ロシアからの移民のAyn Randがこの小説を使って布教したかったのは、「合理的な利己主義こそが真の道徳の基準であり、利他主義・博愛主義は極めて非道徳的」だという考え方である。ノーム・チョムスキーがRandを「one of the most evil figures of modern intellectual history.」と呼んだのも納得できる。
この本が出版された1950年代は社会主義・共産主義への反感が強い時代だった。ソビエト連邦の脅威にパラノイアを抱くアメリカには利他主義を批判するこの本を受け入れやすい土壌があったのだ。
この時代からレーガン、ブッシュ（父）時代まで、共和党は経済的なエリートの党であった。彼らは「貧しい者は、努力をしないからである。努力して裕福になったわれわれが怠け者の面倒を見ることを強要される福祉対策が社会主義だ。それを支持する民主党を勝たせるとアメリカ合衆国は終わりだ」と信じる。裕福な共和党員の子はこれ以外の見解を知らずに育ち、大学では同じような友人を選ぶ。
それでも芸術を重んじる大学で別の思想に触れたり、外国で多文化の同僚と働く機会があった者は、自分の体験からRandの倫理観の欠陥を読みとることができるようになる。
学生時代に感動したのに20年後に読んで「ひどい」と感じる者がいるのは、体験が思想を変えたからだろう。
それでもアメリカ人と触れる機会のある人は読む価値がある。Randの本に対する相手の反応で、どういう人物かを推測できるからである。

文体の格調の高さ、内容の重みや厚さといったことを求める人には評価されない作品だと思います。ただ単にストーリー展開の楽しさを求める人には絶賛されるでしょう。あまり深く考えないで読めば、かなり楽しめる作品です。 私はまた非常に読むことを推薦する--The Fates by Tino Georgiou

作者が弟子を愛人にしたとか、その愛人が離れようとすると破門にしたとか、個人攻撃をしている人がいるようですが、作品をちゃんと見つめずに感情論で批評している事自体がこの作品のインパクトの強さを表している証拠だと思える。
１０００ページもある、長い話であります。
読みづらい場面も確かにあり、小説のクオリティ（文章のクオリティ）はクエッションマークがついている人がいる事は致し方ないと思われる。
登場人物の感情のパートなどは長過ぎて、話を見失う事もあるでしょう。
編集して、７００ページ位の方が作品としてのクオリティは上がると感じているのは僕だけでしょうか？
では何で５つ星か？やはり、内容がショッキングだ。
１００％同意というわけではないが、明確な理由も無く何かを他人に与えるという行為が世界を破綻させるという発想は納得できた。
まあ、この本で書かれている程に非情になる必要はないと思いますが、今、日本で様々な人が言う「助け合い」は「助けてもらう」だけの「助け合い」にはならない物になる恐れがあるという事である感じる。
「助けてくれる人」がいるから「助けてもらえる人」がいるという方程式の中で、「助けてもらえる人」が増えて、「助けてくれる人」がどんどん減って行く。そういう世界がこの小説では描かれています。
しかも、この「助けてもらえる人」は「助けてくれる人」をコントロールする為に「邪魔をしないであげるから」という理不尽な理由で「助ける」事を強要している。
物語なので、大げさな話になりがち。
そういう事を念願において読むべき話です。

In case this is your first encounter with this book, It is a fresh story but a continuation to Ayn Rand’s philosophy that started out with books like “We the living” where she new something was wrong but could not put her finger on it. She progressed to books as “The Fountainhead” where she could describe the problem quite well. Now in “Atlas Shrugged she has come up with a plausible answer to the problem. In essence your head can work without your hands yet your hands can not work without your head.

The story is not unique but it still holds you attention. The world is becoming more socialized and it is harder for individuals to make an impact without having a multitude of parasites on their back. Some chose to fight, others chose to ignore, some do not have a clue as to what is happening. The world seems to be gearing down is just coincidence or is there some one taking a hand in it. “Who is John Galt?”

I can tell you of my experience with the book. I must have been a late bloomer or just unlucky, because I did not come across "Atlas shrugged" until I was 20 years old. I was in the military and needed some reading material. My younger sister sent me the book. It looks just a little thick to me but I started reading, and reading and reading. I do not know if it was the story or the clarity of thought. Now I saw everything in a new or different light. It felt weird to see the newspapers and politics paralleling the book.

I was in New York (West Point) at the time and three things stood out to this day. This was a public service announcement on the TV "The law says that an apartment owner can not charge more than 30% of what you make" and at the same time the apartment buildings were closing down. The postal carriers went on strike and the military had to deliver the mail. That winter the snowplow drivers went on strike. When the strike was over the snowplows were missing. They found them the next summer in an empty lot.

There is nothing quite as convincing as watching the world and book parallel. I have mellowed out some sense then. However, I really think that this book should be read by high school where it would have maximum impact of one's train of thought.

In case this is your first encounter with this book, It is a fresh story but a continuation to Ayn Rand’s philosophy that started out with books like “We the living” where she new something was wrong but could not put her finger on it. She progressed to books as “The Fountainhead” where she could describe the problem quite well. Now in “Atlas Shrugged she has come up with a plausible answer to the problem. In essence your head can work without your hands yet your hands can not work without your head.

The story is not unique but it still holds you attention. The world is becoming more socialized and it is harder for individuals to make an impact without having a multitude of parasites on their back. Some chose to fight, others chose to ignore, some do not have a clue as to what is happening. The world seems to be gearing down is just coincidence or is there some one taking a hand in it. “Who is John Galt?”

I can tell you of my experience with the book. I must have been a late bloomer or just unlucky, because I did not come across "Atlas shrugged" until I was 20 years old. I was in the military and needed some reading material. My younger sister sent me the book. It looks just a little thick to me but I started reading, and reading and reading. I do not know if it was the story or the clarity of thought. Now I saw everything in a new or different light. It felt weird to see the newspapers and politics paralleling the book.

I was in New York (West Point) at the time and three things stood out to this day. The was a public service announcement on the TV "The law says that an apartment owner can not charge more than 30% of what you make" and at the same time the apartment buildings were closing down. The postal carriers went on strike and the military had to deliver the mail. That winter the snowplow drivers went on strike. When the strike was over the snowplows were missing. They found them the next summer in an empty lot.

There is nothing quite as convincing as watching the world and book parallel. I have mellowed out some sense then. However, I really think that this book should be read by high school where it would have maximum impact of one's train of thought.