Anthem (1938) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 3 stars

“very interesting read. Short and easy read.”

• Rated 5 stars

“A cyclical journey where "I" stands up to rally the "we" who have lost their way...again. Human nature is so forgetful. Always been scared of Ayn Rand since stumbling through the Fountainhead in high school. Not ready or capable then, I was re-inspired to engage her writings after watching Atlas Shrugged. Anthem is an edible nugget, easy to digest compared its creators oversized counterparts. Not sure (or am I sure) why "we" in high school were not allowed to read Anthem first. Inspired by the character, message and flow; I am going to walk thru a reading of it with my teen to make sure he has a fair shake at growing into Ayn's words. This is surely something that may help him as he is soon to sharpen his EGO and cut clean of the shackles from WE to I. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“Short, sweet, and to the point. Just the way I like it.
I do have to admit that while Anthem is an hour read at the longest, I felt that it dragged. It could have been shorter, still. However, compared to Rand's Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, this was a newspaper clipping.
”

• Rated 4 stars

“I'm going through this and 1984. Though both share themes, I feel like this was more accessible and succinct. My earlier impressions of Rand were the opposite of this-- I'd tried to read Atlas Shrugged years ago, and just lost interest in addition to the sheer size of the book. This was an afternoon read, and an enjoyable one.”

• Rated 3 stars

“I liked this book, but I found myself being really frustrated with Rand's conclusion about what to do about collectivism. Her solution is to go the complete opposite direction to 100% and total individualism, which I believe is just as damaging as complete collectivism. I can't really say that I agree with her solution. I am looking forward to teaching this book since I believe there are tons of applications to be made to Christianity and how we look at life. High schoolers need to know that the solutions a Godless society comes up with are not going to be satisfying and nothing can really satisfy us except for God Hiimself.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Read this book. You'll find a world where the words "I" and "We" don't even exist. A lot of people talk about the piety of selflessness but it's truest form is nothing less then terrifying. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“I actually really liked this book. It had very interesting concepts and gave me more of an insight on what collectivism was all about.”

• Rated 5 stars

“In a far future Internally dystopian Utopia of extreme collectvism, to the extent of where the terms "I", "Me", and "Ego" have been banned- with the penalty of death. Tells of when equality goes overblown.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Not that good. Okay read. Miss Rand's philosophies are thorough and well articulated.”

• Rated 4 stars

“A powerful allegory by Ayn Rand. In a short format, Rand describes the dystopian outcome she foresees from the elevation of the group or community above the individual. She is able to express her message nearly as powerfully as her longer tracts in a small fraction of the space. Lamm selected this book for the book club as one that profoundly influenced him even though he no longer subscribes to this viewpoint post 2008 financial crash.

Reading Rand's elevation of the self and its preferred partners / causes above all else is a rite of passage for young folks. I too have been influenced by her. Although I find her books powerful, her lack of nuance pushes me away from her views. Perhaps the lack of nuanced position is necessary to create such an impression on so many.”