---
title: "Thoughts on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand"
description: "I picked up the audiobook version of Atlas Shrugged for $5 when it was on sale at Audible.com . It is 63 hours long.  This will be my longest audiobook yet, beating our David McCollough's Truman and R..."
url: https://bookwi.se/thoughts-on-atlas-shrugged-by-ayn-rand/
date: 2009-11-28
modified: 2009-11-28
author: "Adam Shields"
categories: ["Book Reviews"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Thoughts on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I picked up the audiobook version of[ Atlas Shrugged](http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002UZL9G2) for $5 when it was on sale at [Audible.com](http://www.audible.com). It is 63 hours long.  This will be my longest audiobook yet, beating our[ David McCollough’s Truman](http://www.amazon.com/Truman-David-McCullough/dp/0671869205/) and [Roy Jenkin’s Churchhill](http://www.amazon.com/Churchill-Roy-Jenkins/dp/0452283523/).  Interrestingly, neither seem to be offered any more at Audible in their unabridged versions.

I am not going to try to write a review of Atlas Shrugged.  It has been reviewed to death by people much smarter than I am.  I just have a few thoughts.  I am about 5.5 hours into it now.[![](http://img.audible.com/audiblewords/content/bk/blak/002897/t4_image.jpg)](http://img.audible.com/audiblewords/content/bk/blak/002897/t4_image.jpg) First, at this point the characters seem to be a bit two dimensional.  It seems to be clear that Rand is trying to make a point, and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t like being preached at.  Feels a bit like [Dostoyevsky’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoyevsky) [Brothers Karamozov](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28054).

Second, I am at a point where the characters seem to be talking about the reason for work.  Rand has them asserting that whatever they do, they should do it as well as they can.  What this makes me think of is my [pastor’s](http://twitter.com/jeffhenderson) [sermon series on work](http://store.northpoint.org/?pID=1900) that just finished a couple weeks ago (I am linking to a copy of the message that you buy, but it is free if you look at the [church website](http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages).  The website is in flash and doesn’t allow you to link directly to the particular message.)  In the three messages Jeff says that traditionally we work because we find one or more of four values in work (purpose, paying the bills, identity and anther one I can’t remember.)  He says when we work for God and place God at the center of our work, then the other four values become less important and we can focus on working for him, whether we are a pastor or a fry cook at McDonalds.  All work can be for God.  In Atlas Shrugged, at least at this point, it seems Rand can only envision income and identity as purposes for work.

The third thing that seems strange to me is the underlying sexual tension that is present.  It seems Rand particularly choose the woman in the book to be a Vice President of a Railroad to be breaking stereotypes.  But she seems to be in these work situations where she receives an almost erotic pleasure from accomplishing work goals and then being attracted to the men around her that are just like her.  I am sure it is going somewhere, but at this point it seems like she is countering her own argument.

Just a few thoughts.  I have not read anything by Ayn Rand before and feel like my education and culture have been lacking.  Less than 10 percent of the way in, the book feels very dated, not because of the technology or writing style but because of the ideas.