Sometimes a Great Notion

Sometimes a Great Notion is the second novel by American author Ken Kesey, published in 1964. While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) is more famous, many critics consider Sometimes a Great Notion Kesey's magnum opus. The story involves an Oregon family of gyppo loggers who cut trees for a local mill in opposition to unionized workers who are on strike. Kesey took the title from the song "Goodnight, Irene", popularized by Lead Belly. Sometimes I lives in the country Sometimes I lives in the town Sometimes I haves a great notion To jump into the river an' drown Plot The story centers on the Stamper family, a hard-headed logging clan in the coastal town of Wakonda, on the Oregon coast, in the early 1960s. The union loggers in Wakonda go on strike to demand the same pay for shorter hours in response to the decreasing need for labor. The Stampers, however, own and operate a small family business independent of the unions and decide to continue working to supply the regionally owned mill with all the timber the laborers would have supplied had the strike not occurred. The rest of the town is outraged.