Atlas Shrugged

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Summary: Help to get Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Review: Hello everybody,
Iam a Nigerian need to get this Atlas Shrugged written by Ayn Rand but i have go to all the bookshop but I didn't find it. so with atmost good faith i plead to get this book.Even a used one or not. Pls anybody who can help me to get this book. I will be happy.

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Summary: Continuously in print for 47 years and not going away soon
Review: Whatever you think of "Atlas Shrugged" as a work of literature or a work of philosophy, there is no arguing away its massive and enduring connection with its readers. The book is not assigned in schools, and yet it has been a continuously strong seller for 47 years now despite its daunting bulk and lengthy sermonizing. Obviously, there is something in it that speaks to people.

Many here would say that it merely flatters the adolescent reader (whatever their age) and their sense of themselves as an unappreciated but superior person. There is a large grain of truth in that, and I think only a die-hard Randian would feel the need to dispute it.

But there's another way of looking at that. One could just as easily say that it pays tribute to humanity's desire to better itself. And Rand did say so herself, with what must have been wearying frequency.

The novel is written with the crude emphaticness of allegory. (You will never need to wait to find out whether a character is one of the good guys or the bad guys.) The critics don't seem to mind that when they encounter it in "The Pilgrim's Progress". But that style is very out of fashion now, and it opens the book to, in my opinion, determinedly wrong-headed criticisms of its "flat" characters and "stagy" dialogue. Those who complain that it isn't written like "Madame Bovary" are saying in effect (to borrow C.S. Lewis's phrase): "Of course I don't like brown cheese. It isn't dry sherry."

As for the book's notorious philosophy, I think it futile to deny that, in its purest form, it is equally unworkable and unattractive. The same can be said of Plato's "The Republic", of course, so that is perhaps a soft indictment. The real point is that there are legitimate and unsettling ideas to be reckoned with here.

And for what it's worth: I used to believe in socialism. After I read this book, I didn't any more.

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Summary: Don't waste hours of your time reading this book
Review: More than a 1000 pages this book is as long as the long russian novels. I read about 250 pages and then could not go on anymore. Truly if you finish this book you deserve a medal(like one reviewer said,it should be in the back inside cover).
The theme is gray and depressing-heavy industry,railroads and mining in a fictional 30's like era with the main character being a woman who is really a superwoman.Sentences can be super long.Passages super long with long winding philosophical nonsense talk. It should have been a maximun of 300 pages.

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Summary: What is the value of man?
Review: In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand espouses her philosophy of existence, which is referred to as Objectivism. Central to her theory is her belief that humans are great achievers but many people fail to realize their full potential because they subscribe to harmful philosophies that denigrate humanity's greatness. She lashes out against emotionalism, fatalism, fundamentalism, and other oppressive systems of thought. Rand was the champion of the human mind. It is through our ability to think that enabled us to build and maintain our civilization. Contrary to what people believed, Rand was not just a proponent of capitalism. She cites music, literature, and the law as examples of humanity's genius. Her characters John Galt, Hank Rearden, and Dagny Taggart embody the virtue of rationalism.
Humans, however, also can oppress and destroy. They are the dictators and manipulators. Through their philosophies and political systems such as fatalism and totalitarianism, these people stifle and even reverse humanity's progress by usurping the products of creativity and by forcing unconditional obedience to their ideas. Her characters Jim Taggart and Wesley Mouch and his fellow rulers of America embody humanity's vices.
Who is John Galt? Ultimately, he is each one of us if we choose to acknowledge and use the greatness that is inherent in our species.

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Summary: Great in every sense of the word
Review: I don't think I have yet read a book as absorbing and thought provoking as this one. It changed my worldview somewhat and gave me answers to many questions I had been holding before.

This book is indeed long - there are many subplots and lots of things going on, not to mention a speech 50 pages long - but I enjoyed every page. The plot is mesmerizing, writing clear, and heroes larger-than-life. It left me feeling exalted.

I realize this book is not for everyone. People may dislike it either because it goes against their most fundamental premises, or simply because it doesn't match their literary taste. However, that shouldn't keep you from reading it. Form your own opinion - at the very least, this book deserves the benefit of doubt.

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Summary: A must read classic
Review: As noted above, Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club, gives you a good starting reference on how enduring the story is, decades after publishing.

This is one of the few books I have ever read multiple times. The first couple times as just a great novel, then as societal commentary. So I guess both need to be addressed in a review.

As a novel: The story follows Dagny Taggart, executive of a railroad as she struggles, along with other achievers, to succeed while the bulk of the human race stands idle. Eventually, the achievers start disappearing and the resultant society of "looters" begins to fail on a grand scale, without a system of work ethics or morals to guide them.

Good character development in the leads, supporting characters are numerous and provide ideas and contrasts more than anything. Provides examination of complex issues, and raised a lot of thought provoking questions. The only downside to the book is the overly long speech by a lead character at the end, otherwise moves along quickly for its' size.

As a commentary on society: The storyline parallels today's America to a point, as we become more and more of a welfare state and a society of self-described victims who don't take personal responsibility for our choices to chain-smoke, overeat, etc, etc.

I recommend it as a novel, regardless of your take on the philosophical portion because it has a great epic storyline. An even more satisfying read if you are a self-starter or small-businessperson type who has dealt with government bureaucrats and assorted hangers-on.

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Summary: Gives a whole new meaning to the term 'heavy-handed'
Review: I have nothing to say for or against Rand's philosophy, but I have a lot to say against this book. There's unsubtle, there's undisguised propaganda, and then there's Atlas Shrugged.

I didn't think this before I picked up the book. Yes, from the beginning, the worldview is completley one-dimensional and Rand admits no possibilty of any other ideas having merit, but I had expected that from having reading The Fountainhead. There came a passage in the middle of the book, though, which just made me _stop_ and reread it a couple times. It describes a train wreck, caused, of course, by shoddy workmanship and laziness, in which all of the passengers on the train are killed. Rand as narrator says something like: "You may believe that victims of accidents have no responsibilty for their deaths. However, the passengers on this train..." and she goes on the list why some of the passengers on that train _deserved to die_, namely because they weren't proper objectivists.

Am I the only one who thinks that's just slightly objectionable?

I almost never get offended, and I'm not one to snap at authors for being insensitive or un-p.c.

But _holding accident victims responsible for their own deaths because of philosophical shortcomings_ seems to cross a line.

I found The Fountainhead readable (and I'm giving this book two stars instead of one) because of the sheer energy and conviction which Rand communicates through her work. It's obvious that she cares very deeply about her mission. It's difficult for the reader to work up the same enthusiasm, though.

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Summary: Good book, but the characters are unrealistic.
Review: Well...looking at all these reviews all I can say is the world is full of fanatics. Wouldn't you say? We have those who say this is a horrible book... and those who say this is the greatest book to ever come of the printing press.It's funny. So here's my two bits. But first I'd like to tell you I consider myself a sort of objectivist, I've read all Rand's work... and almost every objectivist piece put out.And the weirdest part about all this is I just read this recently!Maybe that's why I'm not a true believer!Seriously I'm not much of a fiction man. So first the flaws as I see it. These characters (many of them...not all) are like robots. They are hopefully a method for Rand to project her philosophy, and not how she truly thought most people are like( But she was a nut...so who knows)By the way... just because I say she was a nut doesn't mean I think she wasn't brilliant...she was.And that's my second point. To those who give this book one star for the unreasonable personalities of the characters I understand... but to ignore the central ideas and the beauty of the free market is very dishonest.This is what this book to me is very good at doing... in a light that is not academic. Another thing... if anything, it also shows the good of freedom, and the evil of central planning in a way that is metaphorical to life, so people can see what the end consequences are. And for all those relativists out there maybe it will make you question about the word "value" and how it relates to human life. For if you truly do not believe in good and evil... a la Nietzsche... then communism and totalitarianism are on equal ground with freedom and a free society. Freedom meaning being able to live ones life however one sees fit...so long as he does not commit physical harm on another person or his property. Same with socialism...in any regards know that there is no middle of the road in politics...the only society that can be said to be truly good and free is the one where the only rights that are restricted are the ones to protect individuals and their property. For if restricted anything behond that what is the basis...if not envy and ignorance? What's wrong with just leaving everyone alone... and having laws to make sure that is done. What people must learn before they denounce true capitalism(not the state of the U.S. as it is... but how it was supposed to be, dictated by the constitution) is real economics... not the junk they teach in many schools about redistribution. If this was taught, this would solve the worlds problems. Ask yourself why it is not... and who has an interest in you not knowing, possibly the very people who educate us in our schools? Why do they not teach economics... say austrian economics... if you only knew...you would see through every politicans empty solutions and promises, and then you'd realize that free people working together in exchanging goods could set the world free... free from war, and poverty.

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Summary: Like a skipping CD, this book repeats itself
Review: This book was awful. I picked it up because my brother suggested it, and he usually reads some interesting books. After the first 250 pages, I wasn't exactly excited about what I had read, but I figured, given the size of the book, that I was only through the introduction. I read the next 250 pages and still the book sucked, but along the same rationale I finished it, my brother had to have seen something. The main problem is that the book continously repeats itself, conversations are the same, plot twists are the same, and it is all flawed capitalist extremism. At the end, the protagonists take off their everday clothes to reveal the tight spandex, capes, and a letter C in the middle chest to save the day. (By the way I didn't ruin the ending.)

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Summary: I returned this one to get my money back....
Review: First of all I should say that while I read alot, the vast majority of my reading is non-fiction. So that may be one reason why I found this book was so intellectually tepid. Second, I returned this book halfway through because it was so silly. While I am an Independent who favors economic liberalism, I found Rand's plot and arguments sooo corny and contrived. It was like those horrible late-night informercials were the players act so over-the-top excited about a product. Counter agruments were just not developed like they should for a work that argued a philosophy. Thus it lacked any ability to stimulate me due to its mind-numbing use of straw man fallacy and abysmal employment of dialectic.