Ayn Rand was not a goddess; she was an extraordinary human being. When she created her novels, drawing from her own experiences--and always from her philosophy--she provided a seer's portrait of what would come for America if the Constitution became an object of ridicule, considered obsolete. Had more people read the work (forgiving the didactic lapses), the stories would likely have changed their perspectives. I suggest that not only would they view politics and politicians differently, they would view life and the way they lived it differently. Rand's stories were fascinating; to this day, I say unequivocally that Atlas Shrugged changed my life.