The Fountainhead, An Amazing Book
Posted October 20, 2006 at 9:04 AM
I have The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) on my iPod. I listened a long time ago, but as I am always in shuffle mode, a chapter comes up ever now and then. Usually, I just skip over it to get to the next song, but I was tired this morning and thought it would be nice. About half way through the chapter I was suddenly over come with a feeling of ... not sure what it was, but I almost broke down in tears. There is something so powerful about this book. I don't know how to describe it other than it is a beautiful, beautiful book. Anyone who is passionate about anything should read this book (or listing to it on audio). You will not regret it and it will strike a chord in you that will only make you want to be more passionate.
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Reader Comments
A friend gave me a copy about fifteen years ago and wrote inside that "It might change your life!"... I don't know that I'd be quite that dramatic about it but it really is an incredible, powerful book. I recommend it to everyone.
And my Mac hard drive has been called Rand in every machine I've owned during that fifteen year period too :)
Posted by Sean Corfield on Oct 20, 2006 at 2:43 PM
Dude, "Sean Corfield" touched my site! I am never washing this site again :)
Yeah, it's a high quality book. I haven't gotten to any of her other books, but I am interested in more of this "objectivism."
Posted by Ben Nadel on Oct 20, 2006 at 2:58 PM
I have Atlas Shrugged but I've never gotten all the way thru it (after three attempts - so far).
Posted by Sean Corfield on Oct 20, 2006 at 11:20 PM
I would agree, The Fountainhead is a really good book. Like Sean, saying "it changed my live" is a bit over dramatic, but it definitely makes you think very hard about life, society, and the worth of the individual.
Posted by Brian Kotek on Oct 21, 2006 at 12:23 AM
Ayn Rand has a devoted following to be sure.
And her books DO affect you because you want to identify yourself with the hero who refuses to compromise.
I saw the 1949 movie "The fountainhead" a few years ago starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. They did a great job interpreting the book. I particularly remember the committee deciding to put some greco columns as a facade in front of Rourke's buildings to make it look classical. It was truely awful looking.
Reading Ayn Rand gives you a certain perspective. Why even the use of "Lorem Ipsum" makes me think of Fountainhead to a degree. We don't want to offend anyone, so let's just go with real safe text as our filler. So what we end up with is nonsense.
I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged, but it required "suspended disbelief" while reading it. Rand, being from Russia didn't seem to quite grasp the whole idea of how money is a motivator and how people will work for money.
But I got her point, and I definately see it where I work.
I don't want to elaborate too heavily about that here if you know what I mean....
To me, the fulcrum of the entire book (Atlas Shrugged) rested upon the word "Move" after the train accident (very far into the book).
Someone I work with closely named his business "Atlas" after Atlas Shrugged.
Posted by Phillip Senn on Oct 21, 2006 at 7:25 PM
Philip,
Yeah, I want to get my hands on Atlas Shrugged. My father was a huge Rand fan and Atlas was perhaps his favorite book of all time.
Posted by Ben Nadel on Oct 22, 2006 at 11:38 AM
When do you ever come across a phenomenal book like FountainHead?
Here's what's unique about it.
You can open a page in that book, any page you will, hell, throw the book in the air and let it fall on a page, and start from there, ang I bet you will be hooked.
The depths in the book are unfathomable.
No?
Posted by Miriam on Apr 24, 2007 at 4:28 PM
Agreed. I don't know how she was able to write like that. It's like she spent minutes picking and choosing every single word that went into every single sentence. I have never read another book that felt so planned out and dense of information.
I keep wanting to watch the movie they made of it, but I can't bring myself to do it. I am so afraid it will ruin the book for me.
Posted by Ben Nadel on Apr 24, 2007 at 4:33 PM
