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.

Amazing

Couldn't stop listening. I'm these times of trouble in my country (BR), the values preached in this book, made me see clearly who are the people that deserves credit and who are the rotten useless zombies of welfare ideas, that never create anything of real value for nobody.

Long but Powerful

It took me a few starts to get thru this entirely as often the points were hammered in with extensive philosophical backup, but I short I found myself drawing unhappy parallels between this 80 year old book and the path we have since taken. The reader makes the length manageable. I wish all young people were required to understand this book to complete high school. I invite you to listen to this as it needs to be heard. We may be in a slightly different scenario, but not much different. This book shows the difference between a government managed economy and a free market--and all the personal spiritual nuances needed to accept the socialist versus capitalistic views. I could have happily ditched the "love" story--but in all it was a small and humanizing aspect. This was required reading in my high school, but the public government schools no longer find this a convenient philosophy. I hope you will give it a read and see how it compares with your thoughts on our path forward.

grand novel of romance and adventure...

Where does Atlas Shrugged rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

its my second favorite book of all time, and as far as audio version goes, definitely in my top five.

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

i wouldnt want to spoil it for new listeners. i do have my very own rearden metal bracelet though...

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

scott brick is an excellent narrator, but i find him to be rather slow sometimes, so i love the function on the audible app that allows you to speed up the narrator. i usually listen at 1.5 times normal speed, so it doesnt go slow like ben stein...bueller? bueller?

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

if the weight of the world was on your shoulders, wouldnt you shrug?

Any additional comments?

this is a fantastic novel full of epic idealized characters. these are archetypes of heroic figures we should strive to be like. the philosophy embedded in the novel is something that desperately needs to be examined and put into practice for the real world. there are real world current issues that mirror a book a russian immigrant wrote over fifty years ago. it was prophetic then and coming true now. its an excellent novel at face value, but the deeper meaning is intriguing as well.

Atlas Shrugged...what else is there to say?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, One of the best books out there, I would actually recommend it in the audio format.
It is an eye opener that parallels current society but was written 50+ years ago........I guess some things never change.

What other book might you compare Atlas Shrugged to and why?

None really compare that I have read

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Nothing stands out, but it has been several months since I listened to it the last time.

If you could take any character from Atlas Shrugged out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Why John Galt of course, just to talk about it all

Any additional comments?

This book starts a bit slow which I believe makes it hard to read in the printed version..................long live Audible.

The Definition of Self

I have read or listened to Atlas Shrugged at least 35 times. Every year or so, I feel the need to reemphasize what matters to me. Many people hate the book and Ms. Rand. I won't debate them.

While the time of the novel is now sixty years past, and some of the author's predictions did not come true, mostly in terms of communications, the core evils are readily evident today.

Atlas Shrugged is hard. It's hard because it is an endless bombardment of ideas, argued with strength and tenacity. I say with confidence that who I have become was strongly evidenced by Ms. Rand's moral philosophy.

This recording, with Mr. Scott Brick, is better than the earlier Blackstone version. While I enjoyed both readers, this recording is much cleaner, with less distortion and none of the studio crosstalk that can be heard on the earlier version particularly when you are listening with headphones. This version is also longer, not because the content has changed, but because Mr. Brick's pacing is subtly different and I like what he has done very much.

Story is good, the soliloquies a little long

Where does Atlas Shrugged rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a looooooong book, but wanting to know the rest of the story keeps you interested. There are obvious political positions in this book, and you can get quite upset at the antics the main characters have to go through. I know that this is just a book, but America could never get this far gone. Maybe when written back in the 1950s, but surely not now.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

good performance throughout. I wonder how long it took to produce this audiobook since it is so long. Good job Mr. Brick.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me angry that politicians can get away with this kind of stuff, then I remembered its just a book.

Outstanding voice performance of a classic

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

Promoting unbridled capitalism!

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Made it shorter. Some of the book was unnessesarily wordy with no benefit to the story. Also, Ayn Rand creates implausable choices for her characters in order to advance her agenda. Also, almost all the characters (except Eddie Willers and Sheryl Taggard) are overly one-dementional; either superhero or moral degenerate. I know it is a fictional story to push a philosophical perspective, but the lack of realistic characters with nuance made her philosophical bent less appealing to me.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I loved his work.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Hank Reardon said of John Galt, "I have met him, and I understand..."

Glad I listened

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I chose this book because of the controversy surrounding it. I'm glad that I did. The story by Ayn Rand was well written, and the conclusions were interesting, but it was truly built on some glaringly false premises. A bit of a straw man. Still, I enjoyed it.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's a fantastic reader.

If you could take any character from Atlas Shrugged out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Dagny. Sounds hot.

Amazing Book!

Eerily relevant to todays current political situation 65 years after being published. A cautionary story about government control vs the greatness of man’s ability to think, to choose, produce, through innovation and entrepreneurship. Strong characters with an intriguing storyline and message kept me riveted to the end!

Required reading

Anyone 25 and over should read this book. As applicants today as it was 65 years ago.