Anthem

Anthem by Ayn Rand is not a book or governmental treatise. Rather, as Ayn Rand herself admitted, it has neither a real plot nor a real climax. Anthem is a poem. Its final two chapters are (according to Rand) the "anthem"--the celebration of the human ego. This is not done in logical terms, but in pure emotional exultation. Rand's writing throughout the book is skilled, passionate and evocative, but in the last two chapters she really shines. For presentations of Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, in logical form, read Atlas Shrugged. For a ruthless, beautiful evocation of the emotional aspect of Rand's philosophy of egoism, read Anthem. If you have socialist leanings, or simply have always assumed the many is more important that the one, the book may disturb you greatly. If you read Anthem with the knowledge that it is a poem, your understanding of it will be enhanced and, and the very minimum, it will challenge the way you think.