Atlas Shrugged

By Ayn Rand

Book Overview

Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus- a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller-n ominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read . Who is John Galt? When he says that he will stop the motor of the world, is he a destroyer or a liberator?Why does he have to fight his battles not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the amazing men and women in this book. You will discover why a productive genius becomes a worthless playboy...why a great steel industrialist is working for his own destruction...why a composer gives up his career on the night of his triumph...why a beautiful woman who runs a transcontinental railroad falls in love with the man she has sworn to kill. Atlas Shrugged , a modern classic and Rand's most extensive statement ofObjectivism-her groundbreaking philosophy-offers the reader the spectacle of human greatness, depicted with all the poetry and power of one of the twentieth century's leading artists.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452011876
• ISBN13: 9780452011878
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 1192 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Literally the worst book I’ve ever read.

I read this many years ago when I still considered myself a moderate Republican, in other words one of the author’s prime demographics. Where do I start? The characters are all one dimensional and un-relatable. Also, Rand was in desperate need of a better editor because she kept repeating her world view over and over and over again. The only part of the plot that kept me going was the missing industrialist and wondering where and when he’d show up. Once he did, he went on the LONGEST monologue I’ve ever read in a fiction novel. The monologue was really Ayn Rand’s thesis of her world view but voiced by a fictional character. After what had to have been at least 20 dense pages of the character speaking uninterrupted I finally could not take being beaten over the head by Rand a single moment longer and threw in the towel. I could count on one hand the number of books I started but never finished because I disliked it so much. This is one of them. Seriously, unless you have days of your life to waste with nothing else whatever to do, do not bother reading this “classic.” If I could I would give it zero stars.

This book made an impact on me!

If this is your first encounter with this book, it is a fresh story but a continuation of Ayn Rand's philosophy that started with books like "We the Living," where she knew something was wrong but could not put her finger on it. She progressed to books such as "The Fountainhead," where she could describe the problem quite well. Now in "Atlas Shrugged,” she has produced a plausible answer to the problem. Your head can work without your hands, yet your hands cannot work without your head. The story is not unique, but it still holds your attention. The world is becoming more socialized, and it is harder for individuals to make an impact without having a multitude of parasites on their backs. Some chose to fight; others chose to ignore; some do not have a clue as to what is happening. The world is gearing down. Is it just a coincidence, or is someone taking a hand in it? "Who is John Galt?" I can tell you about my experience with the book. I must have been a late bloomer or just unlucky because I did not come across "Atlas Shrugged" until I was 20 years old. I was in the military and needed some reading material. My younger sister sent me the book. It looks just a little thick to me, but I started reading, and reading, and reading. I do not know if it was the story or the clarity of thought. Now I saw everything in a new or different light. It felt weird to see the newspapers and politics paralleling the book. I was in New York (West Point) at the time, and three things stood out to this day. This was a public service announcement on TV: "The law says that an apartment owner cannot charge more than 30% of what you make." At the same time, the apartment buildings were closing. The postal carriers went on strike, and the military had to deliver the mail. That winter, the snowplow drivers went on strike. When the strike was over, the snowplows were missing. They found them the next summer in an empty lot. There is nothing quite as convincing as watching the world and the book parallel with each other. I have mellowed out some lately. However, I think that this book should be read by high school students, where it would have the maximum impact on one's train of thought.

Challenges your world view

This book challenges the way many people think in today's society, which tends to upset people. Keep that in mind when reading the 1 star reviews. They're simply scared of thinking critically about their own misplaced views.

This will change your entire worldview

This woman was a genius. I love this book!