‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ selected as 2015 Linn Area Reads book

CEDAR RAPIDS - This year's Linn Area Reads selection is 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey.

Linn Area Reads, a program of the Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha Public Libraries, encourages people across the county to read and discuss one book together each year.

Set in a mental ward, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” is a novel based largely on the author's experiences. It features the ward's inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the loudmouthed and fun-loving inmate who opposes her. The novel is told through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Native American patient.

Linn Area Read gives community members a chance discuss not just the book, but the topics it address.

'This book is more than 50 years old, but the themes are still valid today,” said Amber Mussman, Community Relations Manager with the Cedar Rapids Public Library and member of the Linn Area Reads selection committee. 'We are excited to engage the community in a discussion of the state of mental health and wellness treatment as well as services for our veterans in 2015, and how these compare to the picture painted in this classic novel.”

New this year is an effort to encourage book clubs to participate in Linn Area Reads. A limited number of free book club kits will be available at each of the Metro libraries for groups that wish to participate.

The kits will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and do not need to be returned. Each kit includes eight paperback copies of the novel, a discussion guide and information on programs.

Linn Area Reads is supported by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, Friends of the Marion Public Library, the Metro Library Network, the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation and the Mercy Medical Center Foundation.

For more information on Linn Area Reads, visit www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/linnareareads.

The State We're In: A Picture of Mental Health in 2015.

What: Learn what's changed in 50 years in our mental health system and support services. What challenges are we facing today? What improvements have been made? How far have we come and how far do we have yet to go? Hear from a panel of experts, moderated by KCRG's Ashley Hinson, including Unity Point Manager of Child/Adolescent Outpatient Programs & Behavioral Health Carol Meade, Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers and Horizons Community Based and Mental Health Services Director Rosemary Ziskovsky.

When: March 10, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Cedar Rapids Public Library, Whipple Auditorium, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

Moderated Book Discussion

What: Discuss 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Refreshments provided.

When: March 24, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids

Movie Screening: 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest”

What: Directed by Milos Forman, this film version of the book won five major Academy Awards in 1975.

When: March 31, 7 p.m.

Where: Cedar Rapids Public Library, Whipple Auditorium, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids