Atlas Shrugged

I finished Atlas Shrugged with three days to spare. I read Atlas Shrugged years ago. I think I was in my early twenties. I might have actually been 20, when I was in Belgium. I read a lot in Belgium. It was fun to read again. The goal was to finish it before the movie came out. I intended to see the movie. Having seen the trailer, I think I'll skip it.

Someone on a blog I regularly read (wish I could remember his name) once said: "When you're 18 you should read Atlas Shrugged and think it is the best primer on conservative principles ever written. Then you should grow up." I found it just as much fun to read this time as the first time. I found myself skipping just about as much of the long winded John Galt speech at the end. Ugh. That's one longer winded sucker. Nevertheless fun to read again. Thick, filled with ideas, great writing. It satisfies I think my "One Epic per Year" policy. Last year Shogun, this year Atlas Shrugged. Next year, Lonesome Dove? Moby Dick? Any other suggestions?

Along these lines, WSJ had an article on Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand (here). As I read Atlas Shrugged I kept thinking of all the parallels I saw between what Rand was describing and what was happening in real life and politics today. Donald Luskin's fine article brings up specific examples of those parallels. Both the article and the book are well worth reading at least once per lifetime.

Finally, usually I take notes and highlights of the writing and words I find intriguing so I can post them here when I finish a book. I didn't do that this time. I haven't done this for the last couple of books. I took a break from blogging when I lost my job a few months back. I intend to highlight and note in the future if only cause now, I feel I've lost that opportunity with this book. But, on a happier note, I start my new job tomorrow. That should inspire a myriad of new blog posts.