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Ayn Rand and the World She Made ReviewMore than fair.
Listening to this on audiobook while doing various domestic chores was a real treat. Having read *Anthem*, *Atlas*, *The Fountainhead* twice, and a number of Rand's essays, I have always been interested in her philosophy--not so much as an adherent but out of recognition that Rand's philosophical and political perspective merits consideration in its own right and as an ideological reality on the American political landscape.
Heller weaves Rand's unique and impressive life story (horrified as a youngster at the brutality of the Soviet revolution she escapes to America to pursue the improbable dream of being a novelist) with her evolving formal philosophy celebrating the primacy of the individual, the virtue of enlightened selfishness, the inherent moral superiority of capitalism over collectivism, and the rejection of all forms of mysticism in favor of her Objectivist view of the world as real, knowable, and enjoyable by rational men and women of virtue.
The biographical sketch also presents a picture that, while noxious to many of Rand's admirers (see below) does not surprise: Transfixed by her romantic vision of human potential and herself and her work as its embodiment, Rand ultimately coped with the contradictions between her ideal world and reality (her limitations and irrational impulses, the failures of followers to conduct themselves according to her stringent standards of virtue, the inability to find in either husband Frank O'Connor or lover Nathaniel Brandon a genuine exemplar of the Ideal Man) with the self-delusion and blind hysteria to which I fear most hopeless and frustrated romantics eventually devolve. That her inner circle of devotees was routinely purged of dissent and presumed treason through bizarre ritualistic "psychotherapy" sessions and/or public censure as one adjutant after another fell short of Rand's impossible and self-contradictory demands for intellectual and social conformity was the most salient manifestation of this.
But in the end the book is more about Ayn Rand the person than her philosophy. I was nearly brought to tears myself when I read the books final pages, about how Ayn slept and sat by ailing and demented Frank in his final weeks, and then wept for days upon his death. I think most of us would accept death and all its attendant grief and regret as just the final of life's ambiguities, but I cannot help but wonder if this weak and lonely rendition of Ayn Rand in her last three years was not, in a way I imagine she would have bitterly denied, a more "real" version of her.
Ayn Rand was clearly a genius, and in some ways an ideal American in pursuing a singular passion with a dogged determination that would shame most of us "mediocritie." She also at times embodied the very real human tragedy that can result from an impossible interpretation of oneself and the world. Note on other reviewers' take:
Before writing this I took the time to read the comments of those who gave the book one star. The most compelling was by an acquaintance of Rand who said Heller's particular version of the physical writing of *Atlas Shrugged* was inaccurate. If taken at face value this proves simply that a vast journalistic investigation can include error. It strikes me as peripheral to the overall quality of this impressive work of biography synthesized with philosophical critique (in the literary sense of the word.) One critic lamely argued that Heller at one point said the early Soviets such as Lennon were not anti-Semitic, then later indicated that subsequent Soviet regimes were brutal to Jews, and thus contradicted herself. The critic grossly overestimated his own cleverness in posting this jab about what is, when you examine it, not a contradiction at all.
Other negative reviewers bemoaned Heller's "total lack of understanding of Rand's ideas" or that it "failed to acknowledge the impact" Rand had on her numerous enthusiasts. These accusations are simply false. It is true the book contains no formal exposition of Rand's Objectivist philosophy, but this was not its purpose. Instead Rand's ideas are woven throughout the story as they become progressively relevant to the political and social contexts in which she worked and lived. (People can read John Galt's speech whenever they wish without Heller reciting it verbatim.) Further, Heller fully acknowledged in later chapters that Rand's works attracted an impressive following, such as the jokingly named "collective" which included Alan Greenspan and a survey of American readers which voted *Atlas* and *The Fountainhead* the first and second most influential books read, respectively.
In fact Heller in numerous places noted Ayn Rand's perspicacity (such as her recognition of the inherent corruption and brutality of the Bolshevik revolution when many in the American left still held the new regime in delusional high regard). Heller also defends Rand's legacy against the unreasonably derisive screeds written by hostile reviewers of *Atlas* and *The Fountainhead*. She writes admiringly of Rand's ability to charm audiences with her charisma and entrancing idealism, culminating in her speech at West Point that was only marred by a cavalierly jingoistic response to a question by a Native American cadet regarding the morality of the US government's treatment of native peoples. Heller admits in the beginning of the book that she is no ally of Rand's philosophy but nonetheless goes out of her way to acknowledge all that was worth admiring in this amazing and complex figure.
I fear these dismissive readers (if they read the book at all) of Heller simply cannot tolerate the iconic figure of Ayn Rand being held in anything less than the unrealistic regard in which she held herself.
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