Plot Summary
"Who is John Galt?"
Undoubtedly Ayn Rand's crowning literary achievement, Atlas Shrugged was a veritable tour de force when it was initially published in 1957. Offering a wellspring of new ideas and innovative thinking it outlined Rand's objectivist philosophy eloquently and powerfully.
Set in a dystopian future, Atlas Shrugged lays out Rand's vision though the fictional account of a collapsing U.S. economy assisted by backward governmental policies and an assortment of characters who work to stop the country's decline - Dagny Taggart, Vice President of Taggart Transcontinental, who fights to keep the railroad company founded by her grandfather alive; Dagny's brother, James Taggart, the President of the company who is unwilling to make the tough decisions necessary for its survival; and Hank Rearden, head of Rearden Steel, who dares to buck the system in his quest for the success of Rearden Metal - his specially developed metal alloy which has inspired jealousy and anger among his competitors. When they attempt to constrain his success though treachery and governmental intervention a chain of events is set in place that changes the lives of everyone involved.
Larger than life and singularly thought-provoking Atlas Shrugged effectively blends elements of economic philosophy, romance, mystery and science fiction into an incredible story that truly grabs you and doesn't let go until the book's final pages.
"This book is a classic. I know The Fountainhead is her more popular book, but Atlas Shrugged had more of a story. Both novels serve as vehicles to expound Ayn Rand's philosophy, but to me Atlas Shrugged had a better story. Granted, you will be bludgeoned over the head with her philosophy for much of the book, and her page-long paragraphs would never fly nowadays, but when you wade through, it's a great read. I've read the book three or four times over the years and still enjoy it. Her characters are either strong, captain-of-industry types or leaches with no backbones. There seem to be no characters in between. So in some ways there is a black-and-white aspect to her story. Still, I understand she is trying to make a point, and my comments aren't a criticism. It's still a fascinating, entertaining novel and also a cautionary tale. You won't regret reading this novel, a classic of American fiction."
—
Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey of five thousand people conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club in 1991.
In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts?
This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, he sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? The answers will be revealed once you discover the reason behind the baffling events that wreak havoc on the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable book.
Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, which launched an ideology and a movement. With the publication of this work in 1957, Rand gained an instant following and became a phenomenon. Atlas Shrugged emerged as a premier moral apologia for capitalism, a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who had never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.
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About Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success, and her unique philosophy, Objectivism, gained a worldwide following.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.