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Cool Hand Luke
"An impressive novel . . . the most brutal and authentic account of a road gang that we have had." —New York Times
Out of his experiences working on a chain gang, Donn Pearce created Cool Hand Luke, the larger-than-life war hero—Good Guy Number One—turned drunkard, vandal, and convict. A blasphemer and "pretty evil feller" who "could work the hardest, eat the mostest, and tell the biggest lies." Luke's outsized feats of gambling and gluttony—he bets Society Red, a college man from Boston, that he can eat fifty eggs—and his harrowing escapes and recaptures are recounted by Dragline, who followed Luke in his last, fatal escape attempt and who basks in Luke's reflected glory. To the convicts left behind on the chain gang, Luke has become the hope of freedom and defiance that they dare not act upon themselves. Luke's refusal to "git his mind right" and submit to the sadistic discipline of the Walking Boss becomes part of their mythology of survival.
Out of his experiences working on a chain gang, Donn Pearce created Cool Hand Luke, the larger-than-life war hero—Good Guy Number One—turned drunkard, vandal, and convict. A blasphemer and "pretty evil feller" who "could work the hardest, eat the mostest, and tell the biggest lies." Luke's outsized feats of gambling and gluttony—he bets Society Red, a college man from Boston, that he can eat fifty eggs—and his harrowing escapes and recaptures are recounted by Dragline, who followed Luke in his last, fatal escape attempt and who basks in Luke's reflected glory. To the convicts left behind on the chain gang, Luke has become the hope of freedom and defiance that they dare not act upon themselves. Luke's refusal to "git his mind right" and submit to the sadistic discipline of the Walking Boss becomes part of their mythology of survival.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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September 21, 2022
Just remember, man. Wherever you go and whatever you do. Always play a real cool hand
And from that night on he always answered to the name of Cool Hand Luke. pg 96
This hit home for me because the narrative had a tone of nostalgia, remembering better times, and living in the moment. The story is a first-person account of an inmate in a central Florida correctional work farm that did daily details in the form of a chain gang. The story started out about the chain gang and led up a main character, Dragline, retelling a story about the arrival of a new inmate, Lloyd Lucas Jackson. Cool Hand Luke was a true rebel without a cause; a man who bucked the system every chance he got.
I felt the story had richer delivery than the 1967 movie in regards to backstory. Cool Hand Luke was a WWII combat veteran. He never said it but his story in the book revealed unresolved trauma—death of enemy soldiers and innocent civilians and children, destruction, psychological trauma (exposure to rape, dead bodies), and the horrors associated with armed conflict. So I thought his overextended coolness, overtly calm and collectedness, and his jokes and laughs were a defense mechanism for him to act out and defy the law. In a way, it was his way of remaining free while incarcerated.
An interesting point was the author gave all the characters nicknames: Walking Boss, Captain, Floorwalker, Dragline, Koko, Society Red, Wicker Man, Onion Head, and Dog Boy as a few examples. He even had special emphasis on the names for places and specific time-based events: Free World (the outside), Time (doing time), The Hard Road (the highways they cleaned and maintained), First Bell (leading up to lights out), Smoking Period (break time), and many more.
The story was well-written and engaging. The author employed colorful vernacular "Ah'm telling' yo'll now. That crazy Luke son of a bitch jes couldn't be beat. No how." (pg 140) and delivered richly descriptive imagery
I really enjoyed this from beginning to end. I used to watch this with my father when I was younger and he would always quote this movie. Sadly, the infamous line "What we have is a failure to communicate" is not in the book. I would highly recommend it because this book showed human nature at its finest—flawed. Thanks!
And from that night on he always answered to the name of Cool Hand Luke. pg 96
This hit home for me because the narrative had a tone of nostalgia, remembering better times, and living in the moment. The story is a first-person account of an inmate in a central Florida correctional work farm that did daily details in the form of a chain gang. The story started out about the chain gang and led up a main character, Dragline, retelling a story about the arrival of a new inmate, Lloyd Lucas Jackson. Cool Hand Luke was a true rebel without a cause; a man who bucked the system every chance he got.
I felt the story had richer delivery than the 1967 movie in regards to backstory. Cool Hand Luke was a WWII combat veteran. He never said it but his story in the book revealed unresolved trauma—death of enemy soldiers and innocent civilians and children, destruction, psychological trauma (exposure to rape, dead bodies), and the horrors associated with armed conflict. So I thought his overextended coolness, overtly calm and collectedness, and his jokes and laughs were a defense mechanism for him to act out and defy the law. In a way, it was his way of remaining free while incarcerated.
An interesting point was the author gave all the characters nicknames: Walking Boss, Captain, Floorwalker, Dragline, Koko, Society Red, Wicker Man, Onion Head, and Dog Boy as a few examples. He even had special emphasis on the names for places and specific time-based events: Free World (the outside), Time (doing time), The Hard Road (the highways they cleaned and maintained), First Bell (leading up to lights out), Smoking Period (break time), and many more.
The story was well-written and engaging. The author employed colorful vernacular "Ah'm telling' yo'll now. That crazy Luke son of a bitch jes couldn't be beat. No how." (pg 140) and delivered richly descriptive imagery
Boss Godfrey walked up the road a bit, turned around and leaned on his cane. He stood there, watching us, silhouetted against the dawn, the sun rising up behind his body, right up through his head and out around the black night he wore for a hat. All day the sun rose high up into the sky while we, stripped to the waist, were seared by its burning rays. But we knew that sun was really the left eye of the Walking Boss just as his right eye is the moon. pg 77There were also elements of Christianity and doubts in religious conviction. Just as in the movie, there were two occasions when Lucas Jackson was angry, blasphemed, and defied God. I felt these added depth to his character that tied into this unresolved combat trauma. I suppose anything of that degree of intensity could cause anyone to doubt anything: values, beliefs, etc.
I really enjoyed this from beginning to end. I used to watch this with my father when I was younger and he would always quote this movie. Sadly, the infamous line "What we have is a failure to communicate" is not in the book. I would highly recommend it because this book showed human nature at its finest—flawed. Thanks!
July 1, 2022
I never thought to read this novel because I know the story too well from watching the movie countless times. It is one of my favorites…that Luke smile that Paul Newman perfected, that vivid depiction of the cruelties of the chain gang, the proof that unmitigated power, even over criminals, is a bad thing. In fact, there is very little to separate the criminals from the guards in this book, which put me in mind of The Shawshank Redemption (another movie I have watched too, too many times.
Ah, but this is not a movie review, it is a book review, and this book is stupendous. The descriptions are riveting, you can hear those chains rattling, you can feel the sweat trickling off the brows of these men, and you can feel the stifling air in the box. I think the reason there is a great movie adaptation of this book is that Donn Pearce wrote a great book in the first place.
Luke is a petty criminal, sentenced to two years for decapitating a street full of parking meters while intoxicated. He is also a war hero. But the line between hero and criminal is very thin, and it may be that Luke deserves punishment for crimes other than those he is charged with. The crime he is not guilty of is thinking of himself as a hero. He knows he is flawed, but he also knows no one can take who he is away from him unless he lets them, and that sense of individuality is the source of all his troubles. You just know from the beginning that he is not going to do an easy two years and wave goodbye.
The characters here are strongly delineated and the plot line is tight and perfect. The descriptions of the environment are completely realistic, and you know Donn Pearce did not come to his understanding of this world through library research. He’s got some experience with incarceration, the nature of prison life, and the conventions that helped the men make it through days that must have seemed both endless and repetitive.
If you are one of the few people on this planet who has never seen the movie, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you want a glimpse inside a 1950s power trip, read this book. If you don’t mind gritty and realistic looks at the underbelly of society, and how it beats down the human spirit, you couldn’t do better than this.
Ah, but this is not a movie review, it is a book review, and this book is stupendous. The descriptions are riveting, you can hear those chains rattling, you can feel the sweat trickling off the brows of these men, and you can feel the stifling air in the box. I think the reason there is a great movie adaptation of this book is that Donn Pearce wrote a great book in the first place.
Luke is a petty criminal, sentenced to two years for decapitating a street full of parking meters while intoxicated. He is also a war hero. But the line between hero and criminal is very thin, and it may be that Luke deserves punishment for crimes other than those he is charged with. The crime he is not guilty of is thinking of himself as a hero. He knows he is flawed, but he also knows no one can take who he is away from him unless he lets them, and that sense of individuality is the source of all his troubles. You just know from the beginning that he is not going to do an easy two years and wave goodbye.
The characters here are strongly delineated and the plot line is tight and perfect. The descriptions of the environment are completely realistic, and you know Donn Pearce did not come to his understanding of this world through library research. He’s got some experience with incarceration, the nature of prison life, and the conventions that helped the men make it through days that must have seemed both endless and repetitive.
If you are one of the few people on this planet who has never seen the movie, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you want a glimpse inside a 1950s power trip, read this book. If you don’t mind gritty and realistic looks at the underbelly of society, and how it beats down the human spirit, you couldn’t do better than this.
February 2, 2024
I hadn’t realized that the movie Cool Hand Luke was based on a book, until I came across it while browsing in the Audible Plus catalog. The book is very similar to the movie, but with more tenderness and pathos. It is written from the pov of one of Luke’s fellow chain gang prisoners as he recounts the legend that surrounded Luke, who repeatedly butted heads with the prison guards. The hopes of the other prisoners rise and fall, depending on Luke’s current situation.
The book is beautifully written, and has an authentic feel since the author had spent time on a Florida chain gang. I loved both the movie (how can you not love Paul Newman?) and the book.
The book is beautifully written, and has an authentic feel since the author had spent time on a Florida chain gang. I loved both the movie (how can you not love Paul Newman?) and the book.
June 28, 2022
"Got to get your mind right, Luke".
This was my third read of this one. Even after many, many years between reads, and several times of seeing the movie, it hasn't lost any of its lustre for me. The first time I read it, I was a high school student, and Luke's cool demeanor and ability to outsmart "the man" made him an instant hero. His rebelliousness in the face of pain and punishment was very much admired by me, although I would never had been able to duplicate it. The second read as an adult did not disappoint me, as sometimes happens when we reread an old favorite with a few more years under our belt. This third read was pure pleasure, reconnecting with Dragline and Koko and Luke, serving on the chain gang in that searing Florida sun, knowing how it would end, but cheering them on anyway. This is a book that has become a classic, and was Donn Pearce's first novel, though you would never guess that from the writing itself. The fact that the author served time on a chain gang himself enabled him to describe the time and place and characters almost poetically. As one reviewer mentioned, the quality was almost Shakespererean. It can't be easy to portray the brutality and men who had performed every kind of deed imaginable in such a tender manner.
I can't mention the book without the movie. Pearce also wrote the screenplay, which explains why it's an almost perfect adaptation. Whoever is responsible for the casting also did a brilliant job. George Kennedy as Dragline won an Oscar for his performance, and Paul Newman as Luke was perfect. So perfect in fact, that just like Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, I can't even imagine anyone else in this role. Warning to Hollywood: don't even try.
Going on my favorites shelf here on Goodreads, though in truth it's been a favorite since those long ago teenage years.
This was my third read of this one. Even after many, many years between reads, and several times of seeing the movie, it hasn't lost any of its lustre for me. The first time I read it, I was a high school student, and Luke's cool demeanor and ability to outsmart "the man" made him an instant hero. His rebelliousness in the face of pain and punishment was very much admired by me, although I would never had been able to duplicate it. The second read as an adult did not disappoint me, as sometimes happens when we reread an old favorite with a few more years under our belt. This third read was pure pleasure, reconnecting with Dragline and Koko and Luke, serving on the chain gang in that searing Florida sun, knowing how it would end, but cheering them on anyway. This is a book that has become a classic, and was Donn Pearce's first novel, though you would never guess that from the writing itself. The fact that the author served time on a chain gang himself enabled him to describe the time and place and characters almost poetically. As one reviewer mentioned, the quality was almost Shakespererean. It can't be easy to portray the brutality and men who had performed every kind of deed imaginable in such a tender manner.
I can't mention the book without the movie. Pearce also wrote the screenplay, which explains why it's an almost perfect adaptation. Whoever is responsible for the casting also did a brilliant job. George Kennedy as Dragline won an Oscar for his performance, and Paul Newman as Luke was perfect. So perfect in fact, that just like Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, I can't even imagine anyone else in this role. Warning to Hollywood: don't even try.
Going on my favorites shelf here on Goodreads, though in truth it's been a favorite since those long ago teenage years.
July 18, 2022
Read 3 times
His name was Lloyd Jackson. He was a newcomer to what the convicts called “The Hard Road,” which was a satellite camp of the Florida State Prison at Raiford.
Sailor, the inmate narrator, had read a story about Jackson in a newspaper that he had picked up on the side of the road when the men were doing maintenance work. The story was about a man who had been arrested for cutting off the top of parking meters – and there had been a picture of the man. Arrested, tried, and convicted he was now an inmate at The Hard Road.
Jackson was twenty-eight years old, a veteran of World War II, which had ended three years earlier. In over three years overseas, he had fought in three major campaigns and, in fact, was an authentic hero. He had seen a lot, been through a lot, and had survived. He not only survived, he had been awarded two purple hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Star - but no Good Conduct Medal. At the end of the war, he was discharged as a private.
Poker games were allowed in the barracks, with the floorwalker, who was an inmate, taking a cut out of each pot, giving a percentage of his earnings to the prison captain (warden).
As it turned out, Jackson was a very good player. One night he and an inmate called Dragline were left after the other players had tossed in their cards.
Jackson had earned a nickname. Because he had a tendency to call others by the name of Luke, he would now be known by that name.
In a later poker game he bluffed everyone out with “a pair of nothing. Smiling, he murmured softly, Just remember, man. Wherever you go and whatever you do. Always play a real cool hand.”
And now he was Cool Hand Luke.
There is humor in the story, but there is also brutality and inhumanity. Men work at cutting weeds, repairing eroded road shoulders, cut brush from drainage ditches in hot, humid Florida weather that approaches a hundred degrees, with only about three short breaks all day. In addition, some of the convicts, those who are considered to be escape risks, do all of this with shackles on their ankles.
They are watched over by guards armed with shotguns and rifles and by the dictatorial walking boss who commands both prisoners and guards.
******
[Luke] was intelligent and he was unafraid. This meant that the Free Men would be down on him from the very beginning. Not only that. There was that smile.
******
Luke had pushed the envelope when he was in the military and he did the same as a civilian and, of course, he would do it in the prison. He was always a threat to escape. The captain and the walking boss attempted to break his spirit and will – physically and mentally.
After one breakout he was caught and brought back to The Hard Road camp. Two sets of shackles were placed on his ankles. The captain beat him and cursed him and said “Ah’m warnin’ yuh! You’d better git your god damn mind right! Git it right. Or else!”
But the question remained: Could anybody break Cool Hand Luke?
******
By the way:
*That famous line spoken by the prison captain in the movie, “What we got here – is a failure to communicate,” is not in the book.
*The author, Donn Pearce, spent two years at The Hard Road. The book is based on his experiences as well as those of other inmates. He said that about a third of the book was his story; about a third was based on stories that he heard while in prison; and about a third was pure fiction.
*After the book was published in 1965, and before the movie was released in 1967, Pearce appeared on the old quiz show, “To Tell The Truth.” If you would like to watch his appearance and see if you can pick out “the Real Donn Pearce” from among the three contestants, you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mpC...
(If the link doesn’t work, you can paste the address into your browser or just enter “Donn Pearce on To Tell The Truth” on Google and that should take you there.)
His name was Lloyd Jackson. He was a newcomer to what the convicts called “The Hard Road,” which was a satellite camp of the Florida State Prison at Raiford.
And then I saw him. There was Lloyd Jackson, sitting on the bench with his legs crossed, his elbow on top of the table, a butt in his fingers. His eyes were half-closed, watching the men as they came storming in. There was a slight smile on his lips. And it was in that smile that I recognized him, remembering that far away expression that I had seen in the paper.
Sailor, the inmate narrator, had read a story about Jackson in a newspaper that he had picked up on the side of the road when the men were doing maintenance work. The story was about a man who had been arrested for cutting off the top of parking meters – and there had been a picture of the man. Arrested, tried, and convicted he was now an inmate at The Hard Road.
Jackson was twenty-eight years old, a veteran of World War II, which had ended three years earlier. In over three years overseas, he had fought in three major campaigns and, in fact, was an authentic hero. He had seen a lot, been through a lot, and had survived. He not only survived, he had been awarded two purple hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Star - but no Good Conduct Medal. At the end of the war, he was discharged as a private.
Poker games were allowed in the barracks, with the floorwalker, who was an inmate, taking a cut out of each pot, giving a percentage of his earnings to the prison captain (warden).
As it turned out, Jackson was a very good player. One night he and an inmate called Dragline were left after the other players had tossed in their cards.
Drag had opened up the betting and then stood pat. Jackson drew three cards. Smirking, Drag bet the limit, a dollar. Jackson looked at his cards, looked at Dragline, saw the bet and raised it a dollar. Drag sat there scowling, swearing in a harsh whisper and tapping the edge of his hand on the table. Jackson looked at him and smiled. Finally he drawled in that soft way of his.
Well, come on now, Luke. Shoot or give up the gun….
Dragline called the bet.
Dragline had a queen-high straight.
Jackson had four threes.
Jackson had earned a nickname. Because he had a tendency to call others by the name of Luke, he would now be known by that name.
In a later poker game he bluffed everyone out with “a pair of nothing. Smiling, he murmured softly, Just remember, man. Wherever you go and whatever you do. Always play a real cool hand.”
And now he was Cool Hand Luke.
There is humor in the story, but there is also brutality and inhumanity. Men work at cutting weeds, repairing eroded road shoulders, cut brush from drainage ditches in hot, humid Florida weather that approaches a hundred degrees, with only about three short breaks all day. In addition, some of the convicts, those who are considered to be escape risks, do all of this with shackles on their ankles.
They are watched over by guards armed with shotguns and rifles and by the dictatorial walking boss who commands both prisoners and guards.
******
[Luke] was intelligent and he was unafraid. This meant that the Free Men would be down on him from the very beginning. Not only that. There was that smile.
******
Luke had pushed the envelope when he was in the military and he did the same as a civilian and, of course, he would do it in the prison. He was always a threat to escape. The captain and the walking boss attempted to break his spirit and will – physically and mentally.
After one breakout he was caught and brought back to The Hard Road camp. Two sets of shackles were placed on his ankles. The captain beat him and cursed him and said “Ah’m warnin’ yuh! You’d better git your god damn mind right! Git it right. Or else!”
But the question remained: Could anybody break Cool Hand Luke?
******
By the way:
*That famous line spoken by the prison captain in the movie, “What we got here – is a failure to communicate,” is not in the book.
*The author, Donn Pearce, spent two years at The Hard Road. The book is based on his experiences as well as those of other inmates. He said that about a third of the book was his story; about a third was based on stories that he heard while in prison; and about a third was pure fiction.
*After the book was published in 1965, and before the movie was released in 1967, Pearce appeared on the old quiz show, “To Tell The Truth.” If you would like to watch his appearance and see if you can pick out “the Real Donn Pearce” from among the three contestants, you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mpC...
(If the link doesn’t work, you can paste the address into your browser or just enter “Donn Pearce on To Tell The Truth” on Google and that should take you there.)
July 16, 2022
Arrested for sawing off the heads of parking meters while drunk, the book’s namesake is sent to a work prison where inmates are put to work on chain gangs. As a newbie, he is cut no slack and the work is brutal, but when he wins at cards with nothing in his hand, he says, "Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand." Thus he earns his name.
The author, Don Pearce, had personal experience as a convict, so there is an authenticity to the book. Like the author, Luke also carries wartime experience which disturbs his mind.
The prose is spare but riveting. The men are raw. As you read it, you can feel the heat of the sun and misery of being mercilessly worked, underfed, beaten and dehumanized. Luke refuses to let go of his spirit, his individuality, his “cool.” He laughs inappropriately, he exceeds expectations, and he refuses to give up after being beaten. He earns the respect of the other inmates. Eventually, Luke devises escape, although he says he never plans anything in his life.
Mostly, Luke questions whether a benevolent God would abandon him. When Luke argues with God and gets no reply, he says, “Is that your answer, Old Man? I guess You're a hard case, too."
In his actions, Luke is asking an existential question — what kind of life is worth living?
Chain gangs were among the most inhumane forms of prison punishment that existed here in the United States, apparently policed by sadistic SOBs. A little research on the internet shows they persisted long after you might have thought they were discontinued, and apparently there are still female chain gangs in Arizona as of this writing.
After finishing the book, I watched a DVD of the film, not for the first time, but it had been many years. Paul Newman and George Kennedy give outstanding performances. Both the book and the movie can stand alone on their own, but they also complement each other.
I was going to give the book, 4.5 stars, rounded down, but I have had second thoughts — it deserves the full five. Together, the book and the movie are a real cool hand.
The author, Don Pearce, had personal experience as a convict, so there is an authenticity to the book. Like the author, Luke also carries wartime experience which disturbs his mind.
The prose is spare but riveting. The men are raw. As you read it, you can feel the heat of the sun and misery of being mercilessly worked, underfed, beaten and dehumanized. Luke refuses to let go of his spirit, his individuality, his “cool.” He laughs inappropriately, he exceeds expectations, and he refuses to give up after being beaten. He earns the respect of the other inmates. Eventually, Luke devises escape, although he says he never plans anything in his life.
Mostly, Luke questions whether a benevolent God would abandon him. When Luke argues with God and gets no reply, he says, “Is that your answer, Old Man? I guess You're a hard case, too."
In his actions, Luke is asking an existential question — what kind of life is worth living?
Chain gangs were among the most inhumane forms of prison punishment that existed here in the United States, apparently policed by sadistic SOBs. A little research on the internet shows they persisted long after you might have thought they were discontinued, and apparently there are still female chain gangs in Arizona as of this writing.
After finishing the book, I watched a DVD of the film, not for the first time, but it had been many years. Paul Newman and George Kennedy give outstanding performances. Both the book and the movie can stand alone on their own, but they also complement each other.
I was going to give the book, 4.5 stars, rounded down, but I have had second thoughts — it deserves the full five. Together, the book and the movie are a real cool hand.
October 10, 2022
I don’t read bad novels. I give them away.
This is the 2nd best book I’ve read all year, behind Boston Teran’s magnificent CRIPPLED Jack.
What do you want to know? Does it measure up to the film starring Like Askew, Strother Martin, Harry Dean Stanton, George Kennedy (Oscar winner, am I correct?) and of course Paul Newman… the only possible Lloyd Jackson?
Donn Pearce adapted this poetic epic prose and molded it into the famous screenplay and then became a private investigator in Florida. The novel is based on his own experience on a chain gang down there. He did time for a time. In the novel he’s known as “Sailor”… the observer.
Can I use the term epic again? The chain gang dialogue and slang. The way his writing pushes on the action?
The ultimate tragedy?
The only true machine of “Luke’s” destruction?
His own rebellion against a God he doesn’t feel worthy of his devotion.
This is a fantastic Men’s Adventure saga but it will touch the heart of anyone who ever had something throbbing in their chests.
I can’t rate it higher than the obligatory 5 stars. It deserves so much more.
It deserves more readers.
Highest Possible Rating. As usual.
This is the 2nd best book I’ve read all year, behind Boston Teran’s magnificent CRIPPLED Jack.
What do you want to know? Does it measure up to the film starring Like Askew, Strother Martin, Harry Dean Stanton, George Kennedy (Oscar winner, am I correct?) and of course Paul Newman… the only possible Lloyd Jackson?
Donn Pearce adapted this poetic epic prose and molded it into the famous screenplay and then became a private investigator in Florida. The novel is based on his own experience on a chain gang down there. He did time for a time. In the novel he’s known as “Sailor”… the observer.
Can I use the term epic again? The chain gang dialogue and slang. The way his writing pushes on the action?
The ultimate tragedy?
The only true machine of “Luke’s” destruction?
His own rebellion against a God he doesn’t feel worthy of his devotion.
This is a fantastic Men’s Adventure saga but it will touch the heart of anyone who ever had something throbbing in their chests.
I can’t rate it higher than the obligatory 5 stars. It deserves so much more.
It deserves more readers.
Highest Possible Rating. As usual.
April 3, 2026
Everyone has heard of Cool Hand Luke, the movie starring Paul Newman (1967). It actually was Donn Pearce’s first book (1965), and soon turned into a screenplay, co-written by Pearce, who actually appeared in the movie in a bit part, Sailor, though in the book Sailor was the narrator and Luke didn’t even appear until Chapter Six. The novel is partially based on Pearce’s personal experiences while incarcerated with a Florida prison road gang. He has said it was one-third personal experience, one-third stories he was told, and one-third outright fiction. Pearce also wrote Dying in the Sun (1974) and Pier Head Jump (1972), as well as numerous articles in playboy and Esquire, but he is best known for his magnum opus: Cool Hand Luke.
The overall theme of the novel is whether a man can stand for himself or be broken by the system. Thematically, it has a similar in some aspects to Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) with one man becoming a symbol to the other inmates of being able to maintain his independence and individuality despite the machinery working against him.
The story of Cool Hand Luke is that of a guy who is a war veteran. One night he decides to methodically cut the heads off all the parking meters. He thereafter joins Sailor, Dragline, and the others on the chain gang doing road work in the hot Florida sun. Soon, he proves his mettle at poker and is crazy cool getting the work done. He has no limits and changes the world of expectation in the gang. Even to the point of betting he can eat fifty hardboiled eggs.
Even when he escapes and gets caught, the guards can’t break his spirit. Nothing they do to him breaks him down cause even when they think they got him beat, he always has a long con game going. He novel is a testament to the human spirit.
The overall theme of the novel is whether a man can stand for himself or be broken by the system. Thematically, it has a similar in some aspects to Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) with one man becoming a symbol to the other inmates of being able to maintain his independence and individuality despite the machinery working against him.
The story of Cool Hand Luke is that of a guy who is a war veteran. One night he decides to methodically cut the heads off all the parking meters. He thereafter joins Sailor, Dragline, and the others on the chain gang doing road work in the hot Florida sun. Soon, he proves his mettle at poker and is crazy cool getting the work done. He has no limits and changes the world of expectation in the gang. Even to the point of betting he can eat fifty hardboiled eggs.
Even when he escapes and gets caught, the guards can’t break his spirit. Nothing they do to him breaks him down cause even when they think they got him beat, he always has a long con game going. He novel is a testament to the human spirit.
August 30, 2022
This was a fantastic book, particularly for a debut novel. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Donn Pearce ever came close again to this first effort. The story turns out to be very similar in structure, tone, and background to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in that the inmates (or patients) are suffering from PTSD following a war (WWII and Vietnam/Korea respectively), the protagonist is a new arrival who tries to improve their lot and challenge authority but ends up losing his battle with authority, the perspective of a fellow prisoner as narrator, and both feature somewhat unsettling descriptions of two forms of internment with their occasional inherent abuses - chain gangs in southern prisons versus electroshock therapy in insane asylums. The writing is really good and the action is riveting. The movie with Paul Newman is of course one of the best adaptations that Hollywood achieved back in its golden days, but the famous line "What we have here is a failure to communicate" does not appear in the book. In fact, the Line Boss and so forth are fearsome characters, but Luke's rebellion is against all of them and not just one in particular like in the film, A must read. Honestly, it was a better book than the one that one the Pulitzer for that year (The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter, but maybe its violence and grit was just too much for the stodgy Columbia committee that year? Or maybe 1965 was still too early to talk plain facts about the effects of PTSD on soldiers or the systemic abuse in the southern prison system?
July 17, 2022
”Just remember, man. Wherever you go and whatever you do. Always play a real cool hand.
The famous line of advice given to his cellmates at Raiford prison by Lloyd “Cool Hand Luke” Jackson, resonates in the hallways and in their minds. When Luke comes to Raiford, he’s one of the “newcocks”, new guys who must measure up among the rest who’ve been there already for awhile - slowly ticking away the hours of their Time. Narrated by Sailor, the legendary story is told by Dragline as the road crew rests at a church yard that they consider “sacred ground” due to it being the place where he and Luke were caught. Dragline begins the tale of how Luke came to be a part of their crew with the story of his crime - cutting the heads off of municipal parking meters and sentenced to the Florida chain gang. There at Raiford, he is put on the “Hard Road”, so called by the convicts themselves. On Rattlesnake Road (aptly named for the numerous slithering creatures they’d killed), the men wielded yo-yos which sliced through the grass and weeds as they swung it from side to side. As they work, a group of brutal bosses watch over them, the harshest of them being Boss Godfrey with his reflective sunglasses and his walking stick.
Luke proves to be an extraordinary worker as well as monstrous eater. He’s an ace at cards and an excellent musician. The war hero’s backbone and fearlessness are what escalate him to legendary status in the eyes of his cell mates. One of the most known scenes is when Luke bets he can eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in one hour.
Luke’s ability to resist the authority of the bosses and stick it to them is impressive. When he is unjustly treated and extremely punished by the bosses, he shows them what he’s made of. However, this doesn’t stop the bosses from trying to break his spirit. His cell mates live vicariously through Luke’s defiances and take inspiration from his example.
This is one of those novels I wouldn’t have expected to like as much as I did. It’s gritty and raw in a way that sheds light on a different way of life, those criminals who made their choices and wound up in prison only to endure the brutal chain gangs. Pearce had first hand experience as a war veteran, as an individualist who didn’t play by the rules and as an inmate on a chain gang for cracking safes. His background certainly makes this a truly authentic novel. Now, I must watch the movie. I don’t want to be one of the only people left on earth, who hasn’t seen it.
The famous line of advice given to his cellmates at Raiford prison by Lloyd “Cool Hand Luke” Jackson, resonates in the hallways and in their minds. When Luke comes to Raiford, he’s one of the “newcocks”, new guys who must measure up among the rest who’ve been there already for awhile - slowly ticking away the hours of their Time. Narrated by Sailor, the legendary story is told by Dragline as the road crew rests at a church yard that they consider “sacred ground” due to it being the place where he and Luke were caught. Dragline begins the tale of how Luke came to be a part of their crew with the story of his crime - cutting the heads off of municipal parking meters and sentenced to the Florida chain gang. There at Raiford, he is put on the “Hard Road”, so called by the convicts themselves. On Rattlesnake Road (aptly named for the numerous slithering creatures they’d killed), the men wielded yo-yos which sliced through the grass and weeds as they swung it from side to side. As they work, a group of brutal bosses watch over them, the harshest of them being Boss Godfrey with his reflective sunglasses and his walking stick.
Luke proves to be an extraordinary worker as well as monstrous eater. He’s an ace at cards and an excellent musician. The war hero’s backbone and fearlessness are what escalate him to legendary status in the eyes of his cell mates. One of the most known scenes is when Luke bets he can eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in one hour.
Luke’s ability to resist the authority of the bosses and stick it to them is impressive. When he is unjustly treated and extremely punished by the bosses, he shows them what he’s made of. However, this doesn’t stop the bosses from trying to break his spirit. His cell mates live vicariously through Luke’s defiances and take inspiration from his example.
This is one of those novels I wouldn’t have expected to like as much as I did. It’s gritty and raw in a way that sheds light on a different way of life, those criminals who made their choices and wound up in prison only to endure the brutal chain gangs. Pearce had first hand experience as a war veteran, as an individualist who didn’t play by the rules and as an inmate on a chain gang for cracking safes. His background certainly makes this a truly authentic novel. Now, I must watch the movie. I don’t want to be one of the only people left on earth, who hasn’t seen it.
April 4, 2022
Excellent! Added to favorite shelf. The friendships, stories, humor and legends all make this an engrossing read.
August 16, 2022
While many movies based on books fail to reproduce the magic of their source material, occasionally there are those that transcend the original and become the defining version of the story; The Godfather, Jaws, Psycho, as well as Donn Pearce's first novel, Cool Hand Luke. The story of a rebellious prisoner in a Florida chain gang has become noted for Paul Newman's stellar performance in the title role of the film as well as the classic line: "What we have here is a failure to communicate," a line that does not appear in the book. Pearce himself was a prisoner in a chain gang (he appears in the film version as "Sailor" who is the narrator of the book) so the book crackles with authenticity but is unable to surpass or even further illuminate the film version.
October 3, 2019
There is a great story of an individual who entered the Army during World War II. He rebelled against the rules, went AWOL, was sentenced to a stockade and was transferred to a combat infantry unit as a condition of commuting his jail sentence. Postwar, he did not adjust well to civilian life, and was eventually arrested and sent to Florida's Raiford Prison. He was transferred to a prison Road Camp, where daily life consisted of working in a chain gang, under the hot Florida sun, tarring roads or clearing brush along the roadways with slingblades. Corporal punishment from the "bosses" was commonplace; violation of any of a long list of infractions could get a man a night in the "box."
The subject of this story is Donn Pearce, who lied about his age in order to enter the army in 1944. He was kicked out of the army after his transfer to a combat unit, when his family notified authorities he was only age 16. He served a post-war stint in the Merchant Marine, prior to becoming involved in a career of safecracking and theft. By the time he reached his 21st birthday, he had quite a few life stories to tell, including receipt of a two-year sentence to Raifford Prison in 1949.
Pearce "went straight" after his prison wake-up call and worked at numerous jobs, while trying to break out as a writer. Cool Hand Luke was his first and only hit novel. Luke was probably patterned after another inmate Pearce knew at Raiford, although his own history provided fodder for Lucas Jackson's story. Luke ends up in trouble for knocking parking meter heads off their supports while he was drunk. He, unlike Pearce, had a chest full of war medals and at one time held the rank of sergeant, but finished the war as a private because of his drinking and adjustment problems. Pearce's book goes into detail about the trauma Luke experienced in battle. The reader is able make a connection between Luke's emotional trials during war and his future lack of ability to live a conventional life.
Luke's story is narrated by another inmate named Sailor. Luke is the anti-hero who refuses to give in to the system, wherever and whatever it may be. In the prison, he is constantly punished for refusing to "get his mind right." His ability to eat massive quantities of eggs and constant tweaking of the rules earn the respect of the camp's alpha male, Dragline, and from there the rest of the inmates. Luke is idolized by his peers for his defiance of the rules everyone else grudgingly follows, especially his escapes. This does not, however, result in any happiness for Luke. I believe the crucial part of the book is where he is surrounded by the other inmates of the bunk cabin who are all basking in his rebellious success, and his reaction is to blow up and demand his privacy. This is not egotism; it is his realization that he does not have a vision of a successful future. Even his celebrated escapes have ended in capture and return to the prison camp. Luke, a "natural born world-shaker," knows he can retain the personal satisfaction of withstanding any physical punishment for refusing to knuckle under the prison's rules, but in the end the system is still going to win. For Luke, this happens when Boss Godfrey, he of the mirrored sun glasses, puts a bullet in him.
The book of course became the source material for a classic motion picture. Pearce shared credit with Frank Pierson for writing the screen adaptation. Pearce appears in the film in an uncredited cameo as an inmate named Sailor. The famous line from Captain, "What we've got here is .. failure to communicate", is not Pearce's and is not in the book. It was written by Pierson for the movie.
Pearce received a decent payday for writing a best-selling novel and selling it to Hollywood, although that amount doesn't come close to the massive amounts thrown around in the movie industry now. Pearce has reportedly suffered financially through the years, and has had health problems. He still lives in Florida and continues writing, his latest novel titled "Nobody Comes Back", about the Battle of the Bulge.
The subject of this story is Donn Pearce, who lied about his age in order to enter the army in 1944. He was kicked out of the army after his transfer to a combat unit, when his family notified authorities he was only age 16. He served a post-war stint in the Merchant Marine, prior to becoming involved in a career of safecracking and theft. By the time he reached his 21st birthday, he had quite a few life stories to tell, including receipt of a two-year sentence to Raifford Prison in 1949.
Pearce "went straight" after his prison wake-up call and worked at numerous jobs, while trying to break out as a writer. Cool Hand Luke was his first and only hit novel. Luke was probably patterned after another inmate Pearce knew at Raiford, although his own history provided fodder for Lucas Jackson's story. Luke ends up in trouble for knocking parking meter heads off their supports while he was drunk. He, unlike Pearce, had a chest full of war medals and at one time held the rank of sergeant, but finished the war as a private because of his drinking and adjustment problems. Pearce's book goes into detail about the trauma Luke experienced in battle. The reader is able make a connection between Luke's emotional trials during war and his future lack of ability to live a conventional life.
Luke's story is narrated by another inmate named Sailor. Luke is the anti-hero who refuses to give in to the system, wherever and whatever it may be. In the prison, he is constantly punished for refusing to "get his mind right." His ability to eat massive quantities of eggs and constant tweaking of the rules earn the respect of the camp's alpha male, Dragline, and from there the rest of the inmates. Luke is idolized by his peers for his defiance of the rules everyone else grudgingly follows, especially his escapes. This does not, however, result in any happiness for Luke. I believe the crucial part of the book is where he is surrounded by the other inmates of the bunk cabin who are all basking in his rebellious success, and his reaction is to blow up and demand his privacy. This is not egotism; it is his realization that he does not have a vision of a successful future. Even his celebrated escapes have ended in capture and return to the prison camp. Luke, a "natural born world-shaker," knows he can retain the personal satisfaction of withstanding any physical punishment for refusing to knuckle under the prison's rules, but in the end the system is still going to win. For Luke, this happens when Boss Godfrey, he of the mirrored sun glasses, puts a bullet in him.
The book of course became the source material for a classic motion picture. Pearce shared credit with Frank Pierson for writing the screen adaptation. Pearce appears in the film in an uncredited cameo as an inmate named Sailor. The famous line from Captain, "What we've got here is .. failure to communicate", is not Pearce's and is not in the book. It was written by Pierson for the movie.
Pearce received a decent payday for writing a best-selling novel and selling it to Hollywood, although that amount doesn't come close to the massive amounts thrown around in the movie industry now. Pearce has reportedly suffered financially through the years, and has had health problems. He still lives in Florida and continues writing, his latest novel titled "Nobody Comes Back", about the Battle of the Bulge.
July 22, 2009
this book makes me nostalgic for my dad because one night when i was a young child, i couldn't sleep and i got up and found my dad in the livingroom watching the movie from this book, and i stayed up and watched it with him for awhile. I NEVER FORGOT THAT MOVIE from having watched it with my dad, even though i was just a young child. paul newman is excellent!
July 16, 2022
I saw the movie decades ago, and scenes from that film became as iconic as the actor who played Luke (Paul Newman). I had no idea it was a screenplay adapted from the novel by Donn Pearce - a story based on Pearce's own experiences from his time spent on a chain gang. Recently, I decided to read the novel, which turned out to be an experience far more interesting than the movie. And now that I think about it, even tho' Pearce collaborated on the screenplay, I think the production did the novel a disservice by casting Newman in the lead role.
Newman was already a film legend, and everything he did was cool, which at first would seem perfect casting for the legendary character named Cool Hand Luke... but the novel is narrated by an observer, and the observer gave us insights into the lives of the chain gang, into the prison, and into the workings of a man like Cool Hand Luke. As I remember it, those things, even if represented in the movie (I can't remember), were overshadowed by the presence of the very cool, very beautiful, Paul Newman playing the character of Cool Hand Luke.
There are wonderful asides in the novel, and idiomatic conversations are interlaced with lyrical observations... it's a rough and raw piece of literature. My favorite section of the book is when Luke tells of his experiences in the war (WWII) while playing his banjo, presenting it like a minstrel story. The way Pearce wrote the passage, I could hear the banjo and I could feel the rhythm of the words in the music. It was brilliantly done.
I'm going to watch the movie again, hoping that it brings some of Pearce's talent onto the screen, but whether you are familiar with the movie or not, I recommend reading the book.
Newman was already a film legend, and everything he did was cool, which at first would seem perfect casting for the legendary character named Cool Hand Luke... but the novel is narrated by an observer, and the observer gave us insights into the lives of the chain gang, into the prison, and into the workings of a man like Cool Hand Luke. As I remember it, those things, even if represented in the movie (I can't remember), were overshadowed by the presence of the very cool, very beautiful, Paul Newman playing the character of Cool Hand Luke.
There are wonderful asides in the novel, and idiomatic conversations are interlaced with lyrical observations... it's a rough and raw piece of literature. My favorite section of the book is when Luke tells of his experiences in the war (WWII) while playing his banjo, presenting it like a minstrel story. The way Pearce wrote the passage, I could hear the banjo and I could feel the rhythm of the words in the music. It was brilliantly done.
I'm going to watch the movie again, hoping that it brings some of Pearce's talent onto the screen, but whether you are familiar with the movie or not, I recommend reading the book.
December 6, 2018
Audiobook #226
August 29, 2018
The list of movies that were better than the book is short: Jaws. Forrest Gump. Die Hard. Most Steven King adaptations, in my opinion. And to this list you can add Cool Hand Luke—but just barely. The movie was so damn fine that separating Paul Newman from Luke is near impossible, and getting to know this new guy Sailor, the narrator, was weird. But the writing is very capable and very dramatic. And even if you could quote the movie adaptation from start to finish, the novel does some cool things with plotting and philosophizing that make reading the book familiar but still distinct from watching the classic film. Author Donn Pearce sets a profound mood, apostrophizing and synechdocheizing the people and places around our cadre of criminals bound to the chain gang so you can't help but feel the thematic import of every little detail. But he doesn't sacrifice entertainment value amid his anti-war, anti-authority preaching.
4.5 stars out of 5. A quick read and very entertaining with just a hint too much heavy-handed moralizing.
4.5 stars out of 5. A quick read and very entertaining with just a hint too much heavy-handed moralizing.
August 11, 2022
Here we have the novel behind the classic movie Cool Hand Luke. Rarely does the movie rate with the excellence of the written word. Cool Hand Luke is the exception. Here is why.
Any time you want a great screenplay to equal or better the book, you better let the original author of the novel write it. If you want some watered down and misdirected story (Ron Rash), you get somebody else to write the screenplay for your movie. Thank goodness that was not the case with Cool Hand Luke. Donn Pearce managed to write an entire novel and screenplay around a bunch of convicts wearing stripes in the hot sun and make it memorable and believable.
It might have helped that I’d seen the movie more than once with the timeless, and handsome at any age, Paul Newman playing Cool Hand Luke. It might have been that I read the entirety of this novel during a heatwave in the humid South that made me sympathetic to working on the side of the road in boiling heat in Florida. What I do think is that the reason the book and movie are equally amazing is because of the authenticity of knowing what it is like to be on the other side of the free world on a chain gang as a convict. Donn Pearce was once on the other side of the law and served time breaking rocks in the hot sun. You can’t get more authentic than that.
Somehow an unlikely hero arises from jousting with parking meters and cutting grass with sling blades in this classic novel. I would have never thought I could have become so engrossed in such a novel, yet I did and it was worth my reading time.
Any time you want a great screenplay to equal or better the book, you better let the original author of the novel write it. If you want some watered down and misdirected story (Ron Rash), you get somebody else to write the screenplay for your movie. Thank goodness that was not the case with Cool Hand Luke. Donn Pearce managed to write an entire novel and screenplay around a bunch of convicts wearing stripes in the hot sun and make it memorable and believable.
It might have helped that I’d seen the movie more than once with the timeless, and handsome at any age, Paul Newman playing Cool Hand Luke. It might have been that I read the entirety of this novel during a heatwave in the humid South that made me sympathetic to working on the side of the road in boiling heat in Florida. What I do think is that the reason the book and movie are equally amazing is because of the authenticity of knowing what it is like to be on the other side of the free world on a chain gang as a convict. Donn Pearce was once on the other side of the law and served time breaking rocks in the hot sun. You can’t get more authentic than that.
Somehow an unlikely hero arises from jousting with parking meters and cutting grass with sling blades in this classic novel. I would have never thought I could have become so engrossed in such a novel, yet I did and it was worth my reading time.
July 19, 2021
I have watched the film version more times than I can count. And embarrassingly did not know it was based on a book. The author, Donn Pearce, also wrote the screenplay.
This gives more detail into Luke's background which undoubtedly explains how he ended up on a chain gang. But the pure brutality of the prison chain gang is covered in great detail. It is hard to read. Even the smallest of crimes would send you to the chain gang The rules there were petty and mindless.
Fans of the movie will gain a deeper understanding of the story. Others will want to watch the movie after reading the book.
This gives more detail into Luke's background which undoubtedly explains how he ended up on a chain gang. But the pure brutality of the prison chain gang is covered in great detail. It is hard to read. Even the smallest of crimes would send you to the chain gang The rules there were petty and mindless.
Fans of the movie will gain a deeper understanding of the story. Others will want to watch the movie after reading the book.
May 7, 2015
Cool Hand Luke!
Man, this is one of my favourite novels and the book which one of my favourite movies ever (the 1967 Paul Newman movie of the same title) is based on.
Luke (the ultimate rebel) is a real hard case and no matter how hard he's disciplined he just cannot be broken...Until he is broken...
This novel is partly autobiographical as the author Donn Pearce was an ex-prisoner who spent a few years in a chain gang in America's deep South.
Best line of dialogue: "Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand!"
Man, this is one of my favourite novels and the book which one of my favourite movies ever (the 1967 Paul Newman movie of the same title) is based on.
Luke (the ultimate rebel) is a real hard case and no matter how hard he's disciplined he just cannot be broken...Until he is broken...
This novel is partly autobiographical as the author Donn Pearce was an ex-prisoner who spent a few years in a chain gang in America's deep South.
Best line of dialogue: "Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand!"
November 16, 2017
Enjoyed the movie and book with equal levels of satisfaction. Would prefer book for re-visit. Cultural anthropology?
March 19, 2018
Interesting read and, had my attention to the end.
If you've watched the movie you know how this ends :-)
If you've watched the movie you know how this ends :-)
July 28, 2022
Donn Pearce's description of life on a Florida chain gang is spot on. But then, that should serve as no surprise. He spent two years on a chain gang and is the inspiration for the character Sailor. He once appeared on the TV game show To Tell the Truth back before the movie starring Paul Newman was made. Google it. See if you can pick him out.
February 9, 2024
Loved the movie, loved the book! Fantastic narrator! Of course I was seeing Paul Newman and those beautiful baby blues the entire time.
July 20, 2015
The story of Luke Jackson, a.k.a “Cool Hand Luke,” is said to be based on personal experiences of Donn Pearce, the book's author. Following time in military service as a Merchant Marine, Pearce became involved in counterfeiting and safe-cracking. His crimes eventually lead to a short prison sentence, working on a chain gang.
Luke was a war veteran who most likely was experiencing PTSD when he was arrested for “cutting the heads” off of parking meters. This offense sends him off to hard labor, working in the hot Florida sun, as part of a chain gang. His fellow inmates gave him the nickname Cool Hand because of his poker face when playing cards, and his attitude that nothing could phase him. Having to live in chains is certainly a hard way to survive, and working in those conditions seems cruel and inhumane. A prison work crew has to learn cooperation and teamwork. I can't imagine living in such close quarters and with synchronicity of every movement. Not to mention the pain of those shackles! Being constantly watched and threatened by the Boss's whip kept convicts on task, and severe beating or time in the box was penalty for stepping out of line.
Luke's nonchalant ways, his refusal to acknowledge pecking order of his peers, or to submit to authority make him a victim-hero. He does have a certain charisma and talent in ways, such as the ability to play a mean banjo as well as superior competitive eating skills. My sympathizes were with him when he missed his mother's funeral. This sadness seemed to have triggered his need to escape. When his attempts are successful the morale of his prison family is heightened as they think of him. They seem to be living vicariously by imagining his exploits as a freeman. Alas, freedom doesn't last and Luke is recaptured, then subjected to violent abuse as an example to all.
I thought it was coincidental that I began this novel after recent current events revolving around the saga of escapees from an upstate New York prison. While reading I reflected on the day-by-day reports of these fugitives and remembered a song by Styx (band from my high school days) entitled “Renegade.” As I often do when reading, I tend to lose myself in the life of characters' stories and this experience-taking leads me to consider many things I may never have thought about before. Cool Hand Luke inspired me to think about reform in prisons and prisoner treatment. I even found an old film about a true-life prisoner, Robert Burns (not the Scottish poet), entitled “I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.” Life on a chain gang must have been horrendous to consider crawling through thick brush, wading swamps, outsmarting blood hounds, and to have feelings of always being hunted.
Luke was a war veteran who most likely was experiencing PTSD when he was arrested for “cutting the heads” off of parking meters. This offense sends him off to hard labor, working in the hot Florida sun, as part of a chain gang. His fellow inmates gave him the nickname Cool Hand because of his poker face when playing cards, and his attitude that nothing could phase him. Having to live in chains is certainly a hard way to survive, and working in those conditions seems cruel and inhumane. A prison work crew has to learn cooperation and teamwork. I can't imagine living in such close quarters and with synchronicity of every movement. Not to mention the pain of those shackles! Being constantly watched and threatened by the Boss's whip kept convicts on task, and severe beating or time in the box was penalty for stepping out of line.
Luke's nonchalant ways, his refusal to acknowledge pecking order of his peers, or to submit to authority make him a victim-hero. He does have a certain charisma and talent in ways, such as the ability to play a mean banjo as well as superior competitive eating skills. My sympathizes were with him when he missed his mother's funeral. This sadness seemed to have triggered his need to escape. When his attempts are successful the morale of his prison family is heightened as they think of him. They seem to be living vicariously by imagining his exploits as a freeman. Alas, freedom doesn't last and Luke is recaptured, then subjected to violent abuse as an example to all.
I thought it was coincidental that I began this novel after recent current events revolving around the saga of escapees from an upstate New York prison. While reading I reflected on the day-by-day reports of these fugitives and remembered a song by Styx (band from my high school days) entitled “Renegade.” As I often do when reading, I tend to lose myself in the life of characters' stories and this experience-taking leads me to consider many things I may never have thought about before. Cool Hand Luke inspired me to think about reform in prisons and prisoner treatment. I even found an old film about a true-life prisoner, Robert Burns (not the Scottish poet), entitled “I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.” Life on a chain gang must have been horrendous to consider crawling through thick brush, wading swamps, outsmarting blood hounds, and to have feelings of always being hunted.
March 31, 2016
Cool Hand Luke
I couldn't read this book without thinking of the great 1967 Paul Newman movie. The screen play was done by Donn Pearce, the author of the book. The movie is very close to the book and while it's usually the case that a book is better than its movie, in this case I can't compare the two. They are both excellent. Strother Martin's famous line in the movie, “What we've got here is failure to communicate.” is not in the book.
Pearce wrote the book in the first person, but it's first person plural: We watched..., we all knew..., We rolled our cigarettes... .He refers to us, the reader, as you – people on the outside, free men. The singular, I, is used only sparingly - only to let us know that the narrator is Sailor. But Sailor isn't the protagonist. He lets us know what life in a prison work camp is like, life on the chain gang. And then he tells us the story of Cool Hand Luke.
Cool Hand Luke, for me, is in the same category as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Luke – Lloyd Jackson - is a similar character to Randle McMurphy, a true individualist, an anti-hero, defiant, cool to the end. And ultimately destroyed by authority.
I couldn't read this book without thinking of the great 1967 Paul Newman movie. The screen play was done by Donn Pearce, the author of the book. The movie is very close to the book and while it's usually the case that a book is better than its movie, in this case I can't compare the two. They are both excellent. Strother Martin's famous line in the movie, “What we've got here is failure to communicate.” is not in the book.
Pearce wrote the book in the first person, but it's first person plural: We watched..., we all knew..., We rolled our cigarettes... .He refers to us, the reader, as you – people on the outside, free men. The singular, I, is used only sparingly - only to let us know that the narrator is Sailor. But Sailor isn't the protagonist. He lets us know what life in a prison work camp is like, life on the chain gang. And then he tells us the story of Cool Hand Luke.
Cool Hand Luke, for me, is in the same category as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Luke – Lloyd Jackson - is a similar character to Randle McMurphy, a true individualist, an anti-hero, defiant, cool to the end. And ultimately destroyed by authority.
November 7, 2010
Curiosity got the best of me, having seen the movie 376 times (approximately). Pearce used his personal chain gang experience as the backdrop for this gritty slice of life/character study. Most of the incidents in the book appear in the film even though the story is structured in the first person. The violence is grittier and more intense here but Pearce does an excellent job fleshing out the chain-gang inmates and bosses.
December 27, 2021
A fast paced novel about one man's defiance against a brutal regime. In lock-up, and on the road in a chain gang. Lloyd Jackson, a WWII veteran, plagued by his own demons, falls foul of the law. His rebellion is as much to do with his own redemption, as it is, a nihilistic attack on mindless authority. A real cool read...
October 23, 2022
I didn't like the narration style! personally, I like to know more than 2 things about a first person pov narrator. there were some boring lulls and I did have to take a break and read something else halfway through but I'm proud to be one of three members of my book club to finish it before we meet on Thursday!
October 12, 2022
“Within that cloud you could see us, a gang of half-naked, laughing demons dancing an exuberant ballet of labor.”
i loved it. a little more overstuffed and complicated and a weirder format than the screenplay he would write for the movie but still holds all the raw tenderness towards his former inmates.
i loved it. a little more overstuffed and complicated and a weirder format than the screenplay he would write for the movie but still holds all the raw tenderness towards his former inmates.
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