People of all political beliefs often consider Ayn Rand required reading, but libertarians and conservatives identify most closely with the obsessive focus on the individualism represented in her books. I made it my priority to get through the hefty 1,000 page Atlas Shrugged a couple of years ago and tackled The Fountainhead shortly thereafter. Since the 1957 publication of Atlas Shrugged, many a political reference has been made to the elusive character “John Galt,” all-encompassing figure of individualism, creation and invention. With an encroaching government in full effect today, an extreme clash to Rand’s ideal world abounds and the comparisons...