Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: A Chapter-by-Chapter Retelling

So I finally did it. I sat down and read all 1,168 pages of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. And now I’m going to retell the whole thing, chapter by chapter.

Why This Book?

Atlas Shrugged (ISBN: 978-1-101-13719-2) came out in 1957. It’s been almost 70 years and people still argue about it. Some call it one of the most important novels ever written. Others can’t stand it. But almost nobody who reads it walks away without an opinion.

The basic question Rand asks is simple: what happens when the people who keep the world running just… stop?

What to Expect From This Series

I’m going to walk through all 30 chapters across three parts:

• Part I: Non-Contradiction - We meet the main characters and watch the world start falling apart
• Part II: Either-Or - Things get worse, and the mystery deepens
• Part III: A Is A - Everything comes together (or falls apart, depending on how you look at it)

Each post covers one chapter (or part of a chapter for the really long ones). I’m not going to sugarcoat anything or pretend this book is perfect. Some parts are brilliant. Some parts drag. I’ll tell you what I think as we go.

The Main Players

Before we start, here are the key characters you need to know:

• Dagny Taggart - Runs Taggart Transcontinental railroad. She’s the one actually keeping things together while everyone around her fails
• Hank Rearden - Steel magnate who invented a new metal alloy. Brilliant but emotionally locked down
• John Galt - The mystery man. “Who is John Galt?” is a phrase people keep repeating. You’ll find out why
• Francisco d’Anconia - Copper heir who seems to be destroying his own fortune on purpose
• James Taggart - Dagny’s brother. Runs the railroad on paper but makes terrible decisions
• Eddie Willers - Dagny’s loyal assistant. Probably the most relatable character in the whole book

A Quick Note

This is a retelling with my thoughts mixed in. I grew up in a post-Soviet country, so Rand’s ideas about collectivism hit different for me than they might for you. I’ve seen what happens when the state controls everything. But I’ve also seen what happens when it controls nothing.

I’ll try to be fair to the book while also being honest about where I think Rand goes too far or doesn’t go far enough.

Let’s get started. First up: Part I, Chapter 1 - The Theme.

This is part of a chapter-by-chapter retelling of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (35th Anniversary Edition, ISBN: 978-1-101-13719-2). New posts daily.