Publisher, HighBridge Audio (September 2006)

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The printed version of this title was selected by The New York Review of Books' "Reader's Catalog" as one of the 40,000+ Best Books in Print!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the most electrifying, most admired novels of our time. Set in the bleak confines of a state mental hospital and narrated by a half-Indian patient named Chief Bromden, it’s the story of a titanic battle of wills between two unforgettable characters. On one side is Big Nurse, who rules her ward with iron discipline. On the other is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a lustful, brawling, life-loving new inmate who refuses to knuckle under to Big Nurse’s soul-destroying methods. In the end, McMurphy pays the ultimate price for his defiance—but not before his rebellious spirit has shown Chief Bromden the way to reclaim his own future.

This special edition brings Kesey’s own reading of the novel to CD. As a bonus, the recording also includes a 24-minute interview recorded in 1989 for public radio’s Fresh Air. Terry Gross speaks with Kesey about the influences and inspirations for his most important novels, the government-sponsored drug experiments in which he was an early participant, his role as leader of the legendary Merry Pranksters, and his status as a 1960’s counter-culture icon.

About the Author: Ken Kesey (1935-2001) studied writing at Stanford University with such luminaries as Wallace Stegner, Malcolm Cowley, and Frank O’Connor. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, his first novel, was published in 1962. His other novels include Sometimes a Great Notion (1964), Demon Box (1987), and Sailor Song (1992).