Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (# 4, Classic)

1069 pages. Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is probably the longest book I have read in years. It was a pleasant struggle to get through. Slow to get into but once you get into it, it is actually quite hard to put down. The build-up and anticipation of what is going to happen between all our heroes is masterfully executed. I gasped so many times while reading and I wanted to call all the people who had already read it so I could talk about all the mini-revelations and connections between characters. I almost want to describe it as a philosophical soap opera--there is drama, it is high stakes, and therefor highly entertaining.

I read Rand's other philosopical work of fiction The Fountainhead in high school so I was not unfamiliar with her writing. I knew what I was getting myself into when I picked this one up and I am glad I did--this book is a must-read for any intelligent person. Rand gives an answer to the question of what would the world be like if there were no great, inventive minds to support society? What if the world's greatest thinkers decided not to use their great minds? What would happen to society if we were left in the hands of looters and moochers--people who are not willing to do things themselves, people unable to answer questions and solve problems?

After reading this book, I have changed the way I think about the word need. Should you give something to someone because they need it? How do you judge whose need is greater than someone elses? I don't think I will ever expect anything from anyone anymore based on a perceived notion of how much I need it. I never want to get something because I need it--I want to work hard for it and know that it is mine because I earned it. I also enjoyed the discussions of love and the questions that provoked. Atlas Shrugged is at heart a love story as well--between the ideals of one man and one woman only this does not become apparent to the reader until much later. The progression of Dagny Taggert's life, how she learns about love, is the most compelling part of this story.

While I loved almost everything about this book--the in depth character development of a multitude of characters, the dramatic exposition, the storyline twists, the well-planned mystery, the philosophical tenets that provided the backdrop for this classic story--I was disappointed by the ending. Seriously, I doubt it would have happened like that. The real climax for me had more to do with the love story than with the actual ending. Read this book!