I have a friend who likes to read, and she came across a copy of Ayn
Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  She's the sort of person I would call easily
"impressionable", and now her mind's been corrupted by Any Rand's
ego-centric righteousness.

I should probably let it be known that I think Ayn Rand's philosophy
would lead us as human beings back down into the jungle rather than up
into utopia.  So with this in mind, I'd like to know about other
popular fiction that would serve as a good counter to the sorts of
ideas expounded in Ayn Rand's writing.

Hello.


I read Atlas Shrugged a few years ago. I think that a lot of readers
find Ayn Rand so convincing because they find her criticism of Marxist
philosophy to be so persuasive.  When Rand attacks the left for
economic incompetence, it's very easy to think about various
historical examples (e.g., the old Soviet Union, bloated
bureaucracies, etc.), and conclude that Rand was very insightful. And,
in some ways, perhaps she was.

And, yet, what does Rand offer as an alternative to the materialism of
Marxism? In my opinion, Rand offers little more than her own brand of
materialism. And what is the nature of Rand's materialism?  As you
mention, "egocentric righteousness" is at the heart of it. Rand seems
to unapologetically embrace selfishness, vanity, elitism, and
self-aggrandizement. At the same time, she seems to dismiss the
concept of morality. Rand's heroes are not bound by morals. They are
so superior that they are entitled to make up their own rules.

Ultimately, I believe that the best antidote to Rand will be a healthy
dose of books that, at their core, challenge the values that Rand
embraces.

Here are some books that I've personally enjoyed and that I believe
will offer your friend a different perspective than Atlas Shrugged:


(1) "Crime and Punishment" by  Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Like the heroes in Atlas Shrugged,  Dostoevsky's character Raskolnikov
is quite confident in his brilliance and superiority. In fact, he's so
confident that he believes that there's nothing wrong at all with
murdering someone whom he considers useless. As one of the characters
in the novel explains, "A special little theory came in... --a theory
of a sort--dividing mankind, you see, into material and superior
persons, that is persons to whom the law does not apply owing to their
superiority, who make laws for the rest of mankind, the material, that
is. It's all right as a theory."
source: online-literature.com
http://www.online-literature.com/dostoevsky/crimeandpunishment/37/

Available from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553211757/


(2) "The Lord of the Rings" by JRR Tolkien.

Does not Tolkien's ring of power symbolize everything that is of value
to Ayn Rand? The ring promises its wearer unlimited powers, and it
appeals to the ambitions and vanity of men and hobbits alike. In
short, Tolkien powerfully rejects the aggrandizement of self that is
at the core of Rand's philosophy.

Available from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0618260587/


(3) "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

This is a powerful novel about the horror of war. The humanity of main
character Billy Pilgrim sharply contrasts with Rand's "god-like"
heroes (John Galt, Dagny Taggart, etc.).

Available from amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440180295/


(4) "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene

In this novel, a flawed priest rediscovers his own goodness. I think
Greene's main point is that no human can ever achieve perfection, but
by serving others we can learn to forgive ourselves for our
imperfections. In this respect, Green's philosophy is vastly different
from Rand's.

Available from Barnesandnoble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0140184996


(5) "Burmese Days" by George Orwell

This is a very entertaining and insightful novel about British
colonial rule. Orwell seems to suggest that colonialism dehumanizes
both the colonizer and the colonized.  This contrasts greatly with
Rand's economic philosophy. When Rand laments the nationalization (and
destruction) of industries by the various "People's States" in Atlas
Shrugged, she ignores the legacy of colonialism which historically
played a role in such actions.

Available from Barnesandnoble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0156148501


(6) "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Your friend will read more about human nature from the memorable
characters in Monterey's Cannery Row than from the superheroes of
"Galt's Gulch."  "Cannery Row" is a novel about people as they really
are.

Available from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140177388/


(7) "The Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe

Investment banker Sherman McCoy likes to think of himself as the
"Master of the Universe." An unfortunate series of events remind him
that the real world of 1980s New York City is a lot more complicated
than he had previously believed. Wolfe presents McCoy as a character
who thinks he's the "Master of the Universe," but is mistaken.  Rand's
business people (Dagny Taggart, etc.) think they are (and should be)
"Masters of the Universe," and Rand agrees!

Available from barnesandnoble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0553275976


(8) "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe 

Although this novel didn't have quite the same success of "Bonfire," I
found it very entertaining. The business failures of Charlie Croker an
Atlanta real estate magnate are the centerpiece of this novel. One of
Wolfe's key points seems to be that a human being cannot be
fundamentally happy based upon material success alone (money, huge
plantation, trophy wife, etc.).

Available from barnesandnoble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0830093532


I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please use the "request
clarification" feature. Good luck trying to get your friend to see the
error of her ways. ;-)

That's a great list of books there!  Just the sort of thing I was
looking for!

 While I wouldn't necessarily call my friend's ways wrought with
error, it's just that she doesn't do much 'heavy reading', sticking
mostly to populist fiction such as John Grisham and Steven King.  A
well-rounded, successful, stable person must have a strong foundation
(think Great Pyramids vs Tower of Pisa) so I beleive it's important to
have broad perspective.  Like bl00d-ga's comment, it's not up to me to
enforce perspective upon her, but as a friend I feel I should offer
some "objectivity" in the form of possible counter viewpoints.

Perhaps you should not try to make moral, political and
epistemological decisions for other people.  If she read the book and
understands Rand's ideas and subscribes to her beliefs, is that not
her right?  Certainly, Rand's views are at a polar extreme, as most
philosopher's views are.  But that does not discredit her ideas
altogether; ideas that continue to prove themselves true througout
history.  Rand is a professional at cutting out the fat and getting
right to the heart of human nature and morality.  It should be noted
that I do consider Atlas Shrugged to be among the top 3 most
influential books on my life, and I believe I have a much better
understanding of the world around me for having read it, even if I do
not believe it verbatim.

If you just want to give your friend some "heavy reading" that is more
historical than political, you may consider these:

"The Third Wave" by Alvin and Heidi Toffler (read it less for its
predictions and more for its framework of history)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553246984/

"Germs, Guns, and Steel" by Jared Diamond
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393317552/

If your friend is interested in better understanding modern American
politics, you may want to recommend:

"Why Americans Hate Politics" by E.J. Dionne
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671778773/

legomaniac:
Thank you for the tip.
-juggler

In addition to Juggler's wonderful list I would add Marge Piercy's
Woman on the Edge of Time.  On one level it is an easy read as science
fiction; however, it also deals with the timeless conflict between the
philosphies of perfectability and corruptability of human kind and of
community vs. individual.  I read this novel for the first time ten
years ago and still refer to it often.

Regards,
gitana