The Penguin Tank discussion

Mindi & I agreed, we were more or less underwhelmed. I found author Ken Kesey's 6pg forward at the beginning, about his real experiences volunteering for government-sponsored LSD testing in the 1960's, a lot more interesting than the rest of his fictional account of the mental hospital.

As Anna stated, while I did find the book enjoyable it was not the most influential piece of literature I have read. One can get the majority of the plot points from viewing the film; however, there were aspects of the narrative that I found fascinating from a psychological perspective. In particular, the portions of the narrative wherein the 'Chief' describes his own internal experiences within "the fog" were interesting to me given my own line of work and studies. However, there were not enough of these moments to keep me fully engaged for the remainder of the book.

I know that you all read this one awhile ago, but I just finished it and thought that I would share my opinions. I actually enjoyed the book! Maybe it is because I work in mental health, but it was interesting to watch the power struggle between McMurphy and the Big Nurse. On one hand, I was amused by his antics, but on the other, I could relate to the nurse as well. It also did not take me too long to realize that it was not going to end well for McMurphy. I also found it a little trippy to try and figure out what the heck Chief B. was talking about sometimes. Between the fog and his dreams, it was a little confusing, but I suppose that it was meant to be. Happy reading everyone!