title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nestauthor: Ken Kesey
page count: 272
basic summery: It's told in first person narrative of a guy who's committed to an asylum. A new patient (McMurphy) comes in an reeks havoc on the ward, creating uprising among the crazies against the staff. I developed crazy empathy for the looneys and their victories really do feel like your own. McMurphy is the quintessential contemporary fiction hero. Also, the narrator is a lunatic so his reactions and thought process' are really unique compared to other books but not in a "hard to follow" sort of way nor an "overdone and confusing" way.
other comments: Kesey (the author) went to Stanford on a scholarship. In 1959, he volunteered in a CIA-financed clinical trial of psychoactive drugs (acid, mushrooms and DMT to name a few). Later in life, he drove a bus with his friends, "The Merry Pranksters", all around the states and showed people how to expand their minds with psychedelics. There are other books and movies about this adventure. When I read one, I'll tell you.
It should also be noted that Kesey died of diabetes, not insanity brought on by losing his shit.
love,
kristen
