Readin' in the Rain -- A Great Notion for Eugene, Oregon

The late Ken Kesey, noted author and Oregon legend, resisted conformity in every aspect of his life. How then would he have reacted to the prospect of all Eugene reading one book -- his Sometimes a Great Notion, originally published in 1962 by Viking, a powerful tale of family discord and bitter labor strife in Oregon’s logging towns, is the first book selected by a consortium of community organizations, libraries, and booksellers, to launch Eugene’s "Readin’ in the Rain" program. The lineup of events, which began early in February and will end on April 1, includes dozens of book discussion groups; presentations by artists, historians, musicians; film showings; and unscripted appearances by some of Kesey’s closest friends, The Merry Pranksters.

Scott Landfield, co-owner and co-founder of Tsunami Books, a combination bookstore and performance space in Eugene, is one of the coordinators of the community-wide read. He spoke to BTW about both his initial contact with Kesey, who died at 66 on November 10, 2001, following surgery for liver cancer, and the development of the Readin’ in the Rain project.

"We are located in Eugene’s ‘Friendly Neighborhood’ [named for a town luminary whose surname was Friendly]," Landfield said, "and we were looking to get something going here, a community builder. Ken Kesey lived up the road on a farm, and I went up there this past fall to ask if he would do a reading. He was very happy to do it, but said he had to put it off until spring because of his surgery. When he died a few weeks later, we wanted to create a memorial to him, to his books and his life. He had lived in Oregon since 1955. His father was a well-known farmer [founding the Eugene Farmers Cooperative] and Ken won every alumni award. He was a straight-A student, a world-class wrestler, and his wife [Faye Haxby] is still involved in the Baptist church in town."

Spurred in part by news of the One Book, One Chicago program, Landfield and others envisioned a city-wide project mobilized by reading Sometimes a Great Notion, with its perspectives on community and individual resiliency tied to the spirit and history of the Pacific Northwest, as a fitting acknowledgment of Kesey’s legacy.

Landfield has been heartened by the collaborative efforts the Readin’ in the Rain project has engendered. "We wanted this to be a community builder. Eugene is divided on many things, but we have tried to take this as far as it could go. We have 14 very spirited independent bookstores and four chain bookstores all participating together. The neighborhood associations and even the mayor is very involved. He likes to read," said Landfield.

Many examples of an energized community spirit in Eugene are blossoming. Funds are being raised for a Ken Kesey sculpture in the downtown, and the street currently known as Broadway may soon be renamed Kesey Street. The author’s publisher, Viking, donated 70 copies of Kesey’s first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, to a local high school and 70 copies of Sometimes a Great Notion to the Eugene Public Library. Many bookstores have also donated copies of the book to the Library. The final events of Readin’ in the Rain, include live entertainment, talks, and screenings of the 1971 film Sometimes a Great Notion, starring Henry Fonda, Lee Remick, and Paul Newman (also the director). The film will be shown at the historic downtown McDonald Theatre, newly renovated and operated by Ken Kesey’s nephew Kit Kesey.

Landfield told BTW that 300 copies of the book have been sold so far this year at Tsunami, which amounts to nearly 12 per square foot of selling space. Other participants estimate that several thousand copies have sold throughout the town.

But the book is not required reading for all loyal Oregonians -- because diversity and independence are intrinsic to the pioneer spirit of the great Northwest. As Connie Bennett, library services director for the Eugene Public Library, notes in her open letter to the community, "One of the large themes in Sometimes a Great Notion is the importance and uniqueness of the individual. While we appreciate the community spirit that reading together can bring, we are aware that some community members may want to express their individuality by reading other works by Ken Kesey, or other materials entirely."

One local bookseller commented that this was not "all about Eugene …. It is about a very great book written by a very great writer." Landfield agreed, "Ken Kesey was bigger than any of his reputations." -- Nomi Schwartz