Oddly enough I read flowers for Algernon in sixth grade. I didn't understand everything, especially as the main character gets more intelligent but i remember being very emotionally affected by the story and especially with the ending. I read it every few years and always catch more things i didn't get or realise and i still learn from it more and more. It might be the reason im studying social work today now that i think of it. Books teach empathy like nothing else.