Gosh, I won't be able to read this 1000+ page long book if I don't get motivated to read it. I have tried the first few chapters and found the plot and the protagonist interesting. Other than that, it's a propaganda book, isn't it? But is it still relavant to today's America in terms of economy?
I have read The Anthem and didn't know what all that was about. I think reading 1984 by George Orwell could have been better.
by Victoria9273
11 Comments
No it’s not. If you are reading it in order to understand it’s relevance try Capitalism in America by Alan Greenspan. I can’t promise it’s good or interesting but it almost has to be better and more educational than Atlas Shrugged.
I’ve never read but let me give you something an old coworker told me that will stick with me forever:
“If you take out all the political bullshit, you have a wonderful novel about trains”
It’s relevant, in that some folks in positions of power still think it’s important. But it’s not exactly a fun or easy (or good) read. Ayn Rand likes to write long, rambling, didactic books, and once you get a feel for them, you can safely stop
Without getting into the politics of it all, it would be better to read her fiction in a specific order
1) Anthem
2) The Fountainhead
3) Atlas Shrugged.
I found this helps understand her focus/intention a little better.
I was once in your situation. I spent my week of holiday reading the book and it’s not good. It tries to be too many things which is impressive considering it’s only doing 3. The fiction isn’t that interesting, it’s incredibly slow, has some strange stakes and contains far too much about Rand’s sexual fantasies.
The philosophy isn’t particularly great, everyone is motivated by selfishness only some selfish people are good and all the others deserve to die.
The economics are bad, Rand doesn’t understand how companies work and her claims in the book are ungrounded and unrealistic.
Trust me, my friend, that by merely wondering about it’s existence you have wasted more energy on her than she deserves. Read J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynn Jones, Terry Pratchett, Becky Chambers or Adrian Tchaikovsky instead. Their stories are good, and they don’t resort to lecturing the reader in their philosophy for over a hundred pages in order to get a message across.
She’s garbage. Don’t waste your time
Try The Fountainhead. A lighter shorter version of Atlas Shrugged.
Just as good.
“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.” – John Rogers
She and chernychevsky approach rational egoism from different sides of the political spectrum. Both suck as writers but at least What is to be done has heart 😂
I think Rand’s political ideology is overly simplistic rubbish, but the Fountainhead is a pretty good read, especially if you are interested in architecture or artistic development. The one place where Rand’s ideology of selfishness tends to work without harm is within the soul of an artist.
Another reason why its worth reading is to know why that mentality is so wrong. Why it might appeal to certain americans, or what they might see in it. I don’t regret reading it by any means. Some parts are a slog though.