I just had to tell someone.
It took me almost 4 months. I have read many books, mostly all Austrian Econ and factual books, or on investing. I don’t read fictional novels. But I have to say that this was perhaps the best book I have ever read.
Scary thing is that I’m not sure if it’s fiction. It’s more of a prophecy of current and future events.
IMO, you’re a virgin until you read it. It will change you.
Tru dat!
Atlas Shrugged absolutly changed my life. Atlas Shrugged is a wonderful work of fiction, a testament to the glory of economic and social freedom, and a warning to any and all who would take those rights away.
The Fountainhead is pretty great too. I actually like it better.
Recommended.
I’ve got the Fountainhead home in my queue of books to read. I have two or three other shorter books to read before I take on another monster. But I’m looking forward to it if it’s as good as Atlas.
I agree. I thought The Fountainhead was the best of 3 (Atlas, Anthem, Fountainhead). However, I read Atlas Shrugged first, and that’s what introduced me to libertarianism.
Anyway Congrats on finishing!
I thought Anthem was blahhh.
The writing style was interesting but I found the entire actual plot fairly uninteresting. I loved the rest of Rand’s stuff but Anthem could have been done soooo much better. However I did find her philisophical ideas as insiteful as ever.
I don’t know what people are referring to in Atlas Shrugged when they mention Ayn Rand’s metaphysics or her epistemology. I’m left with the opinion that these are vague terms.
Those were my exact sentiments after finishing the book.
Without a doubt the best fiction book I’ve ever read.
Good work.
Now go read Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. And prepare to get your mind blown.
NB: I didn’t read that book until earlier this year, so, it was a good five years or so after my libertarian/anarchist baptism.
We the Living and Anthem were pretty cruddy… and Atlas Shrugged is decent, but way too long for it’s own good. The Fountainhead is Rand’s real contribution to the world.
I might be the only person here at Mises.org that actually disliked the book. I read it when I was in high school (late 90s), and I found some of the plot to be contrived and silly. Not to mention its just too damn long. I never read the other two.
On the bright side, it actually turned me solidly against ethical egoism. Probably not the desired effect Rand would have hoped for.
Yeah, Anthem was definitely sub par. The concept was great, but the book itself just ended up being extremely boring. I have not read We the Living, is it worth it?
Anthem is like 200 pages long or less. You can read it in a few hours. It wasn’t bad at all. it was like a short 1984 for me, I enoyed it. We the living was a bit rough for me. I don’t even know if I read the whole thing.
Back to the point though. Congrats on finishing. Both Atlas shrugged and Fountainhead were equally important to me and both changed my life. I’m kind of tired of economic reading as of late however.
Whats The Moon is a Harsh Mistress ?
So you’re an ethical altruist?
If we are going to throw out recommended readings, I’d like to add Alongside Night by J. Neil Schulman and Vernor Vinge’s short stories “The Ungoverned” and “Conquest by Default.”
The Fountainhead is much better. The best way that I can think of to put it is that it shows, rather than tells as Atlas Shrugged does. One of the most profound thing I have ever read is the passage in the Fountainhead about the aspiring musician stumbling upon the resort that Roark built. Anthem and We The Living are ok.
I’ll second “The Ungoverned” (and recommend the rest of the Realtime series as well). “Conquest by Default” was odd, and the social system of the aliens wasn’t exactly libertarian. Still a good story, of course; I haven’t read any Vinge that I have disliked.
I think the game Bioshock accurately shows Rand’s ideology. The character Andrew Ryan (a play on her name) is a sympathetic character, but in the end it was where he wasn’t liberal where he failed, and down went the city under the sea.