My 'Pick of the Week': The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
No matter what your opinion of the controversial author Ayn Rand, there’s little denying that The Fountainhead is a life changer.
It's a novel about what’s possible in terms of individual human capacity. In the main character of Howard Roark, we find an intoxicating example of everything we could be. Ayn Rand will challenge you as a reader and demand that you rise up and stop acting (or feeling) like a cog in the wheel.
There are many parallels between The Fountainhead and the writings of Henry David Thoreau and even to some extent, our previous guest Vicki Robin—parallels about finding your genius, doing what you love, living your life so lean that you never have to compromise or answer to The Man again. And parallels about the priceless benefits of independence.
Part of the controversy is that Ayn Rand is an unforgiving author. She has the highest expectation that we live bold and brilliant lives…or get out of the way. And because of this (among other things), readers either love or crucify her.
But Rand ingeniously addresses her critics within the pages of The Fountainhead. She argues that the best way to serve yourself and others is to rise to your own greatness, thus igniting and providing a source of inspiration to everyone around you.
As for me, The Fountainhead made my head spin, forced me to sit up a little straighter and had me longing for one Mr. Howard Roark. What more can you ask from a book?
The baton is now in your hands. Please share this post via email, Tweet, Stumble, Digg or your personal blog.
Footnote 1: I have not yet begun to dive into Ayn Rand’s personal philosophy—something she calls objectivism. I wanted to read her before I studied her as I did not want her bias (or possibly my feelings toward her bias) to taint my own interpretation or enjoyment of her body of work. With Atlas Shrugged, We The Living, and Anthem still on my nightstand, it may be a few months. But at that time, I plan to do a show on Ms. Rand and we all can have a very spirited discussion.
Footnote 2: Although I draw parallels above between Thoreau and even Vicki Robin, there are also significant differences which can further mess with the reader’s head.
Order The Fountainhead HERE
(I specifically like this 50th anniversary edition because the afterword contains some amazing notes that Ms. Rand kept prior to beginning the novel--giving insight to her writing and thinking process.)
