The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics [Hardcover]

James S. Valliant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Read Rand's own never-before-scene journal entries about the Brandons. Author Valliant shines light on the truth hidden by the Brandens' biographies and sets the record straight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is going to be the Objectivist sensation of the year." -- Autonomist

"This is a vital work, perhaps a bible, for the serious students and supporters of Ayn Rand." -- Robert Middlemiss, editor-in-chief Durban House Publishing

From the Publisher

YOU HAVE A SIMILIAR TITLE WITH ALL THE WORDS LISTED FROM THE LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: THE PASSION OF AYN RAND BY BARBARA BRANDEN... AS THE PUBLISHER WE SIMPLY ASK FOR THE SAME COURTESY FOR THE BOOK, THE PASSION OF AYN RAND'S CRITICS, WHEN IT COMES TO A KIRKUS REVIEW... In the "heroic-capitalist" novelist’s centenary year, prosecuting attorney Valliant skillfully cross-examines two previous biographers’ accounts of her tumultuous love affair with a younger man.

The affair itself is notorious: In the middle of the 1950’s, having first obtained the blessing of their respective spouses, brilliant, best-selling Rand, then 50, began a sexual relationship with her 25-year-old protégé, Nathaniel Branden, who became her public spokesman. Fourteen years later, the affair blew up after Rand learned of a longstanding extra-extramarital liaison between Branden and one of his female students. He later became a psychologist and author of popular books on self-esteem, but he still had a score to settle with Rand. His memoir-cum-biography, My Years with Ayn Rand (1989), portrayed her as an especially ruthless, hysterical version of the woman scorned, and former wife Barbara Branden did much the same in The Passion of Ayn Rand (1986). Valliant disputes this view, bringing to bear a persuasively close reading of internal contradictions and implausibilities in the Brandens’ books and subsequent statements. The author also makes use of previously unpublished personal journals kept by Rand in 1967-68, when her vast Objectivist following split into camps and drifted away over the rupture between the philosopher-queen and her "intellectual heir". Valliant appears to be a member of the still-very-active pro-Rand camp, but if the excerpts and editing of these journals can be trusted, they show the Brandens in a harsher light and offer a new glimpse of Rand as a remarkably patient, even "objective" expositor of facts that must have pained her.

Far too arcane and cumbersome to enthrall most fans of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, but deserves a place on the lengthening shelf of books about the influential Rand’s accomplishments and character.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: Durban House (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930754671
• ISBN-13: 978-1930754676
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Rand, Ayn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably poorly done, December 27, 2008

By 

Rich Yampell - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics (Hardcover)

Let's start with my context. I am not a member of any Objectivism faction. I have never met or had anything to do with any of James Valliant, Nathaniel Branden, Barbara Branden, or Ayn Rand. I'm just a guy who has read Ayn Rand's work with interest and enthousiasm, and read both Brandens' books on her. I don't know that I call myself an Objectivist, but I am in basic agreement with all of its core premises.

And the most important of those, as Rand herself claimed, is reason. And so it was in accordance with reason that I wanted to read this book, to get the other side of the story and judge for myself.

Sadly, reason is what this book is wholly lacking. I wasn't even able to get more than a few chapters into it before I was forced to judge it worthless and not worth my time. Paragraph after paragraph, sentence after sentence was filled with claims and assertions that simply did not meet the basic test of logic. There were very specific errors in logic, but also a broad one underlying (and undermining) the whole affair: the assumption that anything the Brandens say must be taken with great skepticism, but anything that Rand says is unquestioned Truth, to be taken at face value. The result is that this is not a scholarly work that objectively examines the evidence and draws negative conclusions about the Brandens' accounts. This is a deliberate hatchet job, determined to focus on any negative aspect it can find or manufacture, and ignore any possible positive evidence, inference, or interpretation. The Brandens never get the benefit of doubt on any point, while Rand never gets the detriment of even a single doubt.

And it's a shame, because an even-handed examination of the veracity of the Brandens' accounts would be valuable. It is rather a shame that the main biographical information we have about Ayn Rand comes from two people who had complex personal relationships with her (in this case, leading to unpleasant breakups), which certainly has the *potential* to distort their account, even if unintentionally. As a parallel, consider the way that Schindler's biography of Beethoven is shown by later scholarship to be very flawed. But sadly, Valliant is no Thayer. I suspect that scattered about in Valliant's vitriol are some nuggets of truth. But it was just way too much effort for me to try to mine them.

What's more, the book isn't even well written. I found it poorly organized, flitting somewhat jarringly between seemingly unrelated harping points. It is certainly tedious, belabouring its points relentlessly and in minute detail.

But the main problem remains the poor logic. The unproven assertions, the drawing of conclusions not warrented from the evidence, the direct contradictions. I truly regret spending my money on this book.

32 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book takes aim at Rand's critics but hits her instead, September 24, 2009

By 

Anaximander (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics (Hardcover)

This book accomplishes the opposite of what it intends. The author is trying correct Rand's public image; the author seems to think that the two Brandens destroyed or damaged it. The first of half of the book reads like a prosecutor's brief against the Brandens, and it is a terrible read. The last part of it has a bunch of Rand's journal entries, analyzing them to prove how rational and brillant she was. I am truly stunned that Rand's estate allowed her previously unreleased journal entries to be used in this book. The entries make her appear to lack any self awareness, among other not so positive traits.

I don't really care about the Brandens, and the great rift happened before I was born. Reading about it now makes all sides look bad, though that was not the author's intent. Any description of a break up of two adulterers makes both parties look bad. I hate to say it, but the book feels like it was written by a "true believer" type. As a result, it unintentionally reinforces many of the negative viewpoints that the author is trying to correct. And it tries so hard to glorify Ayn Rand's actions (and demonize the Brandens' actions) that it is too one-sided to be credible. Objective, it is not. If someone wants to counter the Brandens' portraits of Ayn Rand, then this is the wrong approach. A better approach would be to write a full biography of her, correcting any misconceptions or errors contained in the prior biographies and fully humanize her - place the Brandens in the context of Rand's whole life and achievements. Ayn Rand is the one everyone is interested in - she wrote the books, etc; the Brandens are just a side show. I just can't believe that Rand's estate would let her private papers be used in this trashy book!

Now fun facts I learned from this book:
1. The author speculates that Rand's husband might have enjoyed the fact that she was having an affair. Ewwww. And not believable.
2. Throwing a surprise party for someone is evidence of an evil plan against that person!
3. An affair with a married person 25 years younger than you is rational!
4. The author actually states that Rand was totally open with her followers about the rift (in contrast to the Brandens), except for failing to tell them about the affair. Besides that minor detail, she told them everything!
5. After looking at Rand's journal entries, it appears that she did not do a lot of introspection about herself or her emotions. Sad.

54 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A SuperMarket-Tabloid View of Ayn Rand, July 10, 2006

By 

Gerald M. Biggers (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics (Hardcover)

Apparently written by an uncritical devotee of Ayn Rand (or, more correctly, of the Ayn Rand Institute) intent upon "clearing" her of any allegation of personal misconduct in her rather bizarre affair that she had with her "intellectual heir," Nathaniel Branden, the author is faced with a dilemma that he cannot resolve- How is it that the world's greatest philosopher and proponent of rationality - and a novelist with heretofore unknown and penetrating insights into human conduct - could be so naive and taken-in by the deceit of her lover?

To attempt this feat, the author must make Rand also appear as not only naive, but also completely innocent, with no personal responsibility for her own actions and the effect that her conduct had upon those that she cared for (including her husband). This requires a lot of intellectual acrobatics, revisions, and omissions of inconvenient facts and details. I would advise readers to also read both books by Nathaniel Branden and Barbara Branden, and then draw their own conclusions.

An author's ideas and contributions to philosophy and literature should be judged on their own merit, not by whether his/her personal life was 100% consistant with their every view advocated. However, the author of this book and his allies at ARI apparently cannot handle the possibility that Rand was not a perfect exemplar in her private life of her publically-expressed views. Consequently, in an attempt to make her look the innocent victim, they end up with making her look very naive of human conduct, totally lacking in any insight into her own behavior, and by implication, rather dull and stupid.

But Ayn Rand was definately NOT dull and stupid. What she was, however, is HUMAN. And that means not omniscient and not incapable of error. To claim that her philosophy is perfect and above and beyond criticism - and that SHE was also an equally perfect exemplar - make her more than human. Those characteristics define a god. This is a very curious claim to make for a philosopher of reason and atheism!

Parenthetically, one devotee who reviewed this book here amusingly alleges that it may have caused a few to leave one Objectivist organization (because the Brandens have made presentations there??). This is probably a lot less than those who have left (or were purged from) the ARI, over its "anti-tolerance" policies.