Customer Reviews

Ayn Rand For Beginners (For Beginners (Steerforth Press))

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2 star:		(1)
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52 years after its publication, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, reached BestSeller status on Amazon.com, the largest bookseller in the history of mankind. Never out of print, selling at least 100,000 copies per year, this high-action, philosophical novel highlights, in action, the philosophy of one of mankind's most innovative minds. As a result, many want to know, Who Is Ayn Rand?
This short book (1 hour of reading) by Andrew Bernstein does justice to that question for anyone who is asking. He takes us on a plain-English tour of her life, her two major works, the basics of her philosophy and, best of all, he makes her ideas relevant to your daily life.
Dr. Bernstein has written and spoken extensively on Rand's Objectivist philosophy. If you want the deeper level of proof of her revolutionary ideas, I heartily recomment his Objectivism In One Lesson. If you want to see his passionate efforts to use Rand's philosophy to save the diminishing freedom in Western civilization, you can't do better than his book The Capitalist Manifesto.
Ayn Rand For Beginners is a demonstration that Bernstein is capable of writing clearly on different levels of readership and understanding, without losing any of the substance that thrills readers of Ayn Rand.
So, if you are an adult, curious about Rand, or have teenagers who can benefit from a philosophy for living life on Earth, you'll want at least one copy of this book to read yourself and to pass around.

Common Sense - The Way Back

Since I discovered Ayn Rand in the early 1960's and have read all of her books, most several times, a can hardly be classed as a "Ayn Rand" beginner". This book was purchased with the idea of giving it to my grand children and great grand children for Christmas. Even though Ayn Rand's books have been my passion for many years, I enjoyed reading this book. For such a deep subject it is easy reading and a must read for any teenager or young adult considering or being introduced to Ayn Rand's works.
For those who disagree with the premises of Rand's works it will save the time and expense of reading the novels. For those who accept her premise, it will whet their appetite and start them on an adventure that will enhance their life.
Needless to say many of my grand children and great grand children will find this book under the tree this Christmas.

Felton Williamson, Jr.
Author of the "Common Sense books".
"Common Sense - The Way Back" and
"21st Century Common Sense"

Here is a simple introduction to the life and philosophy of Ayn Rand. Along with being the founder of Objectivism, she also wrote Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, two of the 20th Century's most famous novels.

The Fountainhead takes place in the 1920s and 1930s, and is about Howard Roark, a modernist architect in a society that prefers buildings that look like Gothic cathedrals or Greek temples. He is expelled from college, gets fired from one job and loses commissions because of his absolute refusal to compromise his principles. After, unwillingly, working in a quarry, because he was forced out of the architecture field, Roark designs a revolutionary apartment house in New York City. As part of a socialist plot to neutralize Roark, his revolutionary design for a religious temple is criticized as sacrilege, so Roark is branded an enemy of religion and a public enemy. Commissioned to design a government housing project, Roark's design is changed without his knowledge or consent. Does Roark let it go ahead, or not?

In Atlas Shrugged, America is being pushed toward socialism by politicians and intellectuals; also, America's greatest minds are literally disappearing. Where are they going?

In an isolated part of the Colorado Rockies, Dagny Taggart, railroad owner, finds America's missing smart people. They are on strike against a moral code which says that moral goodness is found in sacrificing one's self for others, not in finding personal happiness. Taggart also meets John Galt, inventor of an ultra-efficient motor, and leader of the strike. The state kidnaps Galt, and tortures him, in order to force him to become economic dictator of America, and to fix America's precarious economy. Does Galt give in, or stay true to his principles?

For anyone who has read either of Rand's books, and still don't understand them, this is the book. For anyone who wants to know more about Objectivism, this is the book. For anyone who simply wants to know more about a famous person of the 20th Century, this is the book. It is a gem.

This book provided an excellent introduction to Ayn Rand and her philosophy of objectivism. With this background information, i know that I will enjoy and appreciate her works even more! I'm looking forward to studying about her unique philosophical views.

Andrew Bernstein, Ph.D lends blends his expertise in philosophy and teaching in Ayn Rand for Beginners, a straightforward introduction to Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism and her extraordinarily popular novels "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged". One of the most highly praised (and simultaneously, thoroughly reviled) authors in the world, Ayn Rand is especially notable to this day for her lifelong efforts to provide a moral defense of laissez-faire capitalism. Capitalism had previously been defended on economic grounds (it provided more overall prosperity than communism or many other economic systems), but not on ethical and moral grounds. Having grown up in bitter poverty cast by the savage shadow of Communism in her native Russia, Ayn Rand set out to illustrate the positive values of "selfishness" (and the harmful consequences of self-sacrifice) through vivid, memorable storytelling. She succeeded brilliantly. Ayn Rand for Beginners presents the basic plots of her great novels, as well as a step-by-step walkthrough of her philosophy of Objectivism (essentially, the concept that truth and morality are determined through objective facts rather than subjective societal or religious beliefs). Simple black-and-white illustrations throughout enhance and drive home key points. A great primer for anyone curious about Ayn Rand and her life's work, especially recommended to college students who have little familiarity with Rand but have just been assigned to study one of her books!

Having been an Ayn Rand fan for a long time, I have had a hard time explaining her philosophy to others since it is quite complex. This book really makes it easy for me and will help me to better articulate her ideas and books to others. The graphics were very useful as well. I got it from the library but will be purchasing it since I will probably need to refer back to it often, especially in these politial times! I find more and more that I need to defend and explain simple capitalism to those around me.

well written for the beginner keeps the reader motivated to read more. There is a basis and foundation here. I think the advanced reader will pick up nuggets and then again some readers will believe this is a waste of time if their mind is ready for The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. This is a great book for getting the fundamentals of her novels. There has been a resurgent interest in Ayn Rand Objectivism and I caution all readers to read the pros and cons of her writing style and message as how to apply it to the real world.

AYN RAND FOR BEGINNERS is a brief (105 page) introduction to Ayn Rand and her ideas by Objectivist Andrew Bernstein. (The book contains plenty of cartoons and it took me about 65 minutes to read.) Sine Bernstein is an orthodox believer, you don't get an "objective" view of Rand, but I nonetheless found the book better than expected. In a small number of pages he discusses Rand's life, hits on the key themes (and characters) in Rand's novels, and says a little bit about her philosophy.

I do have a few nits to pick. First, is it really correct that most philosophers today believe reality is "socially constructed"? Second, while Rand's influence is growing, the "think tanks" to which Bernstein refers are funded by an organization associated with the Ayn Rand Institute. Third, Bernstein could have explained why most professional philosophers don't take Rand seriously and put in at least a word or two of criticism.

Bernstein recently published OBJECTIVISM IN ONE LESSON, which would be a good companion to this book.

This is a wonderfully written book, with humor and wit, which is rare for an intro to philosophy. Anyone who is new to Ayn Rands, philosophy of objectivism, will enjoy this great read, and get acquainted.

This book was heavy on introduction to her novels which detracted from Ayn Rand's total message.
Be prepared to grit your teeth if you are a person of faith, but by golly! There is enough revealed about Ayn Rand in this book that a Bible student can see - - she was only writing from a prejudice.
Everything else she has to say about individualism, capitalism, private property, personal responsibility, and objective reasoning makes this book a great starting place.
Do not expect to appreciate Ayn Rand's unique philosophy from the way this book is written, but one should be able to read it in a couple of hours and have a good idea of which of her books to read next.