Newport Reads One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!

Every year, the Newport Library Foundation selects one book and invites the entire community to read and discuss it. This year, the Newport Reads! book is Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Why did the Foundation pick such an old book? One, it is an Oregon classic, written by a storied Oregon author, that addresses such Oregon issues as the seizure of Native American lands. Two, although many people have seen the 1975 film based on the book, fewer have actually read the novel – and it’s worth reading.

And three, the book's theme of individual expression versus control is as relevant today as it was in the '60s - if not more so. At what point does the enforcement of peace become oppression? What sort of invisible mechanisms do institutions use to enforce conformity, and what is the price to liberty? These are burning questions of this century.

Not that the book isn't problematic. I think the choice of a character like Randall McMurphy to represent the virtues of liberty and free will is certainly interesting, given that I'm sure I would intensely dislike him if I ever met him. And how about the way women are depicted by Kesey?

You can come to the events planned by the Newport Library Foundation as part of the Newport Reads! festival. There will be a fun kickoff event on February 28 at 6 p.m. here at the library, with personal reminiscences of Kesey, refreshments, and even a game.

Then on April 10 at 6:30 p.m., the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will be screened at the Performing Arts Center. Take notes, because on April 12 at 6:30, playwright and screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb will discuss the process of turning a novel into a movie. Since Kesey was not exactly pleased with this particular transformation (he loathed it so much he sued the filmmakers), Whitcomb's insights into the ways the movie differs from the book should be fascinating.

We hope you will join us in reading this great Oregon novel and participating in our planned events. Let’s talk about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.