Because of the diversity of topics Kesey addresses in Sailor Song, most readers should find at least one issue they will enjoy discussing. Those interested in ecology may debate how accurate is Kesey's vision of environmental devastation in the early twenty-first century. Those interested in contemporary culture may focus on community dynamics in the town meeting or bar scenes or on Kesey's depiction of drug use and technology. Followers of Hollywood may appreciate his satire of the power structure within the film industry or his portrayal of how Hollywood invades and changes a community. Animal rights activists might concentrate upon the treatment of dogs and sea lions in the novel. Fans of romance fiction may discuss the unusual relationship between Alice Carmody and Ike Sallas and perhaps compare Kesey's depiction of mature love to that in other novels, such as Robert James Waller's The Bridges of...