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We the Living [Paperback]

Ayn Rand (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 5, 2009
The first literary work of one of the most influential philosophers and novelists of the twentieth century-available for the first time in trade paperback.

Ayn Rand wrote of her first novel, We the Living, "It is as near to an autobiography as I will ever write. The plot is invented, the background is not...The specific events of Kira's life were not mine: her ideas, her convictions, her values, were and are." We the Living depicts the struggle of the individual against the state, and the impact of the Russian Revolution on three human beings who demand the right to live their own lives and pursue their own happiness. It tells of a young woman's passionate love, held like a fortress against the corrupting evil of a totalitarian state.

This classic novel is not a story of politics, but of the men and women who have to struggle for existence behind the banners and slogans.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

A colossal love story with a massive philosophical framework. --Miami News --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

AYN RAND (1905-1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success and her unique philosophy, objectivism, gained a worldwide following. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Trade (May 5, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451226852
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451226853
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ayn Rand's first novel, We the Living, was published in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved spectacular and enduring success. Through her novels and nonfiction writings, which express her unique philosophy, Objectivism, Rand maintains a lasting influence on popular thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
183 of 197 people found the following review helpful
By Bethany
Format:Mass Market Paperback
There are a lot of people who dislike Ayn Rand. Whether for the rather didactic and lengthy sermons that populate most of the plots of her novels, or her own theories which tend to be underdeveloped and difficult to understand, she is not the most popular author or person in the philosophical realm. We the Living, however, is a book that one must read in order to change the perception of Rand doing what she does best: writing fiction.

The novel is a harsh look at communism in the post-Red revolution of Russia, following three people: Kira, a young, idealistic, woman who bourgeois family was left poverty-stricken following the revolt; Leo, an indifferent young man haunted by the Communists due his late father's war glory; and Andrei, a Communist questioning his own beliefs in the system he has risen up in so quickly. Despite the fact that this novel is set in a far-away time and place to most of its readers, it is a book which I felt an extremely strong connection with. Everybody knows a Leo: flippant, handsome, could get any girl he wants -- but he has serious character flaws, and tends to be abusive of Kira's love for him. And Kira, the novel's protagonist, is very similar to any youth of today: she does not understand the ideals of the Communist party, but she does know what she believes and is wholeheartedly committed to fulfilling the promise she had at birth.

The entire novel is beautifully written in moving prose that reflects both the harsh conditions for the people of Russia and the emotions felt between Kira, Andrei, Leo, and others as they attempt to make life better for themselves in a regime that denies them anything good without punishment. The climax of the novel is breathtaking -- by the time the final words have been read, the reader is totally attached to the characters.

As with any other great novel of its time, We the Living not only characterizes the time period it is based in, but its characters live on as people of today's world, in today's capitalistic society. It questions the principles of freedom and what people will do for that freedom. This is Rand's greatest work: the philosophy is subtle, with more emphasis on the plot and the characters, but is there. Whatever you may think of Ayn Rand, you must read this novel -- it is a moving portrait of human life.

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82 of 89 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Ayn Rand said that "We the Living" was the closest she would ever come to writing an autobiography. Maybe that's why when I was reading WTL I got the impression that I was witnessing real scenes from Ayn's past life under the Soviet system. The uncompromising and highly principled behavior of the main character, Kira is inspiring and horrible to witness when you realize what she was up against(communist rule).

Kira is not the superhero type Rand would create so well in The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, but she was as close as you could expect to find in Soviet Russia. And unlike Rand's later fiction, WTL has a sad ending... an ending which really drives home the point of how collectivism's ultimate result is death -- death of the mind, death of the individual, and eventually death of everything good in society.

It kept me up nights reading and many more nights pondering what it all meant. A great read!

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I am a huge fan of Ayn Rand and while many of her readers think The Fountainhead, and especially Atlas Shrugged to be her best novels. I think We The Living is right along up there. This is a good deal smaller than Atlas Shrugged, but it still has a lot of power in it.

This book is a tragedy. So do not read it if you want a happily ever after. While the story is filled with misery, you are still filled with a profound longing for a better world. That quality is something Rand puts in all her works.

This book is not just about the evils of communism, it encompasses the entire spectrum of the 'individual vs. the state'. She shows what the state can do to a person, the state can grind a man down to nothing, it can leave an empty shell. And Rand shows what the state can't do to some people, the state can restrict a person, they can impose laws, they can cause tremendous suffering, but the state cannot always take away hope and desire even in the last few breathes one might take before they die.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
very dissapointing
this book as many have said is one of the worst books to ever be thought up as ayn rand was a terrible philosepher this book is a terrible read
Published 1 month ago by Danial Tosh
classic ayn rand
Even though we almost never hear about this book because it is dwarfed by the popularity of Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, I think this book is great reading in its own right. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Robin Lapre
Must Read
Ayn Rand is one of the greatest authors of all times. This book tells of life in Russia under the communist regime. I recommend it for all young people. Read more
Published 5 months ago by jlee
A must read
This is a must read. Especially with the current political battles going on, the dangers of communism and socialism to the human spirit are explicitly laid out in this virtual... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Steven Burgess
The Viking
To those who say Rand's ideologies weren't developed when she wrote this book, and that you have to read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to really understand... Read more
Published 8 months ago by mdegges
Ayn Rand's first novel may be her best
Rand uses her own experience of growing up during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The bleak picture she paints of Soviet Russia should be a warning to all Americans as to the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Todd Kinsey
Wake-Up Call
This classic story by Ayn Rand should be required reading in all secondary schools @ 7th grade level. Read more
Published 9 months ago by bjones1647
Sobering... not a pleasant story
It does, however, need to be read. If you don't think it is realistic, your eyes are not open.
Published 10 months ago by J. Kidle
We the Living
Ayn Rand's insight is phenominal. Even though this book was written long ago, it is significant in the times we are living today. Good re-issue timing.
Published 10 months ago by M. Rochelle
We Tht Living Amazon
This was new 60th anniversary hardback. Page xiv Introduction, notes 1-7 none of these interesting items were present in the book. There was no chapter index.
Rex Valentine
Published 10 months ago by Rex Valentine
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First Sentence:
Petrograd smelt of carbolic acid. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ragged gray uniforms, comrade commissar, comrade peasants, anemic girl, red coffin, nail buffer, excursion guides
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Galina Petrovna, Vasili Ivanovitch, Pavel Syerov, Comrade Sonia, Comrade Taganov, Maria Petrovna, Alexander Dimitrievitch, Andrei Taganov, Antonina Pavlovna, Comrade Syerov, Kira Argounova, Comrade Argounova, Citizen Argounova, Citizen Kovalensky, Uncle Vasili, Comrade Morozov, Leo Kovalensky, Kira Alexandrovna, Comrade Bitiuk, Stepan Timoshenko, John Gray, Victor Dunaev, Lev Sergeievitch, Red Army, Trade Union
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