One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

In a psychiatric hospital in Oregon in 1963, a native american man named Bromden, called "Chief" by other patients slowly rots away. From both his confinement, mental illness, and from the clutches of the manipulative head nurse, miss Ratched. He has been there as long as anyone can remember, and know one knows much about him. . He act's as though he is mute and deaf to avoid attention, and stay out of the head nurses way. He observes the ward from a far, and all that was about to happen. It all started with Nurse Ratched.

Miss Ratched uses her authority and ability to abuse patients' illnesses and insecurities to subdue them, keeping the ward in perfect working order - all the while maintaining the persona as a caring person, who only wants to help the patients. She is a master of implication, and uses the harsh treatments available at the hospital to punish patients. It appears as though the ward will stay under the firm grip of Nurse Ratched until one man arrives who will change everything - the man who would question the head nurse. his name: Randle Patrick McMurphy.

Randle Patrick McMurphy does not actually have any mental illnesses, (besides maybe a gambling addiction) instead he faked his way out of the work farm and into the hospital in order to have an easier rest of his sentence. He had been in and out of the corrections system for his whole life practically, just because he could not help himself when it came to trouble. He was finishing a sentence for statutory rape of a fifteen year old girl, but his stay would not be as easy as he hoped.

Right of the bat, Randle begins disobeying the strict guidelines the head nurse has set, and starts to rouse insubordination in the patients. He begins gambling with patients, causing mischief, and even generates laughter - something the ward has missed for many years. This is all to miss Ratched's liking, and as her perfect web of lies and manipulation that encases the ward begins to disintegrate, she tightens her grip on the patients, and uses the full extent of her power.

This book is truly excellent. It is classic - and It's probably the best book I have read all year. Why? Three main things: The first is that Kesey does an incredible job of exploring characters - which he really had to do, because this book is largely character driven. Randle and Miss Ratched are intricate and interesting characters - by the end you will understand them very well, and have strong emotions about both.

The second reason: The setting. It takes place in a psychiatric hospital - in a time where mental hospitals were getting better, but treatment was still relatively harsh, and most people seemed to want to just forget about those that were unfit to society. Kesey shows us inside the horrors of mental facilities, and teaches us to empathize with people that have crippling mental illness - which makes this book very powerful.

 The third reason: The writing and the storyline. The way this book was done is outstanding. A story that packs an educational and emotional punch, and writing that has great use of metaphors and similes, and takes us in the mind of a mental patient. If you have gotten this far, I hope you understand how good this book is, and I hope this inspires you too read the book, because this book is great, and you will get alot out of it.