Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Atlas Shrugged
Book Review: A Book For Our Day
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing to see that, almost 45 years after its publication, "Atlas Shrugged" still has the power to invoke such violent extremes of response (just take a look at the posted reviews below to see what I mean). Rather than disappearing into obscurity, this book seems to be gaining more and more relevance as we move into the 21st century...the Microsoft trial could have sprung directly from its pages! To me, the most interesting thing about her works is not their message (although it's an extrememly powerful message); rather, it is the way she is able to make her readers examine their deeply-held beliefs. Love her or hate her, one thing remains universally true: Exposure to Ayn Rand's ideas will change the way you view the world. I've never met anyone who remeins completely unaffected by what she has to say.
The real challenge in reading Ayn Rand is to form your own conclusions...her ideas are so compelling that it is easy for many to be swept along unquestioning by them, hence the charge that Objectivism is a "cult"...for some, it has been. For others, she can produce such violent revulsion that the result is knee-jerk opposition, without giving her ideas the serious consideration they deserve. Are you intellectually strong enough to read this book and form your own defensible conclusions? Get it and find out.
No, this is not light reading. But I defy anyone to produce a book containing ideas of this weight, that are presented in a more entertaining manner than this one. Along with her other book "The Fountainhead", this book remains one of the most influential of our century (and its influence is stronger today than ever, as evidenced by the prominence of one of Rand's greatest supporters, Alan Greenspan). Read the book and make up your own mind, if you can!
Book Review: A Breakthrough
Summary: 5 Stars
Atlas Shrugged is simply the most well-written book of all time. The author spend about 14 years on writing this book, and it surely paid off. It was first published in 1957 and it has been translated into numerous languages and is one of the most influential books in American history. How come that you rarely see it being talked about in the media? How come that many Americans have never even heard about it or its author?Because it tells the truth!
The book consists of strong and well-defined characters and the plot is flawless. The main parts of the plot are the proper and improper role of government, the source of American wealth and production and the individuals who represent the good and evil in the world and specifically in American society. You get to know good and evil in business as government like never before.
Any person with an interest in politics, freedom, individualism and reason ought to read this book. You will not be disappointed. Another book I recommend is Paul Omeziri's Descent into Illusion, really just as good.
Book Review: A Breath Of Fresh Air...
Summary: 5 Stars
In the dank cell of mindless philosophy. This is Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. A luminously rational philosophy in the guise of fiction. A philosophy which *can* be applied in real life. A philosophy which does not deny the existance of reason (wow thats a first) Something that does not speculate on implausible points that have nothing to do with real life. Something that can hold your attention for more than five pages (beat that Aquinas)In short, some get it and some dont. Some read the book for the philosophy. Some read it for the story, and get no more out of it than a yarn about a bunch of reclusive business executives (and may their God help them) Some dont see the point, say the philosophy cant be applied, and go back to the Bible. But for those who can comprehend, Ayn Rand is a shining beacon lighting the grim night of philosophy.
Book Review: A Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't pretend I'm a master of prose, but this is a great bookBook Review: A College Education in Itself...
Summary: 5 Stars
The sheer number of reviews on this page is evidence of the value and effect her work has had on so many. I've devoured the works of Ayn Rand, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hugo, Shakespeare, The Bible, and she stands above them all. Actually, she stands with the founding fathers of America.
The animosity and isolation some feel after reading her work is common. Her depiction of how things should be, makes many choices we witness in the world that much more unbearable. Rand's own declared "loathing for humanity" unfortunately was transmitted to her students who often do not have the intellectual ammunition to overcome the negativity. The constructive abandon the hostility and grow to Galt's stature while the poor thinkers ultimately have to abandon Rand, in pace with their abandonment of ideals.
Seeing the many asinine comments new readers are subjected to, such as the idiot speaking of the male hero in the book who runs the railroad, making it obvious he didn't even read the book (Dagny runs the railroad and is a woman), the trite crassness of making her every character out to be a joke, the literary attack of those who could never equal her, or those trying to convince new readers that Rand's ideas amount to the exact opposite of the civil, rational, honorable truths they actually amount to, somewhat justifies Rand's hostility. To them I say, "We do exist. We have all the treasures in fulfillment and wealth that you desire and we worked for them, just as you've earned your position and all the self-loathing it generates." Hate us because we're happy.
What did Rand actually stand for? She stood for the spirit that built this country. She stood for the greatness of America and her best people; the hardest working, the most passionately devoted and the most honest dealing. If you want to learn how life is lived by those at the very top, from a moral as well as a day to day actionable perspective, there is no better fiction work to show you than Atlas Shrugged.
I went through the negative phase myself and fortunately, through Moral Armor, I solved it. The anger is gone, the pure happiness described when Dagny met Galt for the first time is mine as a constant, and I've mapped out the way for it to be yours. The next step past Atlas Shrugged has been taken to simplify the structure of Western Philosophy and remove the isolationist barriers between all sects, by drawing a deeper moral parallel between men than has ever existed.
Atlas Shrugged gave me more than I can tell you, though it widened the breach between Christianity and Western Philosophy that Aristotle (through Aquinas) had closed. Rand followers are closer to the goal, but both sides have a bit to learn. Join me, and together we will reach Atlantis.