A recent post lists all the reasons people hate Ayn Rand’s tome “Atlas Shrugged”. I discovered this book when I was 18, at the recommendation of a friend. Like with 1984, I was amazed at how timeless the book’s concepts were. This is the philosophy of Objectivism: the truth does not change with the times or with public opinion. I have reread this book every decade, and every time I am more amazed at how I can apply the book’s ideas to what us happening at the moment. You may not like the characters. They are not meant to be likable or realistic. Each character represents an idea. Dagny is a heroine because she stays true to her ideals. One thing I did not care for was how she threw away one man whenever she found someone closer to her ideals. I also do not care for the lack of empathy for innocent children killed in disasters. The depictions of sex are also not acceptable – some have pointed out how Ayn watched her mother be raped by Russian soldiers and surely this must have colored her view of sex. As a perfectionist, Ayn may never have published her book if she got rid of all its flaws. I love this book and will continue rereading it; hopefully I still have a few decades to go.
by ekgeroldmiller