"We The Living" by Ayn Rand

[hopein08]

Anybody read it?

I can't put it down! I'm not quite finished but I will be soon.

I tried "Atlas Shrugged" but I simply couldn't get through it.

"We the Living" is the best story of Communist Russia that I have read. I wish my political science professor had made us read that in my Communism in the 20th Century class rather than some of the other stuff he had us read.

[Warpy]

1. Bettter read Atlas and get your sense of humor back

because Rand has got to be the worst novelist in history. Please don't take a word that woman wrote as anything but fiction.

Oh, and when you try Atlas again, try envisioning those hard characters with hungry, cranky toddlers clinging to them. It helps you see just where her whole philosophy (if you can call it that) falls completely apart.

[NGU]

2. Have you tried "Fountainhead"?

I haven't tried "We The Living"

[hopein08]

8. That's next on my list...

I finished "We the Living" last night.

If you want a story about hope, the never ending hope that is life...try it.

[sundancekid]

3. add "The Romantic Manifesto" to the "must read" list too -- it's short

but ATLAS SHRUGGED is very, very, very important -- you can also buy audio if the sheer 1000+ pages overwhelm you -- she was an awesome and gutsy writer in her time

[Maple]

4. Yes, interesting book

and I agree with the others...Atlas Shrugged is important. It's her 'magnum opus'...although it could have used a good editing.

'We the living' is supposed to be her autobiography...or as close to one as she'd ever write she said.

I should add that 'Anthem' is a very short book that sums up her philosophy nicely.

[Psephos]

5. Koestler's Darkness at Noon is worth your attention

But if you want to read a book you really can't put down, try Alexander Dolgun's Story (that's the actual title).

[hopein08]

9. Koestler

"Darkness at Noon" was one of the books I had to read for my class that I mentioned. I couldn't remember the title last night! It was pretty good, much better than "1984."

Thanks for the suggestion on Alexander Dolgun's Story. I'll check it out.

[johnaries]

6. Ayn just never "struck a chord" with me. MY favorite was Aldous

Huxley's Brave New World, teaching us all how to be "good little consumers", just like Bush wants.

However, it looks like Orwell's 1984 was the most prophetic novel of all. From the Big Brother Patriot Act, to the Bush's manipulations of WH reports and the MSM (basically creating his own Ministry of Truth), to Language Manipulation (Personal accounts - not Private accounts...talk about Moral Values, but don't ever try to explain what that means), to proper Torture Techniques (for Winston, he was scared of rats... Muslims are scared of going to hell for nakedness and unnatural sex).

I swear, it looks like Rover or SOMEONE on the Bush team is using 1984 as their "play book."

Of course, it can't be Bush - he can't even read My Pet Goat rightside up!

[terryg11]

7. it's a good read

and not as exhausting as ATlas or Fountainhead.

The characters are pretty good as far as RAnd characters go. Actually hve some depth to them such as the Communist officer she loves bt cant stand his ideology. Rand's biggest drawback (in my opinion) is that here characters are usually rather one dimensional, they are a certain personality with nothing else to them.

They are completely what they are (driven industrialist with no time for love, total "liberal" wacko that's a burden on everyone else, idealistic, strong woman torn between two men of clashing beliefs) and often nothing else.

Many people here don't like her because of her egoist aura but that's not really bad and the way she talks of "liberals" which is rather dated by the way

[NationalEnquirer]

10. Ayn rand, way too "conservative" and too preachy!

For me anyways, its like she tries to beat you over the head with her ideology, which is anti-liberal to say the least.

[Uncle Roy]

11. kick