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"Who's John Galt" stickers were plastered all over campus, (Rutgers 1961). I was hooked. I bought the book and being a Sci Fi guy his motor seemed surreal. Having grown up in a Democratic family I didn't understand her philosophy at first. But like Churchill says when you're young you act from the heart and are "liberal". As you grow and mature you act from your intellect and become conservative.

All the Alan Colmes of the world are in a state of arrested development!

Having grown up in a Democratic family I didn't understand her philosophy at first.

I was introduced to Ayn Rand's writing via Anthem, which is a good, science-fiction novella. When I told a friend that I liked it, he dropped Atlas Shrugged in my lap and I couldn't get through it. Then I saw a video of her last speech in New Orleans(?) and found her compelling and a bit repulsive all at once.

I figured that there had to be something about her and her works that I was missing or not understanding. Since people described her as "extremely selfish," I pulled down her book The Virtue of Selfishness. And that unlocked the mystery for me. To me, it is the best and most easily understood thing she ever wrote regarding her philosphy of Objectivism. Everything I'd ever read, heard, or seen about her began to make perfect sense. THIS is the book that I would give to someone before asking them to tackle Atlas Shrugged, no matter how old or keen a reader they are.

I think her best novel was the one set in Leninist Russia, We the Living. The Italians made a movie adaptation of the novel in 1942 called Noi Vivi, which was then banned from public viewing by Mussolini's government. I think the mvie stands as one of the best adaptations of a book ever made. It's faithful to the story, her philosophy, and is entertaining to boot.