Introducing Atlas Shrugged to Others
I have introduced the book to many people. I think only about 10% every finish it. I'm a little surprised by that. A recent introduction, though, is going very well. I was working with an engineering college intern for a while. Very bright, inquisitive kid. Really like this young man. He started asking me life questions after a while. "What would you have done differently?", etc. This, I thought, was a great sign. Having a son with autism...I love the opportunity to help young men who aren't as handicapped. I waited a long time to become a father and, after all I'd been through (with women, work, watching friends crash with vices) I was really ready to raise a young man. Anyway, this young friend is devouring the book this summer. He just saw the first mentions of Project X. I said, "Man, it's about to get really dark..." The thing he loves about the book most is how much of it is visible in current news. Very prophetic.
One of the dining rooms in his largest restaurant is named the John Galt room. Sadly, very few of us in the company recognized the significance. But I have spoken with several guests over the years who knew. When someone asks "Who is John Galt, and why does he have a dining room named after him?" It opens the dialogue well.
With media streaming being as it is, very few people read at all.
I have the audio book on a FLAC thumb drive that stays in my car(s).
It plays random selections of music and audio books.
I met a young guy in Australia who claimed to love reading SciFi . I asked if he'd read any Heinlein books and he responded that RH was a fascist.
No, he'd never read any of Heinlein's writings other than an out of context snippet in a review of Starship Troopers.
I gave my brother AS as he waited to be released from involuntary service in Nam. It was a bit much for him because of extreme dyslexia.
I was one of those. It took me 10yrs to read the book. (I do much better with Audio books, I have a version of dyslexia).
Once I did, though...
it was on my daughters reading list. She read at when she was 12 (University at 14, so this would have been like a 16 yr old reading it). She got it. She was shocked to see how things were aligning back then (13 years ago).
But it's a long book. Well worth reading. Obviously.
i need to watch them again
They are so much better than the video.
Great for driving long distances.
will do!!
unabridged
I know that the makers of the videos tried, but the task was far above them.
Just as one example: anyone who has read the book with any attention at all can discuss in detail "Francisco's money speech." They can tell you what he said, what the circumstances were, how the people around him reacted, and how he came to make that speech. They also know that it was not the main speech presented in the book. It was a prequel, so to speak, but it was absolutely a GREAT speech.
In the movie, I couldn't WAIT to see how they presented this speech, and they almost skipped it entirely. Zero emphasis, very little presentation of it at all....and it is central to the philosophy of AS.
OK, so I have gone on too long, but PLEASE if you can. Get a copy of the book and read it cover to cover.....and then read it again at least once more, better twice....please?
I don't know anyone headed for high school graduation right now, but if I did, I would send them a copy of Atlas to read before college or work. Unfortunately, many would not read it, and even fewer would have the capacity to understand it. The public schools have seen to that.
If you believe the news [most of which you shouldn't, I'll admit] Technical "STEM" inclined students are hard to find. I think this correlates with the inability of students to think logically in general. They were never taught to.
Now we have a plan: four more years here in amongst the snakes and scorpions, and then we're going back to where there's grass and greenery, and grandkids. At that point we should not even have to be concerned about money. I'm shoveling it away as fast as I can manage.
I can't help but wonder what in the heck they are doing with our road taxes. I just sent $600 in to renew our registration for ONE car (and almost that much for the other car which is slightly older). In Texas, the most we ever had to pay was like $90 and our roads were GREAT. Here, I drove around a pothole yesterday that we could have turned into a hot tub.
I guess my point is: the techie is there, even if the techie themselves don't know it. Yet.
I told him to at least watch Part 1, and he can decide whether to continue from there.
vert her to Objectivism.)