Comments on Answer Girl: ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand

Okay. I'm willing to be the only asshole here. I ...

2008-06-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

Okay. I'm willing to be the only asshole here. I adored ATLAS SHRUGGED and on it I blame my unrepentant attachment to capitalism.

But I do look at it as an extreme. (And the rest of her work bores me to tears--THE VIRTUE OF SELFISHNESS is pretty much unreadable.) Of course charity isn't evil. But as humans we have no natural boundaries and a definite propensity to be envious of what our neighbors have. And there are those among us who feel entitled to what you and I have--and are happily willing to help themselves to it with the help of the government or a handy firearm. (Or both.)

I will never read AT again, though, because it's a poorly written book. Polemic makes bad fiction. That woman sure could've used a decent editor....

(Your ticket-taker observation cracked me up! But maybe she'd been on welfare before....)

What a weight is lifted. I, too, never finished A...

2008-06-20T17:12:00.000-04:00

What a weight is lifted. I, too, never finished Atlas Shrugged. I have started it about 3 times and get to about the 3/5 point and just can't do it. I confess, I was really into The Fountainhead when I read it, so I thought something must be terribly wrong that I can't manage (stomach) A.S. I feel so much better that a voracious reader like you put it down too.

Hilarious Cleveland story! You're a saint.

Ah, memories! As one of the original 1800 15th st...

2008-06-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

Ah, memories! As one of the original 1800 15th street occupants I have to admit that I never finished it either. I looked on my shelf today but couldn't find the book. I must have purged it long ago, along with my guilt over never finishing it!

i just started fountainhead, and i'm not sure if i...

2008-06-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

i just started fountainhead, and i'm not sure if i will ever finish it. maybe it's just Ms. Rand?

Your enthusiasm for Ayn Rand earned you some money...

2008-06-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

Your enthusiasm for Ayn Rand earned you some money, at least. And you're older and wiser now...

I've read that book a few times and never managed ...

2008-06-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

I've read that book a few times and never managed to get through the whole of John Galt's speech. Oh well. I think I got the gist of it. I think I've told you before, though--our family blames Ayn Rand for my obnoxious adolescence. Her quote on the back of America: The Book cracks me up every time: "This book is similar to my works in that anyone who reads it will be an asshole for at least a month afterwards."