Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey was born in 1935 in La Junta, Colorado. He was raised in a Christian household and was very successful in school and sports. When studying at Stanford, Kesey tested and personally ingested hallucinogens such as LSD. This experience was key to his inspiration for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was said that Kesey, when working at a psychiatric ward, hallucinated an Indian man sweeping; this became the inspiration for Chief Bromden. The book was an instant success. The critical representation of society in the book reflected his "hippie"-like ways and he conveys harsh criticism of the American norm. Kesey was later prosecuted for possession of marijuana, and actually fled to Mexico to escape this sentence. When he returned, he was arrested. The book allowed Kesey to live the remainder of his life comfortably.