One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

definitely should read this in your lifetime!

For starters, I have this strange curiosity about psychology; coincidentally we were assigned outside ready in my English class and to my delight a Ken Kesey novel was on that list, One Flew Over the Cuckoo¿s Nest. I went into the book without many expectations other than the fact that I was excited to read it, I fell in love. Not only does Kesey refrain from shying away from saying something vulgar and true, he shines a light on what many don¿t want to see. Based on semi-non-fictional experiences, Kesey offers a glimpse into a psychiatric ward in the late 1950s. Many things are learned throughout the novel such as brutal ways patients were treated with, the head nurse exercising a totalitarian rule over the ward and that not all the patients are crazy rather they have tendencies that are different from the norm. I really loved the novel and I highly recommend it as a ¿must read¿ because it touched topics that most people would not think of on a normal basis and really made you question the definition of insanity.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A timeless Classic thrills new Generations

The novel One Flew Over a Cuckoo¿s Nest is a dark, classic book that describes the journey of ex-prisoner Randle Patrick McMurphy and how he shakes up the life of a mental hospital after being sentenced as a patient himself. He claims to be insane but quickly shows his rebellious persona by challenging authority in the ward with his dramatic way to take over. The book maps his constant battle with the big nurse Ratched who is the overseeing power of the institution. Their combative ways is an eye-opening and compelling story line that shows the era of the 1960¿s was way different from today. The repetitive themes found in the book are standing up for one¿s self even if it is against a higher power and of course surviving the cruel, brain frying punishments executed in the disturbed ward. McMurphy is a brute and forceful man that has to push nurse Ratched¿s boundaries and break the rules to keep him from actually going crazy. I found myself riveted with the storyline and always wanting to turn the page to read what scheme McMurphy had dreamt up next to put into action. His interactions with the other patients was humorous and gave a clear picture of what life must have been like living with such twisted and physiologically disturbed people. McMurphy might not be considered the stereotyped ¿Hero¿ but is a timeless character who you want to see succeed nevertheless. Author Ken Kessey was not disillusioned into creating tragic endings. It is not a book for a younger audience or a feel good time. This book can measure up into being one of the greatest horror stories written and a perfect read during the Halloween season. If you enjoy this book as much as I did, I would recommend the following novels that give off the same eerie but page turning thrill; 1984 by George Orwell, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Go ask Alice by Anonymous, or 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This book was an impeccable piece of writing with a shining 5 star quality. It is a longer read but the pages fly as the novel steadily peaks to the climax and shocking ending.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

nest is great

very interesting take on the treatments of the mentally ill. sometimes funny, other time ver harsh. a slow read, but a must read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Phenomenal

This book was phenomenal. It's a crazy adventure right from the get go, and boy, that adventure rages and powers on through all 325 pages of the book. The story is simply amazing, Kesey's description of the ward, his world, really puts you into the state of mind of living in a place like that. The book is fantastic right up to the very end. I would definitely recommend this to anyone up for one insane (no pun intended) ride.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

highly recommended

The emotioal book "One flew over cuckoo's nest" by Ken Kesey is a story about unseen control of authority over the lives of innocent people in the mental asylum in the name of medical treatment or making them good citizens. The author described the asylum scene very effectively and thoroughly.I'' recommend everyone to read this book because it leaves the thoughtful affect that how each one of us are bound by someone else's claim that we are right or we don't need to take any medicine to be fit. The book tells the demanding and dominating nature of big nurse, who wants to control every patient's life and decide about their mental capacity to move into a society. She has no kind feeling for any one but to show her superiority by neglecting all patient's happiness. The author chose very effective language to describe her and the main patient McMurphy, who was supposed to be a patient but he was more kind than the nurse. He understands the needs and the feelings of others more than the big nurse.She,herself,actually was mentally sick. The book actually written in 60's but the central idea could still be apply today. I only don't like the ending, which shows that good intentions ends soon. This is very emotioal and impressive book over all.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

you must check it out!!

personally, i hate reading books.i don't mean fictions or short stories,i mean reading in general.but when i was taking my English class,i had to read this one book titled, "one flew over the cuckoo's nest", by Ken Kesey.it was so interesting that i didn't even get bored while reading it.the way the book was written was very understandable and detailed.i didn't need to refer a dictionary or ask someone to know what the book is trying to say.

i would recommend this book for anyone to read because, the story is very unique, interesting and has a whole lot of new information in it.by the time i was done reading this book, i was so amazed and shocked.and the reason for that is,this book contain a disturbing part at the end, and when my friend told me they actually do that kind of stuff in real life, i didn't know what to say.so people should really read this book because they will know what is really going on not only in a fiction book, but in a real life also.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Must Read

Every high school student should read this book. I don't really have much else to say.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

read it!!!!!!!!!!

one of my favorite books...in summery the story is>>>>> you throw a character who is outspoken, careless, selfish and in various trouble with the law into a center for those mentally insane. at first it bothers to a degree some of the things he sees there and some of the things he stirs up with his less than polite comments. However by the end you ll see a shift in the characters motives>> this book definately pulls you in instantly>>its very random too so keep up with the hazy form of speech the patients have....but definatley worth it at the end! mainly a gray mood book but the idea behind it is important i think.....>>>read it!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nice Book

This book was excellent! The plot was good but was a little confusing in the beginning. The ending was a good surprise and I didn't expect it to end the way it did. Some Mental Institutions can be very harsh and some not, but this one in the book really captured the feel of it. The characters in the book are well thought out and after doing research it was even more interesting on how Ken came to create the characters. The best created character has got to be Chief Bromden. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good ending and excitement and suspicion. Even though this book was published in the 1960's, it is still a great book that a lot of people read. Kesey was a genius in writing this book, it still has its popularity today and will continue for much longer.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book!!!!

I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone! It is a very interesting book with lots of twists and surprises. The ending to this book is fantastic. You will never see it coming. The author, Ken Kesey did an awesome job telling the story. It does get confusing at times though, so I wouldn't recommend it to younger people. Also, if you are turned off or offended by cursing or sex, this is not the book for you. There are many curse words and sex references throughout the novel. This book really opens your eyes to see how terrible conditions used to be in mental institutions. It can even get disturbing every once in a while, but in the long run, I think that this is a book that everyone should get a chance to read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A General Review

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a book worth reading. Ken Kesey illustrates the world of Chief perfectly. He puts the whole setting of a mental institution into complete perspective. Throught the book you find yourself being pulled into his life. You seem to find yourself there, in the Dayroom, with all the other characters. Ken Kesey sets up a world through which the reader learns to respect others. You learn to feel like those with disabilities do. In reading this, I learned more about myself as a person. I learned to have more patience with those who can't fully understand everything they hear. While it is not a light read or an entirely clean, I believe that it is a very good book worthy for consideration. This book was certainly a great influence on my reading palette.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Review

The beginning of the story dumps you into the everyday cycle of a mental hospital that is situated within Oregon run by a retired Army nurse, Nurse Ratched. She believes it is best to rule the ward with an "iron fist" and performs shock therapy and even lobotomies if patients misbehave. It seemed to me that the novel was going to be way to confusing for my taste, but a few chapters in and I was hooked. The story is narrated by a patient at the ward, "Chief" Bromden, who is half Native American-half White and who suffers from paranoia and hallucinations. He has been at the ward longer than any other patient, about ten years. Chief Bromden pretends to be deaf so he can be left alone and isn't noticed within the ward. He refers to the outside world as "the combine" where people are forced to act all the same. Every day at the hospital is the same, continuous cycle until a guy named Randle Patrick McMurphy comes to the ward. He is introduced as big and full of tattoos, a gambling man. He had been diagnosed as a psychopath for doing to much fighting. After he learns the routine of the ward, and meets Nurse Ratched, he makes a bet that he can get Nurse Ratched to crack before she cracks him. The rest of the story persists of the two of them going back and forth with each other until Nurse Ratched finally has had enough and uses her unfair advantages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest

One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest is a novel by Ken Kesey. In this classic novel of the 1960's, Kesey's hero, Randle Patrick McMurphy, a convict rebel, enters the world of a mental hospital and takes over. McMurphy rallies the other patinents by trying to over rule the cruel and manipulative, controlled leadership of Nurse Ratched. He gambles, promotes riots among patients and smuggles in wine and hookers. This novel is truely captivating. Many aspects of it are based on occurrences author Ken Kesey witnessed while working in an insane hospital in the 1950's-60's when experimentation of meth, LSD, etc. were in vogue. Juxtapposed the experimentation of EST and lobotomies. When the patients became united against the common evil of the ward's employees headed by Nurse Ratched their bonds grow deep. The characters despite their common problems, are likeable and surprisingly realistic, for example at the beginning the character Chief Broom feigns deaf and dumb. Under the leadership of McMurphy he comes out of his shell and becomes a part of this society. An unexpected ending adds to the book's costant thrill factor.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Interesting, A Must Read Chief Bromden, the narrator of One Fle

Interesting, A Must Read
Chief Bromden, the narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is a ten-year patient of the Oregon Psychiatric hospital. He has extreme paranoia, as is evident from the start of the book. He suffers from hallucinations and delusions. He is dominated by what he refers to as the “Combine”, controlling society and forcing people into conformity. He pretends to be deaf and dumb, and tries his hardest to be left alone by the rest of the ward’s patients. The patients, all male, are divided up into two “groups”, the Acutes, who have a chance of being cured of their insanity, and the Chronics, who cannot be cured. All patients are dominated by a leading female figure, Nurse Ratched, a former army nurse. Bromden and Ratched have entertaining confrontations throughout the book. When Randle McMurphy arrives from a work farm, all other patients suspect that he merely pretended to be insane to escape the farm. Bromden immediately senses that something is different about him as he introduces himself as a heavy gambler. The book continues as Bromden recounts the events about McMurphy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a book that shows the true meaning of laughter, the importance of expressing sexuality, and depicts women as “threatening”.
The power of laughter is a strong theme in this book. Patients in the ward go day by day with little laughter and excitement. The ward is boring, dark, and days go by the same as always. However, when McMurphy enters the ward, patients hear real laughter for the first time. In one point in the book, Bromden recalls from his childhood, “I forget sometimes what laughter can do.” Another message in this book is the importance of openly expressing sexuality. Many of the patients in the ward have much different sexual identities because of past relationships with women. Nurse Ratched continues to have a very controlled ward, and this contrasts with her wishes. Many of the men in the ward see Nurse Ratched as overpowering and demanding, and she shapes the men’s ideas about women.
One of the things that I didn’t like in the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was the “openness” of the book. This book is an adult book, and many of the messages in the book are not appropriate for young readers. I did not like how “sexual” the book was, and that bothered me while I was reading the book. It was distracting from the true meaning of the book. I really liked and appreciated the character development in this book, and it was obvious that the author spent much time developing the characters to make them as strong and driven as possible.
I would recommend this book to older readers, not necessarily to younger readers. This becomes obvious while reading the book. I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy complex books. Overall, I would give this book 7 out of 10 stars.

This book takes place in an Oregon insane asylum. Written in 19

This book takes place in an Oregon insane asylum. Written in 1959, the story is narrated by the very quiet non-talking native American patient called chief. He focuses on telling the story of the very rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy, who went to the asylum to get out of prison. McMurphy spends most of his time trying to upset and anger the top nurse Mildred Ratched. There is a constant power struggle between the two of them. Throughout the whole book McMurphy takes any chance he can get to rebel, leading the rest of the patients with him. The end of this book has a very unpredictable and interesting twist.
I liked how the book was told in perspective of chief. He tells the story very well and even adds some surprising twists about himself. Honestly there wasn’t a very strong story line, so its hard to follow along at points, but the ending was very good.
I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in psychology, or mental patients. I would give this book a 7 out of 10 because sometimes it was hard to follow, but overall it was alright.

The Insane Fighting the System. Ken Kesey's "One flew ov

The Insane Fighting the System.
Ken Kesey's "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" is a story about an institution for the insane and its patients who decide to fight against the totalitarianism society created by the head nurse, Mrs. Ratched. The story is narrarated from Mr. Bromden's, often referred to as "Chief", perspective. At the beginning of the story, Chief notices a new man that just got transferred to the ward. This man is Randle McMurphy who began to change things as soon as walked in. McMurphy decides he doesn't like being bossed around and watching the other patients get pushed by Mrs. Ratched and her staff, so he decides to fight against the system. Throughout the story, McMurphy turns the ward upside down through his mischief and disobedience. The reader observes as he changes each character from the inside-out. He teaches the other patients how to be brave and manly, while they teach him about friendship and a little bit about responsibility. As the motion of the plot accelerates, you begin to wonder if Mrs. Ratched's system is even beatable and there is a surprising but yet unavoidable twist. The theme of this novel is the concept of fighting the system. This concept is intertwined with the motives of the character and of the plot itself. I liked the perspective of the Chief, but I disliked how it was sometimes difficult to understand his concept of reality. I recommend this book for readers 16+ because of the content and concepts. This is a classic book that may not be a liesurely read, but should be read at least once in one's lifetime. Overall rating is 3 stars.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is a classic novel about a phsyc

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is a classic novel about a phsyc ward run by a strict, manipulating woman. She has all of the patients on "puppet strings" until a man named McMurphy comes in and turns things upside down. He encourages things like gamblig and questions everything done on the ward. The speaker in the book is a patient in the ward and his view on things leaves the reader wondering whether the things going on in the ward are as crazy as they seem or if it's just his halucinations. I like the fact that the book makes you fall in love with or truely hate certain characters. The only thing I dislike about the book is that it takes so long to finally get into. Things don't start heating up for a while. Overall, I would strongly suggest reading this book!

Uninterested but Decent

It's a bit cuckoo calling one of the best books ever written 'decent,' but that's how I feel about it. While I adored McMurphy as the main character, everything else seemed to be faced with an either interesting or safe route for the plot and more often than not chose safe. I will admit, there are plenty upon plenty of unexpected twists and turns product of McMurphy's unquenchable thirst to be free, but I find myself watching the story from outside of a glass box, pressing my face against the glass and begging to be let in. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something in the story takes me away from the whole experience. The human mind and it's inner workings have always fascinated me, so when I picked up this book, my hope was that I'd feel exactly like one of the mental patients and with the atmosphere it sets up, they come so close, but they miss it.
On the bright side, the serious moments are indeed serious and many of the book's points made tear up a bit. McMurphy, as I said before, is an amazing lead character. The conflicting personalities are even more conflicted when the different mental conditions are introduced and the main antagonist isn't an evil woman, but seriously cares for her patients and has good reasons for her controlling ways.
The story is by no means bad, but missed out on some key strategies that would've made it that much better. I respect the story for its originality and phenomenal characters. It might just be my opinion, but I'm not the biggest fan of this story. I'd sooner recommend A Clockwork Orange for those who are interested in the human mind and its struggle with free will.

Interesting-to say the least

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a story about a group of men in a asylum, and how they live they're lives. The lives of the patients are clam until, a rowdy redneck comes in and is a trouble maker from the time he is admitted. He breaks all the rules that he can, and gets the others involved with them. Most of his ideas are stopped by the ward nurse, Miss Ratched. How will this "cowboy" break this nurse's spirit?- What I liked about this book is how interesting the "adventures" that go on in this book make the characters change. The character development of so many characters, shows how skilled someone is at doing so. What was less appetizing was how long and drawn out some of the chapters were. It didn't seems needed for some of those chapters to be as long as they were. Someone else should read this for the obvious reasons of entertainment, and an interesting story. And for the less obvious reasons of character development and all the interesting details.

Absolutely incredible

A very interesting story that will definitely anger you and told from the psychotic and paranoia point of view. Nurse Ratched is one of the worst villians in the history of fictional stories. This book will get you addicted from the beginning to end and you'll be wishing for more. The movie featuring Jack Nicholson is also highly recommended too, it's one of the greatest books and movies ever.