Books to Read
AYN RAND
I first heard of Ayn Rand in high school and immediately liked her novels. I have suggested three of her books for this month’s Books to Read.
Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher known for developing "Objectivism," a philosophy emphasizing rational self-interest, individualism, and laissez-faire capitalism. Beyond her novels, she wrote nonfiction outlining her views, such as The Virtue of Selfishness (1965) and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (1966). Rand's ideas continue to influence political, economic, and philosophical debates, particularly ​
among libertarians and conservatives.
THE FOUNTAINHEAD
This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. Rand’s provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas in all of fiction—that man’s ego is the fountain-head of human progress.
ANTHEM
In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.
ATLAS SHRUGGED
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil. You will discover why a productive genius becomes a worthless playboy...why a great steel industrialist is working for his own destruction...why a composer gives up his career on the night of his triumph...why a beautiful woman who runs a transcontinental railroad falls in love with the man she has sworn to kill.
