- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (Feb 12 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0787945137
- ISBN-13: 978-0787945138
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 680 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#43,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Rand, Ayn
- #95 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > United States
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Ayn Rand's novels and philosophy have been the object of widespread popular interest since the 1950s. After her death in 1982, there was a spate of biographical and critical interest; her popularity continues with a U.S. postage stamp and a television documentary, both scheduled for this spring. These two books offer divergent perspectives on Rand, her followers, and the Objectivist movement. Branden (The Art of Living Consciously, LJ 3/1/97) offers a revised version of his 1989 memoir. A personal account of his intellectual and romantic relationship with Rand and their famous break, it is useful for its insider's view of the Objectivist movement and may appeal to those interested in gossipy details of the protagonists' lives. While objectivity isn't expected in an insider's account, this memoir nonetheless lacks critical distanceAeven after nearly 50 yearsAand is marred by plodding narrative and wooden dialog. Canadian journalist Walker makes a more valuable and original contribution to Rand studies. He analyzes the Objectivist movement, Rand's leadership role, and the politics of her inner circle in terms of the cult dynamic. This analytical perspective avoids the common extremes of hagiography and vilification that mark many accounts of Rand's schismatic movement. Walker also does a credible job of placing Rand's ideas in the context of philosophies that preceded and followed her, and it offers insightful chapters on three of her major followers: Branden, Leonard Peikoff, and Alan Greenspan. His account is well researched and clearly written, though it is sometimes weighed down by an unsynthesized accumulation of detail. A solid contribution to 20th-century intellectual history.AJulia Burch, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Dr. Branden's account of his complex relationship with the literary great . . . allows us a fascinating glimpse into the passions of their lives--intellectual and personal. . . . [It is] not only a memoir of a mythic woman . . . but a chronicle of a stirring intellectual commitment to a political morality that indivudally could only fail." (NAPRA ReView)
"What a story! It's heroic, romantic, deadly, horrifying, tender-and I couldn't put it down." (George Leonard, author of The Transformation and Education and Education and Ecstasy)
"Relentlessly revealing. . . the myth of Ayn Rand gives way to a full-sized portrait in contrasting colors, appealing and appalling, potent and paradoxical. . . . it takes a special kind of nerve to write such a book." (Norman Cousins, author of Head First and The Healing Heart)
"Non-stop theater. All the ingredients are there: conflict, colorful characters, suspense, and a Greek inevitability of tragedy born of hubris. There's a nexus of sex nearly dizzying in its permutations." (Dale Wasserman, playwright and screenwriter, Man of La Mancha and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
"Branden plots his relationship with Rand from a psychological vantage point, with devastatingly articulate results. . . . A fascinating portrait of Rand and her disciples." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Do you know my greatest reward for 'The Fountainhead?' You." (Ayn Rand to Nathaniel Branden)
"What a story! It's heroic, romantic, deadly, horrifying, tender-and I couldn't put it down." (George Leonard, author of The Transformation and Education and Education and Ecstasy)
"Relentlessly revealing. . . the myth of Ayn Rand gives way to a full-sized portrait in contrasting colors, appealing and appalling, potent and paradoxical. . . . it takes a special kind of nerve to write such a book." (Norman Cousins, author of Head First and The Healing Heart)
"Non-stop theater. All the ingredients are there: conflict, colorful characters, suspense, and a Greek inevitability of tragedy born of hubris. There's a nexus of sex nearly dizzying in its permutations." (Dale Wasserman, playwright and screenwriter, Man of La Mancha and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
"Branden plots his relationship with Rand from a psychological vantage point, with devastatingly articulate results. . . . A fascinating portrait of Rand and her disciples." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Do you know my greatest reward for 'The Fountainhead?' You." (Ayn Rand to Nathaniel Branden)
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"'I WANT TO SLEEP with you. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
"'I WANT TO SLEEP with you. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-written and interesting,
By Spruce (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: My Years with Ayn Rand (Paperback)
Despite the controversy throughout the Objectivist movement regarding Nathaniel Branden, this book is a must-read for those interested in the rise of Objectivism. While giving Ms. Rand high praise where it is due, Branden is also critical of Rand's behavior in some circumstances. However, as a Rand fan myself, I found his criticisms to be matter-of-fact and without loaded words or innuendos. This book should be read by the open-minded thinker who can accept that to be a brilliant philosopher is not to be without flaws. I began reading this book as a great admirer of Rand's, and I am still one to this day. But now I have a greater understanding of who she was as a person in addition to an understanding of her wonderful ideas. This book (as well as Barbara Branden's biography of Ms. Rand), should not be missed by any Objectivist.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Insincerity Reigns Supreme,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Years with Ayn Rand (Paperback)
This book is painful to read, not because of what it says about Rand, but because of the obvious dishonesty on every page. This is a pack of lies from a professional liar. Thoroughly refuted by scholars like James Valliant, this book will go the way of the dodo.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Fiction,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Years with Ayn Rand (Paperback)
There is no "mystery" to Rand's life. She has written volumes about all her ideas and her character. Branden has very little intellectual capacity left and does not even embrace Objectivism, but tries to undermine reason, virtue and value in the name of "Objectivism".This book is one of the worst works of fiction I have ever read. If you want to know about Rand's life read Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, or for non-fiction; Capitalism The Unknown Ideal, The Romantic Manifesto, The Virtue of Selfishness or Objectivism:The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. For more reading pick up any of her articles written for the New York Times. It is frightening that a person that has been removed from Rand's life because she discovered him to be without virtue and a liar can then claim to "know" her better than anyone and that others would want to read his book and take it as Truth.
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