Sunday, September 19, 2010

#1 Son's reading list

Atlas Shrugged, 1984, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

And no, he didn't get those from me; he got them from his friends. School indoctrination FAIL. Gives me hope for the future, yes indeed.

My suggestion was to add The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress to the list, possibly in place of Atlas Shrugged.

13 comments:

TOTWTYTR said...

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is much easier to read than Atlas Shrugged. I think you have a good idea for him to read it now and tackle Atlas Shrugged later. Both explore similar themes, but RAH was a better story teller.

Anonymous said...

I read 1984 in High School, but that was almost 30 years ago. It would be subversive now I guess since the lefties seem to have read it as a manifesto. Androids was very good; the movie Bladerunner was based on it but oddly almost totally unlike it.

strandediniowa said...

"There is no such thing as a free lunch."

A few good freedom quotes to cull from Heinlein.

Someone made the point to me that Walmart has been carrying Atlas Shrugged, 1984, Animal Farm and other such books. They also said they are selling very well.

He was right. I found them at both Walmart and Target. Only one or two copies left.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

REPLACE Atlas Shrugged? You're one of those National Review Metrocons that didn't want O'DonneLl to win aren't you?

Paladin said...

Yeah.. I'd encourage him to veer off Atlas Shrugged too. Or at least let him know its OK to bail on it at some point and come back to it later. Lots of excellent concepts, but there's no way I would have stuck through the whole thing at that age.

I'll second the Animal Farm nomination as well. And Heinlein is never a bad choice.

mrmacs said...

Two more books to recommend:
Childhood's End and Starship Troopers.
Forget the Starship Troopers movie, a real piece of schlock. The book rocks.
Childhood's End is spooky. There are some follow-on books in the same universe, some better than others.

Otherwise, all good choices for an independent mind.

Borepatch said...

T-Bolt, I know it's heresy. Quite frankly, Rand isn't a very good writer.

NMM1AFan said...

Actually, have him read We the Living, at least it's short.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

I was just yanking your chain, too. Lots of good in Rand stuff. Lots of "Yikes" in there too.

Gordon R. Durand said...

I agree Rand's not a good writer. All the more reason to read her as a teenager, when you're less discriminating, and have more time, and the ideas are fresh and exciting.

I'd toss in Brave New World, too.

TOTWTYTR said...

I think the problem with Atlas Shrugged is the editing, or lack thereof. It just went on and on and on...

Starship Troopers is quite a good book, especially considering that it was written as "juvenile" novel. Although son #2 is in fact a juvenile, isn't he?

lelnet said...

Don't sugarcoat it. Ayn Rand was a mediocre-to-bad writer who desperately needed an editor she refused to allow in. She's also one of the most important philosophical voices of the 20th century, and familiarity with objectivism (even if one doesn't agree with it in all its particulars) is a base requirement for anyone seriously engaging with liberty.

On the other hand, Heinlein was a world-class writer, who (in addition to telling kick-ass stories) promoted visions the world needs.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is probably the best reccomendation from his work. And for Rand, let me second the commenter who suggests "We, the Living" instead.

mrmacs said...

Whoops. Not Childhood's End.

Meant Ender's Game. Wrong universe.

Grovels...