Paperback, 393 pages
English language
Published Jan. 7, 2006 by Penguin Books.
Being "mad" isn't easy...
Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict, unbending routine. Her patients, cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy, dare not oppose her. But everything changes with the arrival of McMurphy – the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin. McMurphy battles Nurse Ratched and the ward regime, challenging everyone's beliefs about madness... who, of them all, is really insane? --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.
