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This book details the story of Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) and his gang-like following "The Merry Pranksters". Through interviews and recordings and videos, Wolfe was able to reconstruct their journey across the USA in a painted bus named "Furthur", not only just the story itself but the subjective reality of those involved which would have been rather difficult considering the chemical combinations involved in their activities. Kesey was a member of a group experimented on with LSD, mescaline and cocaine among other things in a Veteran's hospital. After transforming his entire street into members of the psychedelic movement; the Merry Pranksters were born.
The book is written confusedly it seems although maybe if I had been on acid when I read it, it would have been less confusing. It details the ups and downs as well as the almost cult-like ethic of the Pranksters led by Kesey. It also contains recollections of their "Acid experiments" involving giving people acid without informing them. The psychedelic movement was just beginning, Kesey was being watched by the police and the delightful way in which this story is told makes you think Wolfe was right there amongst it. It truly is a unique journalistic story which is purposefully confusing but as is said "you're either on the bus or off the bus."
In a similar way to a psychedelic experience it rambles on and off topic and on again, back and forth between states of being, up and down through paranoia and enjoyment. It sort of makes you, at times, want to be right there in the bus, bouncing along with the bearded hippies thinking the world is a beautiful place.
This book is truly a classic, never read anything quite like it with the possible exception of Hunter S. Thompson. I highly recommend it.
This is an amazing book that I have wanted to read for ages, and have not seen the movie of despite the fact that I love Jack Nicholson. It details life inside a psychiatric ward under the tyrannical rule of Nurse Wratched who rules over the patients with a seemingly iron fist until a certain patient comes along.
The book is narrated by a half Indian patient, Chief Bromden, who clearly has hallucinations and delusions and this can be seen from the first pages. The Chief repeatedly speaks of what he knows as "The Combine", a huge overseer of all human interaction that demands conformity in society.
From the beginning, the patients in the hospital are divided by the Chief into "acutes" and "chronics". Acutes being the ones who have a chance of being cured, and the chronics who are viewed as being sick for life. The Nurse Ratched rules over them in such a way that she has them bringing out the worst of each other in what she deems group therapy meetings, if someone rebels they are sent for electroshock treatments or even lobotomies, even though the book was set in a time where both treatments had surpassed their heyday.
Randall Mcmurphy arrives and changes the place forever, signaling that he will not give into the Nurse's authority, and even persuading the doctor to rebel against her continuous demands. In a way McMurphy serves as a saviour in what seems like a whirlpool of human life and interaction that will never end. The book follows a series of events which show how power shifts between people and is an amazing display of perceived power versus actual power.
I won't give too much away in this book, because you truly have to read it to really understand the enormity of underlying themes and the powerful writing which is featured. I was amazed by what I experienced in this book and am now definitely going to see the movie, although my guess is it won't be as good as the book (I have yet to see a movie that is as good as a book).
