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During my last year or two of high school I became a libertarian and began devouring the complete works of Ayn Rand. This conversion has never totally stuck; I voted Democrat in my first presidential election in 1988 at the age of 21. I continued to vote Democrat for the rest of my adult life, but for one defection to the Libertarian candidate in 2004 while living in DC (where Bush got single digits). Yet, this conversion has also never totally disappeared; I remain sympathetic to many libertarian principles, goals, and arguments.
Ayn Rand is not typically considered a great author by those who believe they are best suited to judge such things. But a massive Internet poll of the 100 best English novels since 1900, conducted by Random House in 1998, had her four novels taking 1st, 2nd, 7th, and 8th place -- with Atlas Shrugged at #1 and The Fountainhead at #2. So we know lots of early Internet adopters were Rand fans ;-)
This biography of Rand was especially gripping for somebody like me who enjoyed reading Rand as a youth, but who also has learned through the experiences of adult living that Rand's philosophy is an impossible and potentially harmful ideal. The book traces her life from childhood to deathbed, seemingly covering every important event and many unimportant but illuminating details. At the end I felt like I got to know Rand, understanding her personality and why she was driven to achieve her particular type of success.
The book was written by a historian, not a Rand fan, not an "Objectivist", so it seems to take a balanced view of her politics, philosophy, and personal relationships. It appears that Rand was a difficult person to befriend, that she took every political or philosophical difference personally. She had great feuds with those you might've thought would be her natural allies, and wrote people off unforgivingly for the smallest of perceived slights. Shortly before her death, she bitterly denounced Ronald Reagan, even though he was the most libertarian American president since perhaps the 1920s -- cutting marginal tax rates more than any president has ever done, and holding the line on government spending better than any modern president.
Despite her prickly personality, Rand's influence grew quickly via word-of-mouth and after publishing The Fountainhead she and her husband never had to work for a living again, due to continued high levels of book sales. Her principles may never have been applied as purely as she desired, but she was a primary influence behind the politics of Ronald Reagan and the economics of Alan Greenspan -- she may be the one person most responsible for the current troubles of our economy and our widespread reluctance to regulate industry or tax capital.
If you'd like to know more about Rand's life, ideas, relationships, and influence, this book is entertaining, interesting, fair, and comprehensive.
Ayn Rand is not typically considered a great author by those who believe they are best suited to judge such things. But a massive Internet poll of the 100 best English novels since 1900, conducted by Random House in 1998, had her four novels taking 1st, 2nd, 7th, and 8th place -- with Atlas Shrugged at #1 and The Fountainhead at #2. So we know lots of early Internet adopters were Rand fans ;-)
This biography of Rand was especially gripping for somebody like me who enjoyed reading Rand as a youth, but who also has learned through the experiences of adult living that Rand's philosophy is an impossible and potentially harmful ideal. The book traces her life from childhood to deathbed, seemingly covering every important event and many unimportant but illuminating details. At the end I felt like I got to know Rand, understanding her personality and why she was driven to achieve her particular type of success.
The book was written by a historian, not a Rand fan, not an "Objectivist", so it seems to take a balanced view of her politics, philosophy, and personal relationships. It appears that Rand was a difficult person to befriend, that she took every political or philosophical difference personally. She had great feuds with those you might've thought would be her natural allies, and wrote people off unforgivingly for the smallest of perceived slights. Shortly before her death, she bitterly denounced Ronald Reagan, even though he was the most libertarian American president since perhaps the 1920s -- cutting marginal tax rates more than any president has ever done, and holding the line on government spending better than any modern president.
Despite her prickly personality, Rand's influence grew quickly via word-of-mouth and after publishing The Fountainhead she and her husband never had to work for a living again, due to continued high levels of book sales. Her principles may never have been applied as purely as she desired, but she was a primary influence behind the politics of Ronald Reagan and the economics of Alan Greenspan -- she may be the one person most responsible for the current troubles of our economy and our widespread reluctance to regulate industry or tax capital.
If you'd like to know more about Rand's life, ideas, relationships, and influence, this book is entertaining, interesting, fair, and comprehensive.
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