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide and self-harm. It's called Overcoming the |
| 0:14.8 | Darkness, and you can make a donation right now at weirddarkness.com slash hope. That's weirddarkness.com slash hope. |
| 0:23.1 | A gift of any amount helps, with every dollar bringing hope to someone affected by depression. |
| 0:28.1 | To donate, to get more information about overcoming the darkness, or to find hope to battle back |
| 0:32.9 | the darkness of depression in yourself or someone you love, visit weirddarkness.com |
| 0:37.4 | slash hope. |
| 0:38.6 | The fundraiser ends on Halloween night at midnight, so please give right now while you're |
| 0:43.8 | thinking about it. That's weirddarkness.com slash hope. |
| 0:47.8 | October is birthday month for weird darkness. This year makes 10 years of doing the show. |
| 0:53.0 | But while it's our birthday, we want the gifts to go to those who help people who suffer from depression, anxiety, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm. |
| 1:01.1 | That's what our annual Overcoming the Darkness campaign is all about. |
| 1:04.3 | It's the only fundraiser I have all year long. |
| 1:07.2 | You can bring hope to those who are lost in the darkness of depression. |
| 1:10.7 | You can make a donation right now at weirddarkness.com slash hope. |
| 1:15.3 | I'll close out the fundraiser at the end of October and announce how much we raised. |
| 1:19.2 | The more we raise, the more people we can help. |
| 1:21.8 | To donate, get more information about the fundraiser and the organizations we're supporting, |
| 1:26.0 | or find hope for yourself or someone |
| 1:28.1 | you know who are fighting depression, visit weirddarkness.com slash hope. Please donate now while you're |
| 1:34.1 | thinking about it. Weirddarkness.com slash hope. We all know someone who struggles with depression, |
... |
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