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Orangepeel

(13,981 posts)

5. Terrible is a shape

Fri Jun 22, 2012, 10:54 PM

Jun 2012

Its crazy that such a poorly written delusional crapfest could have a big impact on the country, but hard to deny that it has.

Quoting Krugman quoting somebody:

The best line I’ve ever heard about Ayn Rand’s influence:

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/im-ellsworth-toohey/

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"Books that Shaped America" [View all] erpowers Jun 2012 OP

Uh, Ayn Rand? HuckleB Jun 2012 #1

Let me join you. Odin2005 Jun 2012 #3

I'd say it did in a negative way. Neoma Jun 2012 #4

It's been overplayed by the whole "equal time" crap on MSM. HuckleB Jun 2012 #15

Didn't Glenn Beck recommend it? Neoma Jun 2012 #19

Terrible is a shape Orangepeel Jun 2012 #5

Yeah, I love that quote, but... HuckleB Jun 2012 #16

I like the floating head of Ayn Rand DBoon Jun 2012 #20

Thanks AnotherMcIntosh Jun 2012 #31

No John Dos Passos? HuckleB Jun 2012 #2

At least Dr. Seuss ChazII Jun 2012 #6

At least they got Kerouac panader0 Jun 2012 #7

I was surprised at the number of fictions that were included. When I started reading I thought I jwirr Jun 2012 #8

''Animal Farm'' and ''1984'' are not on the list. n/t Tx4obama Jun 2012 #9

Orwell was British AnnieBW Jun 2012 #10

Oops, I missed the part that they were only 'American' books :) n/t Tx4obama Jun 2012 #12

This message was self-deleted by its author ChazII Jun 2012 #21

Your except says: ''... books written by Americans ...'' n/t Tx4obama Jun 2012 #22

Oops... ChazII Jun 2012 #27

Where's Joe's Bible? Or the other ones? n/t jtuck004 Jun 2012 #11

No Sinclair Lewis? What a bogus list. no_hypocrisy Jun 2012 #13

I'm reading Babbitt now Mz Pip Jun 2012 #23

bogus for many other reasons hfojvt Jun 2012 #25

I knew that this wouldn't be there, but... MarianJack Jun 2012 #14

Useless. Stupid. Myopic. Vain. Zanzoobar Jun 2012 #17

But still a pretty good list pscot Jun 2012 #26

There are a decent number of progressive writings here DBoon Jun 2012 #18

Where is Alice Walker? EFerrari Jun 2012 #24

Notably absent: Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky limpyhobbler Jun 2012 #28

Thornton Wilder but no Lillian Hellman. EFerrari Jun 2012 #30

one that wouldn't immediately spring to mind is "Alcoholics Anonymous", but it certainly has HiPointDem Jun 2012 #29

No Poe? surrealAmerican Jun 2012 #32

The only one I would leave off Le Taz Hot Jun 2012 #33