Atlas Shrugged (Cliffs Notes)

This novel, controversial when it first appeared in 1957, purports Rand's objectivist philosophy that the individual is free to pursue his or her own happiness without bowing to God or society. Objectivism in action upholds full laissez-faire capitalism as the only philosophy that can protect humankind's freedom to think, to be inventive, and to live productively.

However, these books (of which I've only read a few) do offer another value that makes this one especially, not trash, but a book to be treasured. What they offer is this: the CliffsNotes books condense often-lengthy, important works of art so that they can be grasped--and remembered--with ease. And, as _Atlas Shrugged_ comprises some thousand plus pages with enough action and subplots to rival any novel by Hugo or Dumas, this value can perhaps never be more evident than with this new addition to the CliffsNotes series by Andrew Bernstein.

Cognizant of the task at hand, Dr. Bernstein condenses the entire book in a solid nine pages. From there, he lays down who the characters in the book are--as well as their relation to one another. And, after that, the reader is given a host of "critical commentaries" on each of the books thirty chapters which summarize what happened, pose questions to the reader that will be answered later, and reveal a number of instances where Miss Rand's overall theme can be seen.

Any person who is reading _Atlas_ for the first or second time ought to find these commentaries very helpful in understanding and appreciating the book. Unfortunately, as someone who has read the novel many times, I had to read many of the author's observations with a bitter-sweet sense of joy. ("Bitter" because I wish such a book was around when I first started reading Rand's novels and "sweet" because one finally is.)

Complete, undiluted happiness did not have to wait long however. Immediately after the "critical commentaries" is a section on the most important characters giving a detailed analysis of each. Then, at the end of the book, are two magnificent essays--one on the overall theme of _Atlas Shrugged_ and another on Miss Rand's portrayal of the common man which tells why the book's main "common man" (Eddie Willers) has an unresolved fate at the end. These two essays were a nice finishing touch for the book, making even a self-titled "veteran" reader like myself glad to have read it.

Taken all together, from the brief biography of Miss Rand at the beginning to the quizzes and projects to stimulate learning at the end, this book proves that Dr. Bernstein was the right man to pick for the job. And so, my gratitude goes out to the author and this last word of advice goes out to you, the person reading the words I've written here: "get this book whether you are reading _Atlas_ for the first time or not--as a supplement to Miss Rand's magnum opus there's nothing better on the market."


A Writer Obviously In Love With His Subject Matter   March 30, 2001
J. Reynolds (Houston, TX United States)
43 out of 44 found this review helpful

This is a terrific condensation of Ayn Rand's masterpiece on the morality of capitalism, and it glows with author affection. Dr. Andrew Bernstein is sometimes called an "Ayn Rand evangelist," but he prefers to describe his activities using a more sober expression, "rational proselytization." His Cliffs distillation accurately captures the gist of Atlas Shrugged, the plot and the philosophy, and his post-chapter analyses offer the sort of illumination that comes only from deep knowledge of, and unbridled enthusiasm for, the subject matter.

Atlas Shrugged is, for many, a difficult book to get into; I know people who say they've attempted to start it five or six times. Given that Atlas is vastly richer than the Cliffs Notes version, my recommendation is for the reader to explore the Cliffs Notes and Atlas Shrugged simultaneously, chapter by chapter, first reading a condensed chapter and then the real thing.

And if you ever get the chance to see Dr. Bernstein in person, go for it. He's a captivating and witty speaker, a genuinely inspiring Ayn Rand evangelist.


GREAT TOOL TO HAVE!   July 31, 2002
TheMaddHatter (Lakewood, CA United States)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I've pushed my way through many years of school without buying a single Cliffsnotes. I found it funny that my first purchase would be for a book I choose to read on my own accord. Rand's novel can't be praised enough, but I also have to give the Cliffnotes for the novel their fair due. This little book was a great help in gaining a better understanding of this massive novel. I really enjoyed the in depth character analysis, the tight summary of the book, and the critical essays offered at the end. If I were to write a paper on the book, I would definitely gain from having these notes. More importantly, by reading the book chapter by chapter, then going to the Cliffnotes and reading along to cover what I had just read, I was able to get through a work that covers a TREMENDOUS amount of ground, with a huge scope, and not get lost. After gaining as much as I did from using the Cliffnotes as a study tool while reading this novel, I made sure to pick up the Cliffnotes for "Fountainhead" so I could do the same for that book. I will definitely give consideration to purchasing Cliffnotes for my longer, more challenging future reads.


The desired effect   January 7, 2009
Gaye (Ft. Walton Beach, FL)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I tried for months to get my husband to read Atlas Shrugged (since we are living it) to no avail. I bought the Cliffs Notes to give him an overview, so that he would know what I was talking about. In the meantime, I loaned my copy of Atlas Shrugged to my neighbor. By the time my husband finished the Cliffs Notes, he was complaining that the neighbor was "taking a long time" reading the book.

The book is back and he can't wait to read it, so the Cliffs Notes had the desired effect.