Whats the deal with atlas shrugged?

Question

everyone seems to like this book. is it required college reading or something?

can someone give me a quick overview?

like: "a woman leaves an abusive husband and becomes a L*****n, it is a symbol for freedom" ( thelma and luise )

just a couple sentences to see if It would interest me.

thanx

Answer 1

Considering that Atlas Shrugged contains something like 650,000 words, it's kind of a tall order to sum it up in a couple of sentences.

I'll give it a shot though, what the heck?

Atlas Shrugged is a novel which is both a philosophical treatise and an elaborate mystery. While the philosophy is impossible to ignore, it is possible to enjoy the story simply for itself (though most people who do that find it necessary to skip about 50 pages near the end).

I stole the next two lines, summing up the philosophy, from this website:

http://atlasshrugged.com/book/

' The theme is: “the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.” '

As far as the plot:

Basically, all the world's greatest minds begin mysteriously disappearing, leaving the world to those who are not capable of creation themselves. Things become grimmer and grimmer, various disasters ensue, secrets are revealed, and the few leaders who are left fight against all odds to continue to produce and to succeed.

Those are both gross oversimplifications.

The wiki page is actually pretty decent, if not inspired. You could skim that for a more thorough overview if you wanted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrug...

I recommend reading the book. Even if you hate it, it will almost certainly make you think.

By the way, one kiss before death does not make a L*****n out of someone. I think you missed the point of Thelma and Louise. You may want to be more careful with Atlas Shrugged.