Judgment Day [Hardcover]

Nathaniel Branden (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Branden's long, tedious account of his 18-year relationship with Ayn Rand is weighted with self-dramatization. The domineering author of The Fountainhead was 25 years his senior when they met in 1950; both were married yet carried on an affair. Branden writes that in 1968, when Rand discovered he was having an affair with Patrecia Gullison, an actress-model who became his second wife, Rand violently severed their relationship and excommunicated him from the inner circle of the Objectivist movement, of which Branden had been a chief disciple. After Patrecia drowned in 1977, Branden's third wife, Devers, formed a friendship with Rand, who still refused to speak to Branden. As he set tles scores with colleagues here and tests his theory of the psychology of romantic love, he also tests the reader's patience; nevertheless, Rand devotees will likely relish the steamy details of her personal life. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

...the book provides valuable insights into the life of a great thinker and her followers, warns of the dangers of cultism, points out the positive aspects and hazards of Rand's philosophy, and provides an introduction to Mr. Branden's own significant work on the psychology of self-esteem. Not bad for a story that is often as gripping as, well, an Ayn Rand novel. -- Judge Alex Kozinski, Wall Street Journal

An intensely personal story of the making of a powerful intellectual movement that helped shape the policy changes now rocking the world. the story will appall some, anguish others, and intrigue and excite everyone. -- Martin Anderson, The Hoover Institute

Branden faced up to the issues with really admirable courage and frankness....A quite extraordinary book. -- Colin Wilson, Author of The Outsider

Branden's riveting book has love, philosophy and mystery...an unparalleled investigative memoir about people who have shaped our world view. -- Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, USC, and author of Why Leaders Can't Lead

It struck me as non-stop theatre. All the ingredients are there: conflict, colorful characters, suspense, and a Greek inevitability of tragedy born of hubris. There are scenes that collect energy and explode just this side of melodrama. There's a nexus of sex nearly dizzying in its permutations-and a confrontation climax to delight the heart of any dramatist. Judgment Day is a novel, a drama, a memoir; and most of all, one suspects, an act of catharsis demanding great courage of its author. -- Dale Wasserman, Playwright and sreenwriter Man of La Mancha, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Judgment Day is the story of an intensely passionate man who loves four very different women, the universe of ideas, and the infinite possibilities of life. Truly stimulating whether or not you care about Ayn Rand, Objectivism or Nathaniel Branden. And if you do care-an incredible feast. -- Jeremy P. Tarcher, President, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.

Utterly compelling -- Robin Mather, Detroit News

What a story! It's heroic, romantic, deadly, horrifyng, tender-and I couldn't put it down. -- George Leonard, former Look editor, a founder of the Esalen Institute, and author of Walking on the Edge of the World

Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (T); First Edition edition (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395461073
• ISBN-13: 978-0395461075
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Rand, Ayn

More About the Author

Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D. is a lecturer, a practicing psychotherapist, and the author of twenty books on the psychology of self-esteem, romantic love, and the life and thought of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand. His work has been translated into eighteen languages and has sold more than 4 million copies, and includes such titles as Taking Responsibility, The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, and My Years with Ayn Rand. Branden's name has become synonymous with the psychology of self-esteem, a field he pioneered more than thirty years ago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides good insight into two remarkable individuals, July 19, 2003

By 

Dr. Lee D. Carlson (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Judgment Day (Hardcover)

This book gives keen insight into the minds of two people who have influenced many through their writings, philosophical and otherwise. As the author reveals in extreme detail, their relationship was an extremely intense one, and this is not surprising given the capacity and power of their intellects. Their eventual separation was bitter, and even before this book came out, in fact long before, those who are familiar with their early writings could sense that something very bad had happened between them. Their break however did not affect their productivity and in spite of the pain they no doubt felt after it, both of them still exhibited a brilliance that is still being felt today through their writings.

Some who read the book may say that it is the age difference between Rand and Branden that exacerbated their problems. This no doubt played a factor, and the author acknowledges this also, but as the book reveals, there were other things that aggravated such a relationship between two intellectual powerhouses as these are (were). Rand would like to say that it is the rational intellect that serves as the glue for a lasting and true relationship. Her limited definition of rationality though results in a narrow bandwidth that limits any alternative notions of love and friendship from getting through to her. The aesthetic quality of two people can play a large role in their attraction, and this should cause no surprise if one thinks of it in the context of human evolution. In addition, two people can be quite at odds philosophically and still have a satisfying relationship, a notion though that Rand would not be able to entertain.

One can only imagine the pain that the spouses of these two individuals felt during their affair, which, interestingly, was known and revealed to them beforehand. The 'rational' decision that all four of them agreed to, namely that such an affair was 'meaningful' given the context, and to be shouldered lightly by their spouses. But such adventures, no matter how sophisticated the morality that brings them about, can be a heavy burden to those that decide to engage in them. Rand herself spoke of the proper identification of the facts of reality in order to live a successful life, but she had no prior experience in the affair she decided to participate in. Its consequences, and the feelings brought about therein, were not, and perhaps could not, be predicted by the moral system that all parties believed in at the time. It is easy to engage in the thinking about such systems; it is quite another to give them empirical content, and to show that they indeed are the ultimate guide to human conduct.

In the beginning of the book, the author, in spite of their break, still expresses deep feelings for Rand, and deep regret at the announcement of her death. One can only wonder if Rand herself, after their break, ever, in the privacy of her thoughts, missed the author and the times they spent together. Anger takes much concentration to sustain itself, and is contrary to the natural human state of optimism, the latter both Rand and the author arguing well for. But these two individuals, through their personal interactions with each other, and via their writings, have had an enormous influence on many individuals, both positive and negative, but mostly positive...indeed overwhelmingly positive. In spite of the pain brought to others and themselves because of their affair, this influence is something both of them should be proud of.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Objectivist cult, June 27, 2005

By 

John Rush (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judgment Day (Hardcover)

How did Ayn Rand affect your life? Are you infatuated with her infallible logic, or are you repulsed by her cold-hearted nature? Did her novels inspire you to greatness, or did they make you retch? Have you embraced her philosophy, or have you sworn to destroy it? Was she someone you wanted to emulate, or was she someone you wanted to kill?

Whether or not you agreed with her, Ayn Rand was a woman who provoked extreme reactions. And no matter how much she affected your life, she had far more impact on the life of Nathaniel Branden.

Earlier, I tried to read a couple of Branden's other works, but couldn't wade through all the Objectivist head-shrinker jargon. He wrote like someone who spent too much of his life in college.

However, Judgment Day is surprisingly readable. Though he's sometimes a bit wordy, Branden uses plain English for a change. Most of his psychologizing is kept down to a paragraph or less at a time, and these explanations are generally helpful.

Branden writes from personal experience, and usually goes into detail. He concentrates mostly on the 18-year association with Ayn Rand that dominated his life, as she progressively became his mentor, friend, lover, and business partner. While he still defends her philosophy, he also provides a full account of her erratic personality.

Rand could patiently discuss all sorts of worldly topics, but would lose her temper at the most trivial annoyances. Jammed locks, missing buttons and broken toasters conspired against her. She never learned to drive, and had a hard time mastering any real technology, despite writing extensively about it.

Branden entered Rand's life while she was writing Atlas Shrugged. He soon persuaded a few relatives and close friends (including Alan Greenspan) to join her inner circle. They met weekly in her apartment to read the ongoing manuscript, and jokingly referred to themselves as "the Collective". In exchange for letting them into her life, Rand demanded total allegiance and unquestioning loyalty.

Over the years, the Collective became increasingly cult-like. A follower who was charged with some treasonable offense, like associating with the wrong people or not adequately defending Ayn Rand, would be brought before the whole group to be tried, with Branden acting as prosecutor. If the charge was serious enough, the defendant would be banished.

Rand did nothing to discourage these dictatorial tendencies; if anything, she enhanced them. Nobody was immune to her self-righteous moral condemnation. She couldn't trust anyone who didn't share her artistic, musical, literary and theatrical tastes. She was quick to judge people by their looks, even before getting to know them. She was coolly ruthless when dealing with the feelings of others. The Collective was a very emotionally repressed group, though she was free to lose her temper at any time. She boasted that she could rationally explain every emotion she had.

Branden writes about the good times too, and there were plenty of those, though they happened less frequently after the affair ended. Still, he evaded the inevitable confrontation for over 4 years because he didn't want to relinquish his position as the "intellectual heir" to Ayn Rand.

While Branden admits his past mistakes and seems apologetic for many of his actions, the old arrogance is still there. For instance, he brags about the breakthroughs he's made in psychology. Shouldn't his peers in the field, or perhaps independent studies, determine whether he was a great innovater or an ineffective experimenter?

He commits a few errors, too. He calls anarchism a political philosophy when it should be defined as the absence of politics, much like atheism is the absence of religion. He misrepresents Murray Rothbard as an anarchist because he claimed to be one, when Rothbard actually advocated mob rule.

Branden's role in founding the Objectivist movement seems to have gotten lost among the protests, riots, assassinations, wars, cultural upheavals, and other events of the 1960s. This book may be his attempt to claim a spot in that era, since he often relates the feeling that he was participating in history. Nathaniel, you don't work for a cause because you think you'll be remembered, you do so because it's right.

The front of Judgment Day's dust jacket is perhaps the most striking summary of Branden's life: no matter what he does, says or thinks, Ayn Rand will always be lurking in his background.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These Folks Needed To Get Outside More Often, August 22, 2005

By 

J. Reynolds (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judgment Day (Hardcover)

It's obvious that Ayn Rand's immediate inner circle spent FAR too much time and energy analyzing and re-analyzing the living daylights out of every single minute facet of their existence -- they spent so much paralysis-by-analysis time mulling over life, that they didn't HAVE much genuine life. And as things turned out, the true living in which they bothered to engage got fouled up beyond belief. I have never encountered a situation not involving crime/violence that was as much of a pluperfect MESS as Ayn Rand and Nathan Branden (abetted by their spouses) made of their lives.

It it, however, a fascinating tale, if you only lightly skim the occasional bouts of psycho-babble in which Branden engages. I speak not with disdain or ridicule, for I buy into objectivism about 96 percent -- it's not at though, like many others, I denounce objectivism due to the personal problems Ayn Rand caused herself. Her work was marvelous, and it generated thinking that completely changed (upgraded) my view of the world -- but Good Grief, she certainly did botch her personal life, and she dragged young Nathan (and his wife, and her husband Frank) right down into the mud with her.

Nathan spoke with odd affection for a softball game the Collective played one time, how they simply played baseball for awhile and avoided philosophy completely. They should have engaged in such activities more frequently, they should have gotten out more... and really enjoyed life (in addition to getting some much-needed physical exercise).