I read "Cuckoo's Nest" and "Acid Test", and I actually do believe that both of these should be in the Junior curriculum. They are both books that are hard to put down, and offer good insight on life lessons. I think "Acid Test" could be especially helpful due to its many drug references that could help young adults better understand drugs and be prepared for what to avoid and what to expect.
It also shows how really unproductive drugs are and how it could make you get your priorities very mixed up. The free spirited and disregarding actions of the Merry Pranksters give a counter example of how life should be. "Cuckoo's Nest" deeply portrays men who regain their honor by defying their known authorities. The author, Ken Kesey, attempts to portray to the reader how a life where everything is chosen for you is no life at all. And by experiencing this through the eyes of the Chief, you watch as he turns from someone so afraid of the world that he pretends to be deaf and mute to avoid contact with it, find his will to live again and break free from the oppression that was holding him and his fellow patients down. Both of these books share this message of not following orders without questionig your authorities.
