Originally Posted by The Economist
BOOKS do not sell themselves: that is what films are for. “The Reader”, the book that inspired the Oscar-winning film, has shot up the bestseller lists. Another recent publishing success, however, has had more help from Washington, DC, than Hollywood. That book is Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”.
Reviled in some circles and mocked in others, Rand’s 1957 novel of embattled capitalism is a favourite of libertarians and college students. Lately, though, its appeal has been growing. According to data from TitleZ, a firm that tracks bestseller rankings on Amazon, an online retailer, the book’s 30-day average Amazon rank was 127 on February 21st, well above its average over the past two years of 542. On January 13th the book’s ranking was 33, briefly besting President Barack Obama’s popular tome, “The Audacity of Hope”.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
I'm wading through The Fountainhead right now.
Roark doesn't seem anything like the capitalistic hero I'd imagine. How does Rand turn from him to capitalism?
I also admire, and have been somewhat influenced by, Rand's forceful and effective nonfiction prose style.
I have a confessionReally? That was a relief from much of the boredom for me since the John Galt mystery was mainly resolved by it.spoiler (click to show/hide)I'm having trouble getting through the part where Dagny crash lands in Galt's Gulch, around page 800. The book has some pretty amazing parts but this particular section is kind of boring.[close]
I also admire, and have been somewhat influenced by, Rand's forceful and effective nonfiction prose style.
Even if you dont agree with her, it's hard to argue that she wasnt a smart person.
as a person much smarter than me on qt3 said: "rand doesn't have a philosophy. she has justifications."
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AtlasShrugged
The famous Dorothy Parker quote, "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force," is in reference to Atlas Shrugged.
as a person much smarter than me on qt3 said: "rand doesn't have a philosophy. she has justifications."
The word rationalizations has a more appropriate undertone to what he's trying to say. All philosophers, even Hegel, try to justify their beliefs.