Each week I plan to recommend a book to my readers, and what better book to start out with than Atlas Shrugged? This book is so important that I intend to write a much larger article about it at some point in the future, but, for now, I think it is a perfect place to start my recommended reading list.
Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged tells the story of a dystopian America collapsing under collectivist policies. While attempting to save her railroad, Dagny Taggart uncovers a surprising conspiracy and answers the question that everyone has been asking: Who is John Galt?
Atlas Shrugged provides amazing insight to both libertarian and objectivist thought, and in light of current events, seems almost prophetic -- it was written in 1957. Rand's portrayal of the dangers of creeping socialism and political pull are particularly salient today.
I have to offer a warning to those who have never read anything by Rand before. This is her longest book, and nothing Rand writes could be considered an "easy"read. If reading is not a passion for you, this book might be worth doing in the audio format.
(I have set up an Amazon Store where I will set up links to all of the books that I recommend. Hopefully I will be able to set up a separate page just for book recommendations as I become a bit more blogging savvy.)
Kelly, you're absolutely right on what you've said above. It is an important book and almost prophetic. When I was reading, I was seeing in my head who would replace each of the characters if it were updated to modern reality (except for Ragnar - I don't think we have too many actual pirates these days!)
ReplyDeleteFor those who are daunted by a book that's over 1000 pages long, but still want the meat of what Rand is getting at, read John Galt's radio speech towards then end of the book (page numbers will vary by edition). You'll have to skate around some of the references to earlier in the book, but it will be well worth the time.
Thanks for the comment Tom.
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly right that the characters in the book seem to mirror those we see in the real world (don't give up on Ragnar just yet). Part of this is because Rand has made her characters so archtypal. This is also why she is sometimes difficult to read. The characters don't always seem real because they lack those little inconsistencies that make us who we are.
I think this is part of the reason that Shrugged wasn't embraced by critics. It makes her writing stiff at times. I often wonder how much of that was by design on Rand's part. Did she recognize this as she put the story together? I would like to believe that she did. For many it is easy to dismiss her literary talent, but the importance of the ideas she presented are undeniable.