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kaylamarie's review against another edition
4.0
I was inspired to read this book after finishing Ken Babb's new book. I have read and loved both of Ken Kesey's popular novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. I will say that after finishing this book I am itching to go back and read Sometimes a Great Notion. He considered that one to be his masterpiece.
One of my favorite things about these types of books is you get to see how someone's thoughts and opinions change over time, but also how the attitudes of the interviewers change over time. There are a couple of interviewers in the 70's who were downright angry and hostile with Kesey. They were angry that he was not doing more for the civil rights movement and Kesey has to tell them multiple times that he is just a writer. Later towards the end of the book the interviewers are approaching him as a wise guru. One interviewer in particularly desperately wants Kesey to say that using drugs made him a better writer and Kesey has to continue to push back against that. I think people might be surprised at how old-fashioned his views could be at times. This book is worth the read for the subject as well as the time period.
One of my favorite things about these types of books is you get to see how someone's thoughts and opinions change over time, but also how the attitudes of the interviewers change over time. There are a couple of interviewers in the 70's who were downright angry and hostile with Kesey. They were angry that he was not doing more for the civil rights movement and Kesey has to tell them multiple times that he is just a writer. Later towards the end of the book the interviewers are approaching him as a wise guru. One interviewer in particularly desperately wants Kesey to say that using drugs made him a better writer and Kesey has to continue to push back against that. I think people might be surprised at how old-fashioned his views could be at times. This book is worth the read for the subject as well as the time period.
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