A review by jeffreyisaacpincus
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Ugh. Look, I enjoyed parts of this book. There are incredibly well written portions and Rand does a fantastic job of writing protagonists you want to root for and bureaucratic villains that I want to punch. Edward Herman gives an incredible performance in this audiobook and was a delight to listen to. However, this book is so high up on a soapbox it can’t see the reality of the world it’s preaching about. Rand delivers an ableist anti-equity message about how the poor should stop stealing from the rich who have “earned” their wealth through brilliance and ocassionally inheritance. This book feels like the Wicked to the Wizard of Oz except the witch is capitalism and, oh wait, no, are you sure, alright, except you still can not pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Also, the sexism, though historically inescapable of the era, is threaded through the book despite opportunities discussing the abilities of man and the given place of members of society where fascinating nuance could have been developed regarding the expectations and capacities of women were they not limited by patriarchy in the way our industrialists are by bureaucracy. Again, not an issue for the time but something that actively detracts from the story surging into modernity. Are there good points yes. Are there some fascinating points that cannot be easily dismissed about the complexities and achievements of capitalism. Certainly. But can I support this book given how much I disagree with the core objectivist philosophy that makes up the marrow of this books bones. 
Nope!
2.25 stars. (One of those is just for Edward Herman.)