Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
Author: Ayn Rand
Who is John Galt? This famous rhetorical question rings through Ayn Rand's best-selling novel as the people's anthem of despair in depressed economic times. Set in the future, the novel follows capitalist magnates as they battle looters, strikers, and the impending ruin of the United States' economy. — ----------- — Copyright renewed 1985. Publish...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780394415765
ISBN-10: 0394415760
Publication Date: 10/12/1957
Pages: 1,324
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 8

4.2 stars, based on 8 ratings
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 4
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

mizparker avatar reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 87 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
I tackled this (very thick) book because I have always thought of it as a modern classic - something I should suck it up and read, just for the experience. Perhaps not surprisingly, I really did enjoy it, and found myself sucked into the philosophy behind it. I keep eyeballing it on my shelf and thinking that I should re-read it, after which I will probably post it. Very good.

The book is based on the not-too-farfetched premise that all of the producers of the world - producers in the sense that these are the hardworking, brilliant, movers and shakers and people of ideas in the world - get fed up with carrying the metaphorical burden of society. "What if Atlas shrugged?" A reference, of course, to refusing to carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders. The producers band together and agree as one to stop producing, stop letting the idle and useless benefit from their ideas, and society be damned. I won't give away any more, but I'd be willing to bet that if the idea intrigues you, you will be sucked in as well.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on
Helpful Score: 8
Atlas Shrugged is one of the best books I've ever read. It changed my life. It changed a lot of people's lives. So I won't go into how amazing it is -- you can read plenty of that elsewhere. I do, however, want to point out a few details specific to my experience with it:

--It is a big book, and it starts out really slow. If you're just picking it up, it would be easy to get discouraged with it 50 or 100 pages in. But trust me, once you get past page 200 or so, you won't be able to put it down. The story is really interesting and the characters really engaging. A thousand pages is a long journey, but it goes by fast once you're into it.

--I don't consider myself to be a devotee of Ayn Rand's philosophy, objectivism. I think it certainly has its merits, but it also has its drawbacks. Having grown up in Russia during the Soviet Revolution, and emigrating to the US as a young woman, she has some interesting and insightful perspectives on capitalism vs communism, individualism vs collectivism. As you are reading Atlas Shrugged, though, remember that the collectivist characters she creates are cartoons. They're exaggerated examples of the traits and mindsets she is vilifying. Similarly, the heroes of the book are cartoons of independent industrialists. They possess none of the faults that flesh and blood humans possess, nor are there ever any negative consequences to their actions, save what the nefarious collectivists have subverted and sabotaged.

Overall, Atlas Shrugged is amazing and has an important message. But if you ignore the exaggerations on both sides of the story, and take every word to heart as gospel, you'll pretty much turn into a big, unrealistic jerk.
txhockeymom avatar reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is not an easy read! This book requires a commitment that I haven't given to a book in years. It is over a thousand pages and you will feel as though you just completed a marathon when you are through. A friend had told me that I must read this book. After a few hundred pages, I found myself skipping entire paragraphs of beautiful narrative just to get to the meat of the story. I did not want to give up. I am glad I didn't. Three-quarters of the way through, I was finally engrossed in the story. It made my head spin with possibilities and questions. Not about the book, but about the world. By the time you finish, you will look at things much differently. I have not bought the entire philosophy, but it has made me question many long-held beliefs. There is room in the world for many viewpoints. And there is lots of room in the middle of opposing views, too. I am glad that I finally read this book!
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Who is John Gault? It's a question that continues to echo in my head many years after first reading those words. "Atlas Shrugged" is the best book I ever read. And my second favorite is "The Fountainhead", also by Ayn Rand. I would recommend reading the latter first, which can be viewed almost as a prequel to "Atlas Shrugged". Huge in scope, fearless and unapologetic, these are books for the ages. Read them both; you won't be sorry you did. You might even be transformed by them, as I was.
lcsaved avatar reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book should be read, and passed on. I have read it 8 times and still find gems inside when I re-read it. One of the best books ever written, PERIOD.
Read All 70 Book Reviews of "Atlas Shrugged"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 168 more book reviews
If you're a logical/rational person, and you have ambition, passion, drive, and you value the individual - then this book is for you. If you're a socialist/communist/etc., you will hate this book ... or it will change your mind.

In a nationwide study back in the 90s, this novel was ranked second as "most influential novel of all time." The first was the Bible - so ironic, considering the nature of Atlas Shrugged. Or maybe so apt.

I think this book is a must read. It changed my life.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on
I enjoyed this book. It is pretty deep with a lot of philosophy, but I liked the message.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on
I enjoyed the premise of the book but found some of the monologues went on far to long without adding anything to the characters or the thrust og the story.I read the book without a political bent coming in and enjoyed the book as a novel.
ashley949807 avatar reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 27 more book reviews
This is one of my favorite books. Like all of Ayn Rand's work, this book is an intelligently written testament to the value of individuality and of capitalism.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 2 more book reviews
Excellent reading.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on
A dreary book. I got through it in my youth, but nowadays I am a harsher judge and would give up on it sooner.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 9 more book reviews
Rand' timeless classic; the story of a man who said he would stop the motor of the world -- and did. Her ideals on objectivism translate through her words page after page and inspire the reader to aspire to greater moral heights.
reviewed Atlas Shrugged on + 168 more book reviews
This is fiction for anarchists (or libertarians) - what is not to love?! I must admit, I did skip a lot of Galt's speeches (Rand can really go on and on and on and on through Galt). The plot is great, though, and I do love the characters. It's also the kind of book I love, but also love to make fun of ... not in a negative way.

Book Wiki

Common Title
Fictional Places

Genres: