Rand in the Park
As a kid, I would devour books. Each new Eragon or Harry Potter was consumed within 24 hours. Countless others as well, mostly fantasy: Charlie Bone, Artemis Fowl, Skulduggery Pleasant, Ranger's Apprentice, Ender and Shadow Saga.
As an adult, I can barely get through 10 pages. I gave up on Game of Thrones after my e-reader lost my spot in A Feast for Crows. I recently discarded The Power Broker after months of false starts, finally throwing in the towel at less than 15% completion.
A few books are exceptional. Somehow Warren Buffett's biography, Ted Chiang, and others on my list of influences defied the norm. Mostly, though, as per my last 3 blog posts, I'm team podcast / youtube these days.
One special book I have yet to add to the list is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I've recommended and gifted it a lot over the past year. The book is absolutely gripping. It has to be one of the best stories ever written.
Rand's prose is beautifully precise. The physics of her characters' interactions pull the reader in as if by gravity. Although her name is often associated with philosophy or politics, I'd put her in the timeless epic fiction club—alongside Homer, Shakespeare, Asimov, Jane Austen, and George Lucas. Rand's works illuminate human nature at the grandest and most minute scales simultaneously.
If Seth Godin is my philosophical father, Ayn Rand is my mythological mother. She's the only other writer I worship fervently enough to attempt multiple of her other works and keep going strong. When I saw some rare-looking old papers from her at a used book store a few months back, I impulsively bought the entire shelf.
I enjoyed Anthem, forced myself through Atlas Shrugged to great reward, and didn't finish We The Living. Still, I'm undeterred, and now captivated by her nonfiction. She explains very clearly the magic behind the scenes of her novels.
The essays so far in the first few chapters of this book resonate with me strongly. They are remarkably relevant to society's struggles 50+ years later. I've yet to find a clearer articulation of our present human condition.
It's a truly special day when I get to read something great in the park!
"Serenity comes from the ability to say 'Yes' to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say 'No' to the wrong choices made by others."