Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. It is an old one, but a good one. Atlas Shrugged was published in 1957. I read the book about seven years ago, but never has it been more relevant than today. This book has been praised and criticized by both conservatives and liberals and no matter which side of the political fence you reside on, this book will more than likely make you feel very uncomfortable about our current economic and government situation, but that is good for you…
It is unclear what time period the book is supposed to represent. There are several early 20th century technologies, but the political and economical situations are completely different than actual history of that time period.
It centers around the American industrial sector, in a time the U.S. is the only nation that has not become a people’s state. Times are hard and getting harder, as the nation is in a deep recession. One of the capitalist characters, Hank Reardon, a self-made man who started as an ordinary steel mill worker, showed talent and later founded Reardon Steel. It is up to Rearden and others like him to save the country, but there are a couple of problems in their way. One, the government seeks more and more intervention and control when it should be stepping back. Secondly, people like Rearden seem to be diminishing from society at a time they are critically needed.
The book is not a portrayal of capitalism or socialism, nor does it represent nationalization of private property. Instead it focuses on the point of a mixed economical system. At one point Hank Rearden confronts the government bureaucrats with “Why don’t you take over my mills and be done with it,” the bureaucrats react with “a jolt of genuine horror” and cries of “Oh no!” “We wouldn’t think of it,” and “We stand for free enterprise!”…Sound familiar?
It is unclear what time period the book is supposed to represent. There are several early 20th century technologies, but the political and economical situations are completely different than actual history of that time period.
It centers around the American industrial sector, in a time the U.S. is the only nation that has not become a people’s state. Times are hard and getting harder, as the nation is in a deep recession. One of the capitalist characters, Hank Reardon, a self-made man who started as an ordinary steel mill worker, showed talent and later founded Reardon Steel. It is up to Rearden and others like him to save the country, but there are a couple of problems in their way. One, the government seeks more and more intervention and control when it should be stepping back. Secondly, people like Rearden seem to be diminishing from society at a time they are critically needed.
The book is not a portrayal of capitalism or socialism, nor does it represent nationalization of private property. Instead it focuses on the point of a mixed economical system. At one point Hank Rearden confronts the government bureaucrats with “Why don’t you take over my mills and be done with it,” the bureaucrats react with “a jolt of genuine horror” and cries of “Oh no!” “We wouldn’t think of it,” and “We stand for free enterprise!”…Sound familiar?
Although academia and the media have ignored this novel, I say your education is not fulfilled until it is read. This is one of the most thought provoking books I’ve read, and should be required reading at all levels of education. It is an amazing novel of the killing and re-birth of the spirit of man, and helped change how I view the political spectrum and economics.
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