The Ayn Rand Cult

By: Jeff Walker

Narrated by: Fred Filbrich

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Ayn Rand and her philosophical school, Objectivism, have had a considerable influence upon American popular culture, yet the true story of her life and work has yet to be told. In this book, Jeff Walker debunks the cult-like following that developed around the author of the classics Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead - a cult that persists even today.

©1999 Carus Publishing Company (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Walker's account is well researched and clearly written,.. A solid contribution to 20th-century intellectual history.” (Library Journal)

"Comprehensive... will infuriate those who admire Rand and hearten those who hate her.” (Liberty)

Very Informative, But Far Too Much Editorial

If you could sum up The Ayn Rand Cult in three words, what would they be?

Informative but Biased

Would you be willing to try another book from Jeff Walker? Why or why not?

Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, the man does his homework, and there is some excellent reporting on this fascinating book. But the man can’t leave well enough alone, and feels the need to add his editorial everywhere to make certain individuals look bad (which is unnecessary, since the bad people already look bad enough from their own misdeeds).

Any additional comments?

The irony is not lost of a cult around someone who preaches individuality and making personal rational choices. Rand, who expects only the highest level of morally integrity of others, is involved in a secret affair with a young protege, passive aggressively pressuring their respective spouses to agree and remain silent. The story is compelling and fascinating. Yet Walker spares no opportunity to unnecessarily mudsling, particularly in the chapters on the three Rand lieutenants (Branden, Piekoff & Greenspan). Only the worst interpretations of everyone’s actions is presumed. Barbara Branden’s “The Passion of Ayn Rand” (also despised by Rand followers) is a much balanced view of what happened. Having said that though, this book is filled with an enormous amount of quality information, and a true portrayal of the cult can be gleaned. Someone could go in, remove about a quarter of the editorial, and be left with a great book. In the end, I do recommend the book, understanding that the author is no friend of the individuals involved, and the reader will have to stomach through repeated personal invectives to get to the story.

Long and rather viscous

This audiobook was a little never ending. The narrator wasn’t very engaging and sounded bored the entire time. Not knowing much about Ayn Rand, I thought the book itself was a little mean spirited and even slanderous. It seems like the author really hates Rand and her followers which kind of makes me wonder why he wanted to write a whole book about the subject. He makes Rand seem like an absolutely miserable person but in the process comes across as fairly miserable himself. After a while it got really tedious to listen to; however, I’m glad I powered through. I will say the final chapter was by far the meanest. It made me feel sorry for Rand and for the author who hates her so much.