Atlas Shrugged Audiobook

Plot Summary

“Who is John Galt?” Undoubtedly Ayn Rand’s crowning literary achievement, Atlas Shrugged was a veritable tour de force when it was initially published in 1957. Offering a wellspring of new ideas and innovative thinking it outlined Rand’s objectivist philosophy eloquently and powerfully. Set in a dystopian future, Atlas Shrugged lays out Rand’s vision though the fictional account of a collapsing U.S. economy assisted by backward governmental policies and an assortment of characters who work to stop the country’s decline – Dagny Taggart, Vice President of Taggart Transcontinental, who fights to keep the railroad company founded by her grandfather alive; Dagny’s brother, James Taggart, the President of the company who is unwilling to make the tough decisions necessary for its survival; and Hank Rearden, head of Rearden Steel, who dares to buck the system in his quest for the success of Rearden Metal – his specially developed metal alloy which has inspired jealousy and anger among his competitors. When they attempt to constrain his success though treachery and governmental intervention a chain of events is set in place that changes the lives of everyone involved. Larger than life and singularly thought-provoking Atlas Shrugged effectively blends elements of economic philosophy, romance, mystery and science fiction into an incredible story that truly grabs you and doesn’t let go until the book’s final pages.

Publisher Summary

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 worldand 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. Download and start listening now!

Quotes

[A] vibrant and powerful novel of ideas. – New York Herald Tribune Ayn Rand is destined to rank in history as the outstanding novelist and most profound philosopher of the twentieth century. – New York Daily Mirror Narrator Scott Brick takes listeners on a journey so extraordinary theyll hardly notice the books length. While his performance offers little in the way of theatrics, Brick is capable of garnering sympathy and, perhaps most importantly, devout attention for Rands plot and characters. On the surface, Bricks voice is a cool, unrelenting force determined to capture every facet of Rands complex story. But amid his calm and collected delivery, he taps into a more colorful emotional palette that will keep listeners involved. Bricks subtle delivery holds far more than meets the ear. – AudioFile Atlas Shrugged is not merely a novel. It is alsoor may I say: first of alla cogent analysis of the evils that plague our society. – Ludwig von Mises, economist and historian Countless individuals working to secure liberty have found inspiration in the works of Ayn Rand. With her unique ability to depict heroism, idealism, and romance behind the creativity of the individual, Rand inspires readers to come to the defense of free minds and free markets. – Chip Mellor, Institute for Justice