Paperback, 312 pages
English language
Published 2003 by Penguin Books.
Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.
This edition includes a new forward by Kesey, a new text introduction by Robert Faggan, and line drawings the author made when writing the book, many never before published.
Cover illustration by Paul Wearing
--back cover
This book was quite an amazing read. I loved following the adventures of McMurphy as he bucked against the system and tried to help those around him. Seeing through the eyes of Bromden with his psychedelic descriptions were like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon and really made this story enjoyable.
Ken Kesey wrote an absolutely perfect story, the plot grips you asking what McMurphy will dare next, written from a perspective that happily contextualizes and compares the exploits of McMurphy, until the very end. This is a must read book for anyone interested psychiatry and a tribute to Ken Kesey's literary power.
Mielisairaalaan sijoittuva tarina tahtojen taistosta ja ihmisen taistelusta koneistoa vastaan. Osastolle tulee uusi potilas, joka ei alistu sääntöihin ja tekee kaikkensa saadakseen kovan linjan johtajahoitajan murtumaan. Tässä on aika paljon populaarikulttuurista tuttua oldskool-mielisairaalakuvastoa, ja voihan olla, että juuri tämä kirja (ja tästä tehty elokuvasovitus — sellainenkin ymmärtääkseni on) on paljon muovannutkin sitä, millaisina 1960-luvun mielisairaalat on mielletty. Ihan jees tarina, joskin päähenkilö ja hänen valitsemansa keinot eivät nyt aina niin hirveästi sympatiapisteitä saa.
