[DrBoring]

I could never have read Atlas Shrugged if not for the audio book. I've always struggled with staying focused while reading a book. I'm too easily distracted.

If you are actually interested in learning more about the ideas presented in the book, I suggest you get a copy of the audio book. You might be able to find it at your local library ... thought I can't imagine how many CDs that would be. It's on Audible too, and other less official online sources.

For me, it's was sort of eye opening to read the book. It smoothed out some chips on my shoulder that drove my cynical view in life. Even though it was fiction, I still empathized with the character's struggles. I could connect it to real world events and human behavior that I had observed.

There are some books that help you see the world through different eyes. For me, Atlas Shrugged was an effective one.

The Fountainhead was similar. I connected with the frustration of young Wynand's attempts at grade school, only to find himself surrounded by dumb children and incompetent adults.

[teekert]

I'm re-reading Atlas Shrugged now for the second time (first time was 10 years ago), I enjoy it even more now, there are many things I found boring the first time around in the first few 100 pages, but now that I know where it is going I'm picking up a lot of subtle things that make the whole experience more interesting.

I don't understand why HNers sometimes are so anti Ayn Rand, it seems to me that Dagny and Hank are true entrepreneurs. And if you ask me, very ethical because they absolutely abhor influencing the government to get what they want and they are ruthlessly honest with very transparent intentions. Very refreshing. I really would have liked to learn Ayn's opinion on modern surveillance capitalism, I bet it would match the prevailing opinions here.

Moreover, her take on female sexuality must have been revolutionaire at the time, I mean in the 60s Kirk was considered progressive while looking a female medical dokter up and down and remarking that he could not get used to women on the bridge. And here is Ayn presenting Dagny Taggart, with modern (well almost, don’t quote out of context) views on female sexuality even in 2022.

[javert]

> I'm picking up a lot of subtle things that make the whole experience more interesting.

That's a common experience. It's like some people are reading the books in low resolution. That's why they think the characters are simplistic. If you re-read, you start realizing that all the little details matter and are part of the story.

> Moreover, her take on female sexuality must have been revolutionaire at the time

It was. What other work of art published in the 1950s or earlier has a female protagonist, a businesswoman, with multiple lovers?