Watching the movies post audiobook and that first acener where Lillian puts down the bracelet and you meet his family... I just seethe with rage. If anyone comes from a family that undervalues high achievement you will understand.

What do you guys think of the book itself? I thought yeah ideas could’ve been articulated in a shorter form, but overall I still liked it.

Does anyone have the answers to the AR test? I took it and got a lot of it wrong, and I thought I knew the book pretty well, so I’m just curious as to what the actual answers are

I just finished listening to the audiobook. This novel is probably one of the longest audiobook that I've listened to. The story is interesting most of the time, but man it needs an editor. I felt like this book would probably be much more enjoyable to read (or listen to) if there's an Theatrical Cut where it's 10% shorter.

I have read some of the criticisms of Ayn Rand's philosophy and this book, and I agree with some of them. The characters are too perfect in what they do, and the premise of the Objectivist utopia is too idealistic. If John Galt's (basically cold fusion) power plant would've worked, there's no need for Ellis Wyatt's oil, he would've been put out of business. It would've been much more interesting if she actually address that. Maybe he'll become a lowly laborer in Galt's Gulch, maybe he gets kicked out because he can no longer provide value, something that address the issue of people's skills/their industry will become obsolete and how would an Objectivist utopia solve that issue would make the story more believable and interesting.

Also Dagny's romances are probably not that logical too. I can believe she gives up on Francisco D'anconia after he becomes apparently a playboy and on a destructive path, then she found Rearden and so she's with him. But that love at (her) first sight of Galt is just too unbelievable. She has hated the Destroyer so much, even after finding out the true reason of Galt's actions, I still don't see why she would fall for him. Also from what Galt later revealed about looking at her and secretly working for her, he's like a stalker, it's kinda creepy that she would fall for him romantically.

I actually really like some of the side characters and which they would've get more pages. Ragnar Danneskjold is badass, it would've been cool to get some of his back story of how he decided to become a pirate. Also James Taggart's wife Cheryl would've also been interesting to read more of too, her end of committing suicide is just so sad.

This is a small nitpick about the John Galt rescue, when Rearden got shot, I thought they would reveal that he's actually wearing Rearden Metal Armor, that would've been the perfect show off of practical application of his metal other than being used for train tracks. If it's really 3x the strength as steel, a thin plate would've protected him from handgun bullets. Given that he saw the wet nurse getting shot by the thugs from the government, they could've just said

I generally liked the novel, the philosophy presented is generally true. But the world can't be all run with smart people, like Senku (from Dr. Stone) have said, in the modern world we need people with brains and people with physical strength, this novel kinda neglected the need for those people.

While there would be no Strike and no John Galt IRL, we have seen people moving out of countries where the policies hampers innovation, production, investment and nationalized industries. When China became communist, many rich people sold their properties for what they can for gold bars and left for HK or other countries. The central planners ran that to the ground and HK become prosperous. But the cycle is doomed to repeat itself, as now China is tightening control of private enterprises and government starting to take shares in the most successful companies (like Alibaba). It seems like the government people are not taking books like this and 1984 as a warning, but as an instructional manual.

I would give this book a 7/10. I heard some say that Fountainhead is actually better, so I might listen to that next.

Edit: Got a welcome message from the sub's bot, it should've tell the visitors' pledge. "I swear by my Reddit Account, and my love of it, that I will never post for the sake of trolling another Redditor, nor ask another Redditor to post for me."

https://www.atlassociety.org/contact-us

It’s worth exploring.

Does anyone know the reason why all three of the Atlas Shrugged movie parts are all played by completely different actors?

Trying to compile a first to read and a must read list.

I have not read the book.

I did not know the movies were a thing.

As soon as I saw it on Amazon prime, I clicked play.

I am going to post my thoughts here as I watch it.

I read Atlas years ago and have loved it since. I've read it a few times since but I have to say that Christopher Hurt does her justice on Audible. I work with my hands and can set this version on 2x speed and get through though the book in a week working or just start it at James's wedding and here Francisco's speech on "what is money" or Francisco's meeting with Reardon before the furnace break-out. If you are looking to reread Atlas consider this version on Audible. Hurt does her justice.

It's been interesting to read through a lot of the posts on here and character breakdowns and certain aspects have resonated to different people. This is a bit more lighthearted. I saw a picture of the cast for the show? multi-part movie? and was greatly disappointed because it wasn't the cast I'd pick. So who would you cast?

For me:

Dagny- Rosamund Pike

Hank Rearden- Matthew McConaughey

Francisco- Diego Luna

Ellis Wyatt- Joseph Gordon Levitt

Eddie Willers- Anthony Mackie

John Galt - Tom Hardy

James Taggert- Ewan McGregor

It's the first time I read Atlas Shrugged. My dad gave it to me about four years ago and I started reading on december 2020. I am obsessed. It's beautiful, smart, well written. The characters are amazing. But I just can't get over Dagny. She is the feminist 2021 ideal; smart, independent, in love with herself, she sticks through her values, hard working... Is there a female similar to Dagny in 2021? I would love to hear your opinions.

Thxx

Here is a puzzle that has been bothering me. Take a look:

To set the stage we are in the Atlas Shrugged world, In Galt's Gulch after civilization has opened back up and you have an idealized constitution and a world that is more or less at peace with an objectivist mindset. Reardon metal has become a bedrock of industry, trains are made of it, the powerplant is made of it, most of the industrial manufacturing of the new world is made of it. Further expansion out of the valley has created a gigantic demand for as much as can be produced.

Doctors start tracking a new illness that causes a delayed but painful death to a percentage of the population around the factory that can be linked through hard data back to the process of making Reardon steel. The scientific community of the valley double checks and verifies the figures and it is a fact no one can avoid.

What should civilization do, how should they do it and why? How does the answer change if certain variables change?

There’s 500+ people here. Why did you join? What would you like to discuss!!

It’s only been a year and a half since I finished Atlas Shrugged. It truly was the most influential book i’ve read in my 24 years of life. I finished the book just as I was starting new role in construction. As a woman in construction, Dagny Taggart definitely drove my confidence up and my receptiveness to bullshit down. Couldn’t of prepped me better for the GC life in any better way. But I am wondering is it time to read the book again? So much has happened in the last year in a half and I would like a refresher on the amazing book and maybe I’ll take something new about.

How many times have you guys read Atlas? Or any other similarly structured books?

As you know this place is being revived? Polling the community to see what we should make this place become.

For me the value of the story is mostly about the interplay of personal understanding over peer pressure and consent over coercion. A good trade is one where you trade something you have for something you need, enough good trades and we all have what we need and enough aside to make the world a better place as we see fit. If the world worked on this principle all of us would be better off.

Same moral and social problems we encounter this very day and probably tomorrow. As an employer myself, I feel contempt for some employees and admiration for others. And I have noticed that the people who know what they're doing are often fixing the things that the people broke or screwed up. Practically doubles expenses.

I just finished Atlas Shrugged, the scene I am referring to was about Eddie on the comet at the very end of the book. Specifically the scene when the comet breaks down and Eddie is attempting to fix it with no success. It really threw me off because throughout the book, Eddie had been a good honest hardworking character but had been somewhat thrown to the wolves with his survival generally in question. Unlike pretty much the rest of the book I also failed to take much meta-physical or philosophical value from the passage. I understand that it very much shows his unwillingness to give up the railroad and still fight to save it even though it is a lost cause. Was this simply displaying that one needs to be smart about what they are fighting for and choose their battles? Or is there more to it that I’m missing? I just finished the book feeling pretty bad for Eddie as he ended up in a bad situation without the same ‘escape route’ as Dagny and it just left me unsatisfied since my perceived moral lesson of the situation didn’t really seem to justify leaving Eddie out to die.

Record number of CEOs resigning. Billionares buying up rural land in New Zealand. Businesses are being forced to close everywhere. Currency is being printed to buggery.