Atlas Shrugged

By: Ayn Rand

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 62 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey of five thousand people conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club in 1991.

In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts?

This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, he sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? The answers will be revealed once you discover the reason behind the baffling events that wreak havoc on the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable book.

Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, which launched an ideology and a movement. With the publication of this work in 1957, Rand gained an instant following and became a phenomenon. Atlas Shrugged emerged as a premier moral apologia for capitalism, a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who had never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.

©1985 Eugene Winick, Paul Gitlin and Leonard Peikoff (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Revisited

I read Atlas Shrugged about forty years ago as a young man. Just finishing it again, I realized what a profound effect it had had on my values. It seems even more pertinent to our current stage of cultural evolvement. A great read on many levels.

Long winded and strongly written

As a liberal leaning individual i tend not to ascribe to a lot of the idealism in this book. The Fountainhead is my favorite book of Rand's and i looked forward to this book. i was not disappointed.

the narration was mindblowingly well done. From the firm yet feminine Dagney Taggart, the self assured sly Mrs. Reardon, to the powerful and direct John Galt, all done in one male voice, i was floored with how flawlessly it was executed.

The story itself was engaging, edge of your seat, and suspenseful as i was taken along for the socialistic demise of yester-year America and the world at large. i found myself rooting for the protagonists (i had a gripe with how handsome and godlike they tended to be but its a fantasy written as philosophical prose so im not too stern on this nor the inherent ugliness and purile nature of the antagonists) and i cringed at every choice made by the government that mirrored today's world.

That being said, I reccomend this book, however... I'm gonna warn you on on thing and one thing only.

John. Freaking. Galt.

This God like, Adonis, super genius, freak of nature who reveals so little about the ideology of the book yet purports to have created it, is my least favorite character by far. Even Eddie had more of a character arc and development. Every woman loves him, every man wants to step aside for him, every human MUST worship the messiah that is John Galt, the inventor upon whose name they all take in vain and in despair.

What a crock of -

i did it. i did it during work, or while driving when i KNEW i wouldn't fall asleep but that 3 hour stint at the end. A merciless, uninterrupted, howling diatribe against all things socialist, communist, charitable, and herd minded, against every person who is not a genius or among the means to make themselves rich and for the righteous right we have to even exist thanks to capitalists and business men borders on that of a mouth frothing, ring around the collar, pit stained, disheveled, sweating screeching of a pop up tent evangelist minister and spoken with the same deriding attitude depicting fire and brimstone of those that are not of his exact mindset or handpicked for his special millionaires club in the rockies. I hate to say it but i did it. I listened through every word of that horses**t and then as if this were the true climax of the book, i was consoled by a rushed and tidy "action" ending of the book for my trouble.

Dont get me wrong. i love Ayn Rands writing and this book is most definitely worth the read if you have the time as it is long. Just uhm... maybe fast forward or skip forward a bit when Johnny comes onto the radio yeah?

A Timeless Masterpiece

I first listened to Atlas Shrugged when I purchased it 10 years ago. That version narrated by Christopher Hurt is no longer available and when I tried to reload it on my Iphone it wouldn't load. Audible replaced it with this version.

I was not disappointed with Mr. Brick's narration.

What I really have noted about Atlas Shrugged is the timelessness of this novel. I first read it forty years ago, listened to it 10 years ago and now again. It is timeless. You cannot even guess when it is happening and know that it could be happening any time.

I recommend this book as a must have.

Superb

I love stories that separate from our daily experience to explore concepts relevant to our future in a context that allows for deep analysis. Ayn Rand was one of those rare souls that sees things as they are instead of as they wish them to be. I found her story to be compelling and educational.

Great Story but Very Verbose

Ayn Rand's ideals are solid! I just wish the book was shorter because I know she lost the interest of some people because she repeated the same beliefs over and over. I am a Christian so I had to understand that we all should use our brains to decide where we stand and what we believe. I choose to be a Christian and yet I also believe there is nothing wrong using the brains I was given to learn more and nothing wrong with making money to use as I choose. I believe that God gave us a brain and a heart. I choose to take care of my family, give money to whom I choose but I detest being forced to pay for those that have not earned their own way or live in a way that I reject. I have my own family to protect and we as Americans have our own country to protect.

Must Read

Loved this book. Make's you think about what we are doing to ourselves. Listening to it made my travels enjoyable.

Fun to read and makes you think.

It's easy to listen to. It's deep and makes you think about life.

It is an old book. Characters are good or bad. It is a feminist book for its time, but in some respects it is not in modern terms. You will also find cigarettes and chimneys seen as a good things, things that need to be considered in the context of their time.

Still a fascinating book, and relevant today.

A MUST LISTEN (or read) BOOK

One of the most important books I have ever read./listen to Grants liberation even as I saw myself as living according to its philosophy even before. Beautiful story, important message.

Aptly preceeded by fountainhead

What was one of the most memorable moments of Atlas Shrugged?

This book expressed in ways that I cannot the simple meaning of a worker and his mind. I am an engineers engineer, and that is probably why I enjoyed the hunt for the engineer behind the power device so much. I wanted to meet him and understand.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick chalks up another great performance. For me, his performance is transparent. In other words, I don't even notice he is narrating, it just allows the work to speak without me hearing his performance. That's just invaluable.

Any additional comments?

If you spend even 5 hours a week listening to audible content, you should seriously consider listening to this book. I think Rand's philosophy is well illustrated whether you agree or disagree.

I couldn't wait to listen to it!

If you could sum up Atlas Shrugged in three words, what would they be?

Long, Worth It

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dagney, I enjoy strong female leads, her wit & attitude made me smile on more than one occasion

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

There was a smooth transition between the characters & he portrayed their emotions & attitudes well.

Any additional comments?

This is a very very very long book...that being said, it was worth it. It was a little rough starting out, but after the first 60 minutes you are hooked for the whole thing. I just watched the movie and was very disappointed in everything they chose to leave out. It's like a summary of the cliffs notes.