Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Edition)
by Ayn Rand
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Book Reviews of Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Edition)
Book Review: Where is wisdom to be found? Not here.
Summary: 1 Stars
I should probably begin by indicating that this review may contain spoilers.
Somewhere, buried deep within the bloated mess of Atlas Shrugged, there lies a compelling novel about the disastrous effects of totalitarian government. Unfortunately, to get to that novel you would have to cut away the seven or eight hundred pages of political axe-grinding and inept "philosophizing" with which Rand burdens the work. Yes, I'm aware Atlas Shrugged isn't supposed to be just another novel; it's a *philosophical* novel, which apparently means that I'm supposed to look past the book's ragged prose and utter unreality in favor of the of the ideas that Rand's one-dimensional protagonists earnestly spout off at openings conveniently provided by her non-entity antagonists. This justification for Rand's heavy hand ignores the fact that ALL serious works of literature are fundamentally philosophical, in that they deal with the author's conception of the world we live in, and how best to live in that world. Insisting that it's the philosophy of Atlas Shrugged that's important doesn't excuse her failures as a literary artist. But, since I'm on the topic of the philosophy of Atlas Shrugged... it's quite a mess, isn't it? In Ayn's imagining, there are "no conflicts of interest between rational men." Apparently, this means that if I run a business, and one of my competitors puts me out of business, I should be grateful, because this superior indistrialist's continued success ensures improvements to my standard of living. I don't know about you, but if I ran my own foundry I might find it difficult to transition to sweeping up that same foundry after its taken over by a competitor; Rand's heroes, apparently, would accept this role gratefully. (At least, the secondary characters would; Dagny, Hank and John would never let such a thing happen, of course, A being A and all) I suppose, in a perfect world, where great inventors are also great businessmen and are always flawlessly ethical, Objectivism is feasible; however, that world doesn't exist even within the confines of the novel. In spite of the book's frequent reminders about the frightful consequences of making important decisions based on anything other than evidence and reason, Dagny Taggart chooses to build a railroad bridge using Rearden Metal, which is untested in that application, and she makes her decision based on Hank's assurances that it should work just fine. Seriously? This is a rational decision, to risk your entire enterprise on an untested prodct based on the word of the guy who developed it when the capacity for testing it exists? That's not good business, it's psychotic. An even greater irony is Dagny Taggart's murder of a guard at the end of the novel, which action she takes explicitly because this individual will not convert to her way of thinking. This is the way to defend individual freedom, by killing anyone who doesn't share your values?
It might not be so bad if the characters had any depth, but Rand's Objectivist philosophy prevents her from portraying people in any but the starkest shades of black and white. As a result, her protagonists are one-dimensional bores who only serve to give voice to Objectivist talking points, while the book's antogonists are straw men who serve to set up the aforementioned talking points. While this technique gives the book a certain forcefulness, it's ultimately a contrivance that demonstrates an unwillingness or inability to deal with the world as it really is. According to Atlas Shrugged, if you're good at business you're automatically perfectly ethical and flawlessly logical; and if you take issue with the idea that business and business alone will solve all of the world's problems, you're morally corrupt and incapable of rational thought. Why any thoughtful person would embrace a book so intellectually dishonest is beyond me, yet somehow it happens.
Finally, a note about this book's influence. In 1991, the Book Of the Month Club mailed a survey to 2000 of its members, asking which book had had the greatest influence on their lives. Of those 2000, approximately 1300 responded; and of those respondents, 166 named the Bible as the book that had influenced them the most. Atlas Shrugged received 17 votes, placing it in a distant second, but just slightly ahead of The Road Less Travelled and The Lord Of the Rings. Like everything else Ayn Rand-related, claims of the book's pervasive influence evaporate when scrutinized.
Book Review: It's odd, but the negative and positive reviews are both mostly right
Summary: 5 Stars
It is easy to review this book negatively. I cannot think of another novel that employs a similar format--it devotes far too much time to what turn out to be minor characters, it is overtly didactic in the extreme, the plot devices and revelations are extremely easy to foresee, and secrets are often needlessly kept from the reader. The narrative is divided somewhat arbitrarily into what I came to think of as two parts, which seemed to have little to do with each other. The book itself is as much an exposition of a philosophy as a novel, and the novel aspect suffers accordingly. The philosophical posturing can at times be burdensome and repetitive. It takes too long at the beginning to involve the reader in the central conflict or in what turn out to be the main characters.
Then is it a terrible book or a good one? Certainly the philosophy alone couldn't be good enough to overcome the book's many storytelling faux pas, could it? Again, Rand's central philosophy (later termed Objectivism, of which this book is the defining manifesto) has its flaws, which are indeed numerous.
So why the 5-star rating? It may sound trite, but this book is the best example I could offer of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Yes, the characters can in many ways be considered two-dimensional, but they do change in subtle ways. Their struggles are wholly believable; their triumphs are real ones. And the world, society itself, is raised almost to a level of "character-hood" by the way the story unfolds. And this character undergoes a profound transformation indeed.
Yes, the philosophy is rammed down your throat a bit ham-handedly. But the author has made no effort to disguise it; it is not as if, quietly and by degrees, one is made to believe something abhorrent simply by reading; as you read, you learn what she believes and why, and you either take it or leave it. Either way, it is a singular accomplishment. There are many philosophies that are simple, original, or profound. Rand's is all three. I offer specifically Francisco's "money" speech, or Jeff Allen's description of the decline and fall of the Twentieth Century Motor Company.
I found myself caught up in this book far more than perhaps I would have thought it deserved, had I merely had it described to me. It swallowed me whole for two weeks. I knew the philosophy was being presented with all the subtlety of a firehose; I let it wash over me. In points, I agreed with it completely; in others, I found it repulsive. But I could not ignore it. The book has something to say about love, sex, politics, economics, history, human nature, happiness, greed, shame, courage, selfishness, art, and exceptionalism. Every idea presented may or may not be true, but each is worthy of consideration.
Perhaps most importantly, the book is timely beyond almost anyone's ability to predict. I read it while traveling, and hearing the occasional newscast in an airport left me thinking "haven't they read Ayn Rand?" I have thought this many times since. Reading the book in the 80's or 90's might have left a reader feeling like the author set up a straw man and then let Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden (among others) knock him down. Today we see that, as deeply contradictory and dishonest as the antagonists' credo seemed, it holds an incredible amount of sway over our own world. But only after reading Atlas Shrugged do I fully recognize it.
As a novel, this book does in fact overcome its flaws in above average fashion. As a philosophical treatise, it is interesting and well worth reading. As a warning, it is nothing short of fascinating, frightening, and motivating. In a word: indispensable.
Book Review: Ayn Rand's Epic Objectivist Novel Still Packs a Wallop in Spite of Its Convolutions
Summary: 4 Stars
Fourteen years after The Fountainhead, objectivist pioneer Ayn Rand wrote an even bigger epic novel that would end up being her most definitive book on her polarizing philosophies. She again wraps her perspective in a powerful, often melodramatic character-driven story, this time on a more sweeping landscape and with a pervasive mystery suspense element. It's a fulsome story that dares the reader to envision an intellectual revolution where the great thinkers disappear to avoid the complete destruction of their spirits. Rand populates this fanciful world with her trademark Baroque-style characters beginning with her beautiful protagonist, Dagny Taggart, a young railroad VP driven to run Taggart Transcontinental as she fends off the looters. She is surrounded by a bevy of conflicted men - great steel industrialist Hank Rearden who creates an alloy that renders steel and aluminum obsolete and whose ruthlessness marks the way for his own self-destruction; flamboyant Francisco D'Anconia who converts himself from an innovative copper mining baron to a hedonistic playboy; failed philosopher Ragnar Danneskjold who becomes a pirate stealing for the rich; and self-sacrificing composer Richard Halley.
Through the fray comes the pivotal character of John Galt, who actually does not appear until about two-thirds into the dense story. As the brilliant mind behind an automobile engine that will convert atmospheric static electricity into motor power, he witnesses his invention lie dormant under the ignorant leadership of the factory's owners. Galt masterminds the strike of the world's great minds, and gradually, the greatest thinkers and most ingenious engineers find their way to Atlantis, the hidden valley where they can escape the persecution of the bureaucrats exploiting them. Their absence means that the industrialists lose their social and economic leverage and fall prey to each others' machinations until they lose control completely. It is only at this point of desperation that the philosophers become accepted as honorable citizens worthy of respect. Told with Rand's familiar verbose writing style intact, it's an audacious, often compelling story that carries far more plot convolutions than necessary to carry through on the author's convictions.
At 1,192 pages in the Centennial Edition, the book could have realistically used the hand of an equally strong-minded editor who would have seen through the repetitive nature of Rand's didacticism. Still, the story is arresting, and Rand makes it clear that the highest goal in life is one's own productive achievement, that individual rights must be upheld over any form of collectivism, whether social or political in basis. Whereas in The Fountainhead, she focuses her philosophical application to the somewhat rarefied world of architecture, here she takes a much more grandiose look where the ideas of independence and personal liberty have even greater ramifications. At the same time, there is no denying that the world Rand paints is palpable and more relevant than ever as CEOs today are reading the book to justify their positions of self-interest from a moral as well as economic perspective. Even at its most basic level, the book is about deciding what's important in life, i.e., the choice between self-reliance and dependence, and going as far as one can to fight for it. Rand succeeds in bringing vivid life to these arguments in a most eminently entertaining way.
Book Review: Like an excellent wine, savor but do not overimbibe.
Summary: 5 Stars
A sprawling novel of nearly 1200 pages, this book was first published in 1957 by the Russian immigrant, Ayn Rand, writing in English, a second language she had to learn. It has continued to be read, explained, interpreted, memorialized, and frequently reprinted over the last 50 years for its unapologetic defense of capitalism and its often overembellished, overdramatized lectures about Ms. Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. While very stilted and repetitive in the frequent monologues of its main characters, its profuse examples and unflinching conviction embolden it to worship the accumulation of wealth through the pursuit of capitalist ideals.
The book is divided into three sections, each with a concise, inarguable statement of logic as its title. Part I, "Non-Contradiction", shows a world in turmoil in which the opposing forces of selfishness and selflessness are colliding. In Part II, "Either-Or", she explains why the profiteers - the "movers" of the world, as she calls them - are withdrawing their knowledge and refusing to participate in the system that the rule-makers - the "looters" of the world, as she calls them - have created. In Part III, "A Is A", Ms. Rand unveils her Utopian ideals, buffered with an uninterrupted speech of 43 pages by John Galt, to show why Atlas has shrugged only to once again take a strong grip on the world which he then holds in balance.
The beauty of this book is in the clarity of its ideals and the certainty of its characters as they commit themselves to the necessity of living by Ms. Rand's objectivist philosophy. However, when reading it, you must also be prepared to skim parts because the same messages are continuously pounded into your head like a throbbing headache - greed is good, need is bad; self-reliance is good, self-dependence is bad; individualism will triumph, collectivism will fail.
Ms. Rand is certainly guilty of an excessive amount of simplification as she draws distinctions between ideas as large and somewhat nebulous as those of capitalism and socialism and, at her most insistent, seems oblivious to the essential role of government in providing roads, bridges, highways, courts, prisons, schools, libraries, parks, water and sewage systems, street lights, airports, harbors, tunnels, as well as the military, police, fire, postal, and hospital workers. Surely without that core of essential products and services provided by a collectivist, profitless government there could be no economic system of any kind, let alone the one she blesses so reverently. It also seems overly presumptive, I believe, to ignore the government created and enforced role of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and property ownership that play such an important role in a system of profiteering. Surely the abolition of these would topple a system of capitalism as quickly as it would take mobsters and racketeers to take over the role of adjudicating justice.
Nonetheless, this is an important book for anyone trying to grasp the big issues which confront our world economically. But, like an excellent wine, if you drink it too fast, you will lose some of its finer points, and if you drink too much, you will be numbed by its inebriating qualities. While Atlas Shrugged is certainly a book to be savored, it is also one not to be overimbibed.
Book Review: A celebration of human normalcy
Summary: 5 Stars
It is difficult to find a book of fiction that has caused so much controversy as this one, and its critics have a degree of zeal that is matched by its defenders. It is a gigantic philosophical tome, with characters that many have scoffed at as being larger than life, as representing a sterile view of the human psyche, and as being naïve and sophomoric in its world view. Hated in general by both conservatives and liberals, those who love the book envy those who are approaching it for the first time. It is a book for optimists; a book for those who love and celebrate life. But above all it is a book for normal people, because in the final analysis, even though its author may have viewed its characters as representing statistical outliers, as rare and distinctive visionaries who epitomize high intelligence and creativity, it represents what it means for a human to be normal.
It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to want to organize themselves in a socialist state with no personal rights and no freedom to make their own way. It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to wage war and destruction against themselves and others. It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to avoid responsibility for their actions and blame others for their failures. It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to hypothesize an imaginary deity and prostrate themselves in contemplation of it. It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to serve others without question and with no mutual respect. It is abnormal and an aberration for humans to sit still, to lose their kinetic energy, both physical and mental, and not overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
Humans are in a state of normalcy when they create, build, think, and prosper, and unashamed when they are doing so. This novel, now appearing in print for fifty years, asks the reader to contemplate what would happen if the most creative and industrious of humans were to withdraw from society and leave it to those who took on the grotesqueness of inaction, envy, and sterile diatribes of socialist thought. It asks the reader to contemplate what it takes to have a productive, healthy, comfortable, technological society. Whose intelligence and entrepreneurial alertness are in full operation in such a society and what are the consequences if these are extinguished by the voluntary withdrawal of those who possess them?
The philosophical dialog one can find in this book has drawn the ire of many an academic philosopher and politician. The reviews of the book when it was first published fifty years were probably the most vituperative of all in print. But vehemence towards the book has not extinguished its relevance or its power to instigate critical reflection. It is an alternative view of ethics, one that dignifies human individuality and self-interest. It is an ethic that abhors the initiation of force and worships human ingenuity. The philosophical dialog inked on its pages is a testament to the center of human optimism, and it is a perfect reflection and celebration of human normalcy.