Atlas Shrugged

[Chronic]

by Ayn Rand. Anyone read it? It's the favorite book of a friend of mine and he lent it to me to read so I'm curious about the opinion of anyone who's read it.

 

[Bobby Sands]

never read

but isnt the video game Bioshock loosely based on that book or something?

i think they took ideas from it.

 

[Chronic]

I know it was inspired by Atlas Shrugged (compare the author's name Ayn Rand with the character's name in Bioshock Andrew Ryan) and other books but I'm not sure if it was based on it. I've read that it's a critique of Atlas Shrugged but I've also read the creators simply lifted some ideas from the book.

 

[Bobby Sands]

^^i think it would be worth the read then.

although i think i recall a comedy show mocking it or something. i think it might have the Simpsons. i cant remember properly though

or was it South Park. not sure.

 

[Casey]

Second time someone's mentioned Ayn Rand to me in the last week. The other conversation was about The Fountainhead though.

 

[Jokerman]

The Fountainhead- very good

Atlas Shrugged- bad "novel," with no characterization or plot. Basically, a work of philosophy, or propaganda, masquerading as a novel. And what's her philosophy? A justification for selfishness, which could have been told in 200 pages but is repetitively hammered at you for 1200 pages. Inexperienced minds are impressed by it. Also, the book's got annoying cult followers who use it as a substitute religion and are as bad as Scientologists. Please don't become one, Chronic. Read it until you get bored, if you must.

 

[Bobby Sands]

^^i think it would be worth the read then.

although i think i recall a comedy show mocking it or something. i think it might have the Simpsons. i cant remember properly though

or was it South Park. not sure.

it was actually South Park lol

 

[Chronic]

it was actually South Park lol

I'll have to check out that episode.

The Fountainhead- very good

Atlas Shrugged- bad "novel," with no characterization or plot. Basically, a work of philosophy, or propaganda, masquerading as a novel. And what's her philosophy? A justification for selfishness, which could have been told in 200 pages but is repetitively hammered at you for 1200 pages. Inexperienced minds are impressed by it. Also, the book's got annoying cult followers who use it as a substitute religion and are as bad as Scientologists. Please don't become one, Chronic. Read it until you get bored, if you must.

That's kind of the impression I got from reading a bit about her philosophy 'Objectivism' and the fact that it's popular among college students. My friend wanted me to read it so I'll finish it and I am pretty curious. I figured I'd have a love-hate relationship with the book. I'll suggest The Fountainhead to him.

While on the topic, has anyone read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman? Same friend is reading that book and I'm really looking forward to reading that book.

 

[Elmira]

It's a pretty dense read, so be prepared. I would say that Rand is worthy enough of an author for you to read and form your own solid opinion of her, don't be swayed by the opinion of critics and others. Judge the work for yourself. That being said, yes her work is a bit pedagogy, and her writing is not so imaginative as it is... didactic. As a naive school-girl I believed her writing to be something remarkable, and this new philosophy she was espousing of Objectivism I was really taken by. I thought it was all so simple really: a man should live for himself and himself only, for his mind and his art. Honestly at the time I believed truer words were never said. The book seems to be like something of a gateway drug for adolescent youth. It is dangerous to dive into Rand's philosophy during those precarious years of teenage-hood, where you are all immersed in your own saga, not likely caring about anyone but yourself, and likely so confident that all the odds are against you and only you.

But we all grow up and as time passed I became disillusioned by her philosophy. I fell in love with my family, nature, the birds, and the flowers and all the truly simple things in life. They had the good sense not to masquerade around as a religion, knowing they were their own religion.