RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Media where the fuck are the pictures? Atlas Shrugged

Have you ever read a book that completely changes the way you live your life?
Have you ever read a book that is so compelling and you cannot put it down, even after your first read through?
Well, Atlas Shrugged was that book for me. I started reading it in July and I just finished it for the second time. Thats with reading it for about an hour everyday. The first 60 to 100 pages are somewhat slow, but in a book that is over a thousand pages long, it needs a long setup.

The main character is Dagny Taggert. She is the vice president of Taggert transcontinental. Her brother, James Taggert is the president. Dagny is a very strong determined woman who has made her way to the top of the company despite being a woman.(This book was written in the 50's) She is not a feminist. She she achived her position by hard honest work and determination. She is not married. The book mainly follows her story.

Hank Reardon is the other main character. Although he isn't the main character he is my favorite in the book and would go as far as saying he might be my favorite fictional character. He is married to Lillian Reardon, who is a bitch. He is the creator and owner of Reardon metal, early in the book he invents a new metal that could revolutionize the entire world.

Eddie Willers. He is the first character introduced in the book. He is a secondary character but I found him to be one of the most relatable. He is Dagny's assistant.

Francisco d'Anconia. Dagny and Eddie's lifelong friend. Heir to one of the largest fortunes in the world. He is Dagny's first love. He gives most of the great speeches.

Ragnar Danneskjold. I'm not even going to tell you about him. One of the most fascinating characters in the book. He isn't really introduced until halfway (literally) through the book.

Part 1

The first part of the book concentrates on introducing the characters. Each main character gets a chapter about them. some of the major events (without spoiling too much) are the wedding anniversary of Hank Reardon and Lillian Reardon. It has all the major players and this is where Francisco gives a speech about money and how it is earned.
The next major event that happens is the construction of the John Galt line and the first trip on the line. Dagny Taggert took a gamble and used Hank Reardons new, untested metal. It was a complete success. The first trip on the John Galt line is one of my favorite parts of the book. Ayn Rand really makes her characters shine and she makes you feel like you are actually on the train. The last major event in part one is Dagny Taggert going on vacation and finding a motor in an abandoned warehouse. The motor is years ahead of anything she has seen.

Part 2

Part 2 is where things really start falling apart. The great leaders of industry start abandoning their jobs and lives. It is rumored that a mysterious destroyer is taking them. In this part Dagny is looking for someone who could fix the motor and she is also searching for the destroyer. The government is putting more and more restrictions on business, saying that Hank Reardon and his type are destroying smaller businesses so he must start producing less. Trains are crashing regularly and the whole country is falling into a state of chaos. At the end of part 2 Dagny has a conversation with someone who might know what started the whole mess. This conversation is almost haunting because its predicts what is happening in the real world now.

Part 3

I really can't say much about part 3 without spoiling the book so here are some of the highlights.
The first chapter is my favorite chapter. It is where most of the questions from part 1 and 2 are answered.
After that the country falls even further into chaos. "The Concerto of Deleverance" chapter is so good it is almost impossible to describe. Even describing part of the chapter will ruin it. The next chapter is complete crap. The whole chapter is devoted to a three hour speech. This is where Ayn Rand describes her philosophy. It repeats what has been said before and I skipped it the second time I read the book.
Thats all I can describe of the story with giving anything away.


Some people say this book has changed their lives. I'm one of them now. Because of this book I now know what what to fight for, not against. Do I agree with everything she writes? No. The main disagreement I have is that Ayn Rand is an athiest, and I am not. I know a lot of people would flat out disagree with her philosophy. I have talked to people that are admitted socialists , but still love this book.

Five out of five stars.
The greatest book ever written.

One of the greatest books ever. It was so enlightening for me. This work is so centered on logic, you can't help but be impressed.

Dagny is probably the greatest female protagonist in literature. She's one of the few that I wanted to imitate. There's this deep desire to be like her. She's so tough and agressive and ambitious. And yet she's capable of having passionate sex with the men she respects.

But yeah, Galt's speech was kind of long.

Shit. Beat me to it.

But you left out that it also "changed the way I lived my life".

In all fairness, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have never made fun of the novel Fight Club, which is a feat that Atlas Shrugged cannot match.

Seriously Pariah, you should give this book a try. There is a character in Atlas Shrugged that acts very much like Tyler Durden. His philosophy is pretty much the exact opposite, but his actions are almost the same.

I'll look it up, but I won't go out of my way to buy it if it's over 15 bucks. But don't presume that I only go for books or characters in said books that hold Durden principles in high regard. That's just silly.

And truth be told, while your description does make it sound very interesting, what I take from it doesn't exactly inform me on the state of the country/world. I'm pretty sure I already know what it's getting at is what I mean.

Yes, Pariah, very astute.

Seriously, I don't know.

Yes. You were right. I didn't realize you were so sensitive.

Tyler Durden would be ashamed of you.

Not sensitive, just naive.

The paperback version is 9 dollars. You should be able to find it in any bookstore.

I have the 45th anniversary edition with the cover that I put in the review. I just looked it up on wwwbarnesandnoble.com and they have a new version with a different cover.



Its the same price.

I think with Hank, I just felt he was so whipped in the beginning of the book. His wife was a bitch. And with Dagny, I do think it she's so appealing because she's female. I mean, the other characters in books I find myself admiring are men like Mr. Darcy, or Richard Sharpe, or Jack Ryan. It' nice to have such a leading lady.

I got my copy of the book for free. But it's still in the "to read" pile...

Any public library should have a copy of Rand's novels, anyway. Don't have to buy them.

I'm thinking about putting this one on my summer reading list... along with those Nietzsche books I've been wanting to read since last semester.

I think it's in the crapper. My bro leaves his books there. I may have farted on it once.

Since this is 'Where the fuck are the pictures', perhaps I should do a picture of Dagny after my reports are done...

One of my favorite reads of all time. Kudos, rex.

Its good to know other men have read and enjoyed this book. Almost all the other reviews I found were by women.

*tee-hee* Theo and Rex are gay for each other.

I have a list in another notebook (which, sadly, I didn't bring to school this year). It includes a bunch of 'basic' Nietzsche readings, like Birth of Tragedy, Beyond Good and Evil, and The Antichrist to name just a few.

If anyone is interested in reading Francisco money speech you can find it here.
I think it is one of the most important speeches in the book.

Antonio Banderas as Frisco would ROCK!!!!

Thats what I thought.
There is supposed to be a movie version coming out soon. I forgot where I read the interview, but the director said it would probably be three or four movies.

I've not really done any work with Nietzsche before (mainly because the head of our philosophy division believes that 'no one should read too much Nietzsche' - WTF?!), so I'm still just wanting to get the basics.

If you haven't though, you might try to look for some essays he's written. Something like that. Or check out what Amazon has to offer.

There is an unoffcial movie website.
It has all the info I have read in it or linked to it.

There's gonna be a Nietzche movie? I hope Ben Affleck plays him. He was the bomb in Phantoms.

I'd cast him.

Kevin Smith?

"Reading sucks ass!"

OOOOOHHH!!!! That one!!

It's all so clear now.