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Summary: It doesn't teach, it enlightens...
Review: The understanding is already there, within you - this book shines light on it masterfully and allows you to recognize what you already know, but never could put into words. If, however, you don't already understand what Atlas Shrugged is saying, nothing will show in the light of the reading. You won't get it, and will probably join the negative reviewers in these pages. It is fascinating how many of the negative reviewers sound just like the "establishment" characters in the book! Yes, it is the desire to use one's own freedom and energy - to create, to build value, to build wealth, that delivers all that is worthy and good in this world. Look at your world for proof. Where does the wealth for "good deeds" come from? Where are jobs made? Who builds the Walkman and who feeds the slacker who rants about the evils of capitalism? It took twenty years for me to reach Atlas Shrugged and for Ayn Rand to articulate what I knew all along about the hypocrisy and cruelty of liberalism and socialism, of any collectivist philosophy. Read this book and see if you like it. Your reaction to it will tell you a lot about yourself.
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Summary: the new intellectuals don't read much!
Review: If Atlas Shrugged is a book Rand wrote for the elite few who could appreciate it, then how come the writing is so unsophisticated? Atlas Shrugged has more in common with a hastily-written potboiler than a work of high literature or philosophy. The prose is purple (at many points so bad it made me wince); the book's "message" is shrill, unrelenting, and without nuance; the earnest love scenes read like they came straight out of a drug store romance novel. It is not because of a vast left-wing conspiracy that Atlas Shrugged is never taught in college literature classes (or, for that matter, college philosophy classes); this is simply not a novel of the first rank. If you want to read sophisticated works about the dangers of "collectivism," try George Orwell or, better yet, Arthur Koestler. If Rand's "philosophy" is what interests you, read Nietzsche and Adam Smith--which is what Rand read and tried to graft together. Apparently, it didn't trouble Rand that her new intellectuals would have no taste or background in the literary arts!
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Summary: Who Is John Galt?
Review: To those who cannot seem to appreciate this novel or have not been inspired by it, like Ms. Rand, I offer no consolation or couldn't even care less. After all, it is the men of the intellect - the doers and the movers of the world, that she seeks. Haven't you noticed that your negative reactions (reviewing this novel) reflect the similar reactions of the antagonists to Ms. Rand's heroes in the story? How sad. Ask yourself why - who is John Galt? Don't ask questions no one can answer.
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Summary: A Must Read... but only if you're ready for it!
Review: I'm not sure why I waited so long to finally read this book, but after making it through the more than 1,000 page marathon, I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner. If you're considering reading Atlas Shrugged, be prepared. It's no weekend page flipper. While I can usually tear through a hundred pages at a reading, Rand's writing really makes you evaluate each sentence and challenge your perceptions. Don't read this unless you're prepared to not put it down for a few weeks and critically challenge your beliefs and perceptions. I found myself reading two or three pages, then setting the book down to really think it through for hours (something I'd usually never do for a work of fiction!). Rand's writing can also be tiresome at times... such as Galt's nearly 100-page radio address. Even more tiresome is how depressingly, exhaustively extended the persistance of some of the characters is. Yet, in retrospect, this process seems to work, illustrating how in real life, we too tend to continue down the wrong path way to far. Finally, if you're interested in objectivism, Atlas Shrugged is a great place to start. It is rich with the metaphors Rand uses elsewhere and introduces the reader to the foundation of the study.
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Summary: Required Reading for all
Review: This book easily fits into the category of timeless American Classics. Despite being written in 1957, Rand is masterful in not dating her work. I strongly recommend this to all Americans, as it clearly defines the road that awaits us if we allow socialist policies (championed by modern liberals) to hold sway. The book accelerates the process, and shows the absurdity of the logical extension of liberalism. I think anyone who considers themselves a liberal (or is a registered Democrat) should read this book to truly understand the deeper roots of their beliefs. I would strongly suggest this should be required reading for all students before graduating high school, however its length makes that untenable. This book was recommended to me by an extremely liberal professor (also a lawyer) who claimed she could not reconcile her beliefs with the persuasive arguments put forth by Rand. It truly shows that capitalism and the profit motive have been and continue to be the greatest forces for positive social change in the world.
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Summary: propaganda disguised as a novel
Review: In _Atlas_, Rand earnestly seeks to illustrate that rich people deserve their wealth--that there is a direct correlation between virtue and earning power. This is a hopelessly simplistic philosophy, little more than propaganda. Rand seems to have no grasp that the social circumstances one is born into has a huge impact on how far one can climb. She tries to avoid such an objection by having Dagny Taggart refuse to cash in on her inherited privelege, choosing instead to make her own way. But inheritance isn't always privelege. What if Taggart's "inheritance" was a disabled mother and three younger siblings? Would we cheer when she disavowed them to strike out on her own? Close your _Atlas_ and pick up George Eliot's _Middlemarch_: she is a writer that understands not only that human interdependence a fact, but that it can be an ennobling one.
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Summary: Work of a Flawed Genius
Review: As a former member of the Objectivist movement in the 1970s, I can speak to this novel and its author with some personal experience. Many of the reviews I have read here seriously mis-state many of the book's main points and constructions. I cannot take the time to answer them all (but will answer specific questions via E-mail), but suffice it to say that the many psychological points made ignore the background from which Miss Rand sprang - a childhood spent under threat of death from the Russian military and desperation to escape Russia to the West. Certainly her childhood molded much of her adult thought concerning any form of state action or power - a point many reviewers seem to ignore. As for the novel itself, I am constantly amazed by its effect on both myself and others. It evokes polar reactions, perhaps because the novel itself is polar - and for a reason. Miss Rand chose to write to extremes because the subject matter and plot required her to do so. The novel, in exposing what Rand saw as the ESSENTIALS to collectivism vs. individualism, HAD TO be written from a black/white perspective. Good vs. Evil was one of the MAJOR THEMES of the novel, and Miss Rand did not believe that one could teach the essential nature of either position by dealing in shades of grey. This is one of the novels strengths - and weaknesses. I can understand why, after the Bible, Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book in American literature (according to two major polls in the early 1990s, one by the Library of Congress and the other by the Book-of-the-Month Club. Also, When The Literary Guild conducted their online poll last year, 2 of Rand's works were in the top 5 most popular of all time, ATLAS SHURGGED easily outpolling the second-place novel, and THE FOUNTAINHEAD coming in 3rd). The work raised questions that one does not normally face during ones first 12 years of indoctrination in religion and 'education'. It jars the senses and forces one to confront questions that many would rather not see raised. That is the earmark of great works - the asking of questions not raised before. Personally, I find some of her passages momumentally beautiful in the images they evoke (most notably the entire story of the collapse of the Taggart Tunnel). I can literally see the story when Miss Rand is painting the surroundings and describing the action. The dialogue, however, is often troubling and difficult to credit - but when one is attempting to present a philosophical system in a novel, one is forced to use somewhat stilted and technical dialogue. Her dialogue in THE FONTAINHEAD was much better. Overall, this novel remains in print and widely read because it challenges previously held concepts, raised questions one has probably never considered before (Such as "What would happen if the men of the mind went on strike?"), and refuses to soften or cushion the blows her ideas inflict on the sacred cows of religion, emotion detatched from reason, and the idea that human action and thought is just a resource amenable to the use of force. In that, her works - flawed as they may be - will live forever.
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Summary: Good thoughts, cheap prose
Review: Atlas Shrugged is a remarkable work, although its lack of abstract representation leaves it high and dry as it ages. Easily Rand's best literary accomplishment, as her most artistic scenes lie within - the tunnel collapse is probably her single best moment in fiction. Its plot is relatively good, if seemingly contrived, but the philosophical meaning is what drives the book home. With its coup de grace 60-page radio speech near the end, Rand is the most succinct than she will ever be in non-fiction, and more verbally powerful. Compelling and graceful, Atlas is a must-read for anyone interested in the philosophy of life and what keeps man living. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about her prose style.
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Summary: Stop the world, I wanna get off
Review: I once came across a notice on a church bulletin board that read: "If you need a helping hand, check out the end of your sleeve." I don't know where they took that quote from, but it could have come straight out of Ayn Rand. Whether or not you agree with Rand's politics or her philosophy, you have to admit she is one terrific storyteller. Rand gives us a world set in a decade we can only guess at, in which the nations have become "People's States" and the United States has grown bloated and ineffectual with the code of "collective responsibility". Standing agianst the coming crash are a few intrepid industrialists whose philosophy is from each according to his ability, to each according to his output, never mind his needs; led by the enigmatic figure of John Galt, who threatens to stop the motor of the world -- and does. Rand has come down as an apostle of selfishness and her socialistic villains are so evil as to defy belief; but she makes a convincing case for the need for people to think and act for themselves rather than surrender their brains and their integrity to a governmental authority. The sheer size of this book has intimidated some readers, but Rand knows how to capture our interest and hold onto it through almost twelve hundred pages. You may not agree with all of her premises, but she has combined some interesting characters and a fascinating plot into a really great book.
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Summary: This book made an impact on me!
Review: With 400+ reviews There is nothing new to tell you about the book or Ayn. How ever I can tell you of my experience with the book. Normally my reviews are flippant and I include nothing personal. I must have been a late bloomer or just unlucky, because I did not come across "Atlas shrugged" until I was 20 years old. I was in the military and needed some reading material. My younger sister sent me the book. It looks just a little thick to me but I started reading, and reading and reading. I do not know if it was the story or the clarity of thought. Now I saw everything in a new or different light. It felt weird to see the newspapers and politics paralleling the book. I was in New York (West Point) at the time and three things stood out to this day. The was a public service announcement on the TV "The law says that an apartment owner can not charge more than 30% of what you make" and at the same time the apartment buildings were closing down. The postal carriers went on strike and the military had to deliver the mail. That winter the snow plow drivers went on strike. When the strike was over the snowplows were missing. They found them the next summer in an empty lot. There is nothing quite as convincing as watching the world and book parallel. I have mellowed out some sense then. But I really think that this book should be read by high school where it would have maximum impact of one's train of thought.
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