[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Atlas Shrugged (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/26/2009 4:05:42 PM EDT
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I'm 19, working, gun owner, Jeffersonian, and I'm going through phase 2 of the liberal indoctrination system (College - Majoring in Mass Communication).
Atlas Shrugged has been recommended multiple times on this site as well as by my American History 1 & 2 teacher (He is a hardcore Jeffersonian). Should I read this book? I have been thinking about getting a copy and starting it. Can someone give me a basic idea of what the book is about (no spoilers please)? |
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Read. Your attitude about current events will go from "Somebody needs to tell the Democratic politicians what works." to "They KNOW what works and they intentionally do the opposite." Your attitude about the voters might go from "Why don't they THINK?" to understanding why they don't think. |
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Read. Your attitude about current events will go from "Somebody needs to tell the Democratic politicians what works." to "They KNOW what works and they intentionally do the opposite." Your attitude about the voters might go from "Why don't they THINK?" to understanding why they don't think. I think this way already. I guess I'm ahead of my generation 
I still plan on reading the book. |
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I really like some of the speeches in the book. The D'Aconia money speech is phenomenal. The story about the communized engine factory is prophetic. The 300 page speech at the end, not so good. zzzzzzzzzzzz
A lot to learn in that book, and a lot of stuff that could have been edited. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Read. Your attitude about current events will go from "Somebody needs to tell the Democratic politicians what works." to "They KNOW what works and they intentionally do the opposite." Your attitude about the voters might go from "Why don't they THINK?" to understanding why they don't think. I think this way already. I guess I'm ahead of my generation I still plan on reading the book. Same here... not the best read but it reinforced what I believed in the first place. Hank Reardon is the best character IMO. |
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It's a story, straight fiction, and a pretty good story to boot, IF you like a backdrop of high finance, politics, economics, the nuts and bolts of day to day heavy industry, and the people that are drawn to those areas.
There's day to day byplay on the running and operations of heavy induustry, railroads, mining, steel, oil, etc. several different romantic threads visited throughout the book, enough sex I was surprised that my high school teacher suggested it in the first place, and an ending you wouldn't ordinarily expect. At the same time, it is an in-depth study of various philosophies, there's some Plato in there, Aristotle, and quite a few others. This is set in the background, largely, until you get to individual character's...speeches. At that point, well, all but one are totally worth the read, especially if you don't really understand what's going on in the real world right now. Stuff you won't get anywhere else, explanations of the mental machinations of the kind of people now running the White House, some banks, etc, people who REALLY don't like this book and can't say the author's name without more than a touch of pure venom, because Ayn Rand NAILS them, opens their shady ways of thinking like a butterfly pinned on cardboard for all to see. The Democrat's universal denunciation of this book is, as shown by the book, to be the cockroach's denunciation of the light over the kitchen sink that exposes their activities for exactly what they are, when the Liberals would MUCH rather keep their motivations and methods a secret, allowing them to scam with impugnity. There's one speech, a very long one, about 82 pages that in my opinion, is the biggest downside of the book. It is very repetitive, each point is covered at least five times, there, in addition to having already been covered elsewhere in the book. It's near the end, not at all hard to identify, and I never have read it start to finish. I planned to several times but just can't work thru that one speech. I read a lot one new book every couple days, sometimes two per day, and have read Atlas Shrugged cover to vcover at least 12 times now, all except for that one speech. No matter. Once you have the gist of it, his exact and repetitive words do not make or break the plot, the storyline, or the philosophy, IMO, you can read two to five pages, the last paragraph, skip the rest, and still get everything the book has to offer. I will say this...as you judge the book, the book will judge you. NObody gets very close to me without understanding, accepting, and important to me, being able to enumerate the book's philosophy. I'm a construction guy and our word has lives hanging in the balance. You either set the beam correctly, bolted it reliably, or you are putting me and my guys at risk. Therefore I can easily relate to Rand's "A is A" philosophy, and in fact, can't allow people who don't accept basic reality, anywhere near me or my construction sites. Worth the read for the story alone, a philosophical understanding you won't find anywhere else, it ties together a LOT of things for you, and it provides a foundation that WILL alter, one way or another, the course and path of your life. |
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Read it and decide for yourself. The first third is character and plot development, but stick with it, the reading goes much faster after that.
Trying to get through it a second time right now, for the last year or so. Too many other books in the stack right now. |
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Quoted: Get the audio book, greatly abridged but still full power. Atlas Shrugged is worthy. +1 I have a 50 minute drive one way to work, and I recently rediscovered audio books at the public library. FM radio sucks, I found a better way to use that time. There was a waiting list at my library for the audio Atlas Shrugged. Worth it. |
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There's one speech, a very long one, about 82 pages that in my opinion, is the biggest downside of the book.
Yes. "Who is John Galt and why is he so long-winded" 
Good story, scary parallels to what is currently going on. But Ayn Rand really beats an idea to death. |
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It is a real good book...however I beleive that Ann Rand could have cut 250 pages from it and completely gotten her point across. Too many long winded statements by characters....especially John Galts 50(something) page speech. This. Still a great book, you can always skim-read that crazy Galt speech.
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Quoted: Quoted: It helps if you read it like the Russian literature it is instead of a modern adventure novel. Agreed. I like some Ruskie authors like Tolstoy and Solzehnitzen so for me it was easier. Yep, it was less thick than "Crime and Punishment" which I read in highschool. |
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It helps if you read it like the Russian literature it is instead of a modern adventure novel. Agreed. I like some Ruskie authors like Tolstoy and Solzehnitzen so for me it was easier. Wading through War and Peace makes everything seem easier to read. |
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As a general rule, whenever someone you consider even vaguely intelligent recommends a book to you, you should read it. You won't lose anything but a bit of time, and might stand to gain a great deal.
Audiobooks are your friend. (I am in fact just downloading both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.) |
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As a general rule, whenever someone you consider even vaguely intelligent recommends a book to you, you should read it. You won't lose anything but a bit of time, and might stand to gain a great deal. Audiobooks are your friend. (I am in fact just downloading both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.) Audiobooks are great if you drive a lot, but it usually takes a lot longer to listen to the same words than to read them (at least, in your native language - which might explain your preference to the contrary). |
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I checked 'read it' even though I listened to it on my ipod over the course of about 3 weeks. That book was one of the 4 most influential books in my life and I read about 3 books a month. I also recommend The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand too. I agree, The Fountain Head is a much better read and you get the core of her philosophy without reading that damn shrugged book. Atlas Shrugged is an OK bood that could be a good book in one third to one half of the length it is. ETA: The life of Ayn Rand is good to look in to before you read the novel, she had hands on experience durring the bolshevick revolution and that is what makes her books look so prophetic. |
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Read. Your attitude about current events will go from "Somebody needs to tell the Democratic politicians what works." to "They KNOW what works and they intentionally do the opposite." Your attitude about the voters might go from "Why don't they THINK?" to understanding why they don't think. Strangely, my attitude towards politicians went the opposite direction. |
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Read. Your attitude about current events will go from "Somebody needs to tell the Democratic politicians what works." to "They KNOW what works and they intentionally do the opposite." Your attitude about the voters might go from "Why don't they THINK?" to understanding why they don't think. Strangely, my attitude towards politicians went the opposite direction. Thanks for telling us. |
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... Good story, scary parallels to what is currently going on. But Ayn Rand really beats an idea to death. Part of me agrees she revisits concepts a bit too much, and beats those horses well beyond death. Then, however, I read threads on Arfcom where people who claim to have read her books completely misrepresent her points. Perhaps she needed yet 20 more examples? |
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As literature it sucks donkey balls. As a Libertarian Monologue that drones on in paragraph length sentences it's great. If you really are into Libertarianism, there are much better written, more concise books on the matter.
Who is John Gault? Who fucking cares? John Browning solves more problems historically than Mr. Gault. My .02 on the thing. |
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As literature it sucks donkey balls. As a Libertarian Monologue that drones on in paragraph length sentences it's great. If you really are into Libertarianism, there are much better written, more concise books on the matter. Who is John Gault? Who fucking cares? John Browning solves more problems historically than Mr. Gault. My .02 on the thing. You are discounting the insight it gives into the minds of the "moochers" and the politicians who wish to lead them. |
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As literature it sucks donkey balls. As a Libertarian Monologue that drones on in paragraph length sentences it's great. If you really are into Libertarianism, there are much better written, more concise books on the matter. Who is John Gault? Who fucking cares? John Browning solves more problems historically than Mr. Gault. My .02 on the thing. You are discounting the insight it gives into the minds of the "moochers" and the politicians who wish to lead them. An insight delivered by an Objectivist through the use of horridly exaggerated villains. Forgive me if I don't treat that insight as gospel. |
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What insight? That some people will steal from others and use the force and imprimatur of government to do it? It needs no real explanation, it is self explanatory.
Why? Who cares? Why do rain drops fall? It's their nature to do so. So it is with some people and the abuse of government power. As such, they are my sworn enemies and the "why".....doesn't mean much to me. |