When Atlas Couldn't Bear The World Anymore...

He shrugged.

Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged has been my latest conquest. I never thought I could get through it (1000 pages). But about half-way through I was glad it wasn't going to end yet. People who are disillusioned about life could save a lot of therapy money and just read this book. No other piece of media has made me feel like I have so much potential.

I swear by my life--and my love of it, that I will not live for the sake of another man nor ask another man to live for mine.

After getting this message pounded in your head for a 1,000 pages you start to get the picture.


The story is pretty simple. A group of industrialists battle with bureaucracy to keep producing their products. Especially a woman that tries to run a railroad company. And a guy that runs a foundry that makes a new metal alloy. If I tell you anymore it'll take too much away from the story. There's a mysteriousness that starts with the first sentence that would be diluted if you heard more details or read any book reviews.


And don't worry you won't be the only one reading it. Millions of copies have been sold since being published in 1957. In a Library of Congress poll, readers were asked what book most influenced their lives. First was the Bible, second was Atlas Shrugged. It has been named one of the ten-best novels of all time by nearly every reader poll.

Of all the books I've read, this is easily my strongest recommendation. A+

Excuse me Madame

Unbridled passion, deception, guilt; can we pack any more themes in one book!? I picked up Madame Bovary after it was mentioned in the movie Little Children. Honestly, I was expecting to be asleep by the end of the first page.

How did I get sucked into a book about romance in the early 18oo's in France? One: it's written well. It went down easy. Obviously credit should go to the translator(originally written in French) who made the book as easy to read as possible while keeping true to what the author, Gustave Flaubert, wanted to convey.

Two: it's relevant. I meet women like the madame every day. You know the type. A bunch of women who are stuck in boring relationships and dream about actually doing something about it. Well this lady acted on it. Actually, she went nuts trying to live the life she wanted.

Three: It's an important novel. If you're into reading, then you'll recognize this book helped start the "literary realism" movement. It is also considered one of the best novels ever written. I don't know about that, but then again I'm not really part of the literati. What the hell do I know. I just know when a book is relevant to me in some way.

We can all see aspects of Madame Bovary in us. How much depends on how stuck or how crazy we are.

The Fountainhead and My Next Jump

I realized that I was in a coma in 2000. And I've been trying to wake up ever since. I've had some breakthroughs that have opened my eyes. But I've been feeling disoriented for a year. I don't think my eyes were used to seeing yet.

I read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Now I'm even more messed up. The good kind of messed up.

You haven't read it? You should.

It's like one of those money machines they used to have in the mall. They were the ones with the dollars flying around in a clear telephone booth sized box. If you go in with just your bare hands you'll pick up a few bucks. But if you went in there with a sticky suit on you'll walk away pretty rich. The book has a treasure of good stuff in it, but if you don't have the tools to pick it up, it'll be a waste of your time.

I've definitely taken a step forward though. I'm auditing my selflessness doctrine. It may not last long under the bright light of my ego.

Quick Book Review: Stumbling On Happiness B-

I recently finished Daniel Gilbert's bestseller, "Stumbling On Happiness." His point is very clear and you get it quick. He says you think you know what makes you happy but you're probably wrong.

Most of the points you should at least be vaguely familiar with already. But you will definitely get some new stuff out of it. Or at least you'll get some validation about things you thought of but weren't sure of yet.

What'll keep you going with the book is his sense of humor. I was expecting a Harvard professor to be a little more stuffy.

I'm toying with putting it on the Free-Thinkers must-read list. Mostly because the concepts that are gone over are foundational for any successful journey. It just might be a little too basic for my readership.

You would've stopped reading this blog a long time ago if you couldn't hang with a book like this. Maybe I'll recommend it as a quality tester. B-