On Atlas Shrugged

Finished reading Atlas Shrugged today.

I can see why it has the reputation it has, it takes a special kind of book to include a 60-page monologue.

There are two main takeaways for me:

1. The book is a potent antidote to the (communist) slogan "from each according to their ability, to each according to their need". It's a slogan that sounds beautiful on its surface but has nasty side effects once taken to its natural conclusion. And coming from an author who lived through the Bolshevik Revolution and had to flee Soviet Russia, it adds a flavor of eerie proximity.

2. I personally like the ideal of man that Ayn Rand lays out. Hank Rearden, Francisco d'Anconia, John Galt... they resonate with me. The heroes of the story are what heroes are supposed to be—ideals to be lived up to. Many of the classic Roman virtues are being given shape: honesty, honor, dignity, gravity, tenacity, grace.

I can see how I will re-read it 2-3 more times throughout my life, but time will tell. Fun read.