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.

Awesome Read! Narrator is the BOMB at x3

Any additional comments?

Brick was actually pretty dang good. Start listening at 1.25X then slowly move up to 3X (if you would like to). Brick talks slowly but probably sounds the best at 1.5X. I had full comprehension at 3X and thought it was very engaging. Have a great time listening most def worth it!

the Great Book

I truly believe does this supposed to be red by all students prior graduating high school

Everyone should read this to understand socialism

Ayn tends to ramble on and on to make her point sometimes, but it really just makes you shake your head when you realize how much what she wrote about then is true today!

Absolutely Fantastic Book

This is by the best book I have ever listened to. Truly a masterpiece. The characters are great. The story is perfect. Thank you Ayn Rand. My mind appreciates this book.

A great listen!

Any additional comments?

I had been hearing about this book for years and finally moved it up my

A very long and very in-depth work

Here is a great book that depicts what is really happening all around us. The Government is being controlled by ‘hidden’ power that want the world economy locked onto one course and that is it. They get laws passed to stifle competition and keep innovation to a select few rather than welcoming competition. Look at the Supreme Court allowing business practices to be patented after Congress made it legal despite growing evidence that it’s hurting economic growth! Here the author is warning us about this and it telling us that it’s up to us to end this. I myself own a trademark and no one cared until the word I used in it began to move into the larger audience. I can tell you personally it is a battle to defend my trademark. I have to walk the line of not pissing off the wrong people and keep moving forward because a trademark can now for the first time in US history be revoked with little or no evidence. Keep this in mind as you move forward and understand that based on some of these overly broad patents no new technology can be ‘invented’ without someone already owning a part of it before it’s ever put out to the world.

A work of perfection

I don't give 5 stars lightly. The narrator certainly helped, but this is truly a literature perfection, a must read for everyone.

Pace yourself

You've got to pace yourself on this book, lots of stuff to digest said in many words. Loved it though, glad I finally read it.

Excellent read!

Extraordinary read whether you agree with the thoughts or not. Writing which will expand & enrich your life. Recommend to everyone.

Story with great premise, mostly sound philosphy

Any additional comments?

I love the premise of this book and mostly agree with the philosophy contained it it... however ... IT IS WAY TOO LONG!. Ayn Rands character's thoughts and feelings are way over dramatic and have very little to do with the over-arching story. Not to mention the thoughts and feelings that some of her characters have (especially the male characters) are not realistic. Most people (especially men) are just not that subtle in their speech and mannerisms. And I would guess about 1/3 of this books could be cut out and not be missed in the least. Having said that, there are some pretty awesome parallels to today's social and political environment. It's hard to believe this was written over 50 years ago with how accurately it describes our society now...scary really. There are some pretty awesome things that happen in the book - that do not seem too far fetched or far distant for our society now. I think every student in college should read this book along with the other philosophies they are being indoctrinated with and see which philosophy wins. To be fair I agree with about 75% of what Ayn Rand is trying to say - but some of here ideas are a little too extreme for me....Still it has changed the way I see the world politically and the way I filter the media generally.