Atlas Shrugged

Although the book is 1000 pages, I thought it didn't get dull and built a world along with it's characters well. I can't believe this book came out in 1950s, still relevant to today. I liked the philosophy built into the storyline combined with a mystery.

This year, in light of the current political climate, I took the challenge to read Atlas Shrugged. I had been meaning to read the novel since 2008, and finally decided to make the commitment to read it. For accessibility's sake, I downloaded it to my Kindle. I just love my Kindle's portability.I must say, the book had me hooked at the beginning! It was very engaging and pardon the cliche, thought provoking.It is not necessarily an easy read for most people. If you are craving a thrill packed adventure as the type of which movies with the flavor of the month actors are starring, this is not your book. If you are wanting a book that will challenge your political, economical, and ethical views, this is the book for you.The first two thirds of the book were my favorite. Rand weaves an excellent mystery surrounding the enigmatic John Galt.The last third of the book lost a little something for me, particularly with John Galt's manifesto.Not wanting to spoil the book for those of you who have not read the book, I won't reveal the answer to the question, "Who is John Galt?"Speaking in general terms, Galt as a character represents Rand's philosophy on many subjects, economics, government, and religion.On the subject of government and economics, I am quite the admirer of Rand. On the topic of the existence of God, Rand having been an atheist, I must simply agree to disagree with her. I can't rely on man being the final arbiter of right and wrong. I hold to the adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely, letting history provide evidence for that statement. Rand held the Constitution in high regard, but not agreeing with the Creator endowed rights of the document. She believed in the rights, but not the Creator. If man be the highest authority, then when man changes his mind that the Constitution is no longer relevant, then to whom is man accountable? In my estimation, man must look to a power higher than himself to have a solid foundation for morals and ethics. The framers of the Constitution obviously thought the same.To Rand, man is inherently good. In my lifetime, brief though it has been to this point, history and modern times has shown me too much evidence to the contrary.I look at and admire Rand, to some degree, as she looked at Aristotle, "I most emphatically disagree with a great many parts of his philosophy-but his definition of the laws and logic and of the means of human knowledge is so great an achievement that his errors are irrelevant by comparison".Atlas Shrugged, for being half a century old, is prophetic on many levels. So many of the characters I could almost identify in the current news today. It is a timeless tale on the importance of the individual and the dangers of collectivism. A tale of mystery and reality. A solid defense of Capitalism, and a solid rebuke of Socialism. If you want to understand Capitalism and Socialism and why the philosophies are at enmity with one another, this book explains it.I once heard a man say that two books changed his life, one being the Bible, the other being Atlas Shrugged. I now understand fully his statement and find myself in agreement.

I titled my review in this way to try and provide a view point that someone interested in business would be attracted to. There's a lot of rattle on about Ayn Rand's philosophy and it's all relevant but, if you simply understand that she has a philosophy she expresses through her characters and the plot of this story, but the story takes front and center stage, not the philosophy, which is easy to make an issue of.The book is beautifully written in a way that books are seldom done anymore. It develops characters and lets them develop further as the story continues, their thinking, feelings and actions so beautifully expressed. The "hero" of this book is a woman, Dagny Taggart, and the focus remains on her for most of the story. Her passion and drive are envious, her intellect even more so. She is all too human as the story shows, yet the pride of singularity and powerful self esteem are inspiring. The men that surround her; Hank Reardon and Francisco d'Anconia are male versions of her blue print in ambition, drive, intelligence and vision but coming from a different place with different baggage. The love affairs she has with these men, both physical and emotional are so magnificently described they seem almost unreal. The characters are perfect, the stage is set, the world is revolving and all is well until one day... it's not.That's when the story really begins, when people, trust and love are tested. In each case, the choice of Rand's words, the description of a thought (which might take pages to describe) are so beautifully crafted you wonder how a single person created this masterpiece work. I urge you to read it, for the love of words, for the depth of story for the escapism and for the philosophy, it's blended together in a way I have never experienced before in a single volume.You will identify with someone in this book, Me? I think I was more Hank than Francisco or Eddie. The clarity of purpose is inspiring and even possible for a while but where the "flaws" start to become evident is that it's only a story and it's called Science Fiction by most. In reality it's a love story and a capitalist dream. It's a political manifesto and a revolutionary's cook book. It's a way to think about your work life and your life in your country as a citizen. I inspired me and solidified many of my assumptions about my role in society and it made me feel damn good about my own life's accomplishments.As you read, immerse yourself and go along for the ride without judging until the end. Who is John Galt? It's every one of us who has a dream and will go to any extreme to make it real.Enjoy.