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    Anthem
    Anthem
    Anthem
    Audiobook2 hours

    Anthem

    Written by Ayn Rand

    Narrated by B. J. Harrison

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil.” Deep issues of conscience are explored in Ayn Rand’s dystopian tale of a man who dares to fight against a system that invades his very mind and identity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherB.J. Harrison
    Release dateOct 4, 2009
    ISBN9781937091682
    Author

    Ayn Rand

    Ayn Rand (1905–1982) wrote the bestselling novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) and founded the philosophy known as objectivism. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Rand taught herself to read at the age of six and soon resolved to become a professional writer. In 1926, she left Communist Russia to pursue a screenwriting career in Hollywood, and she published her first novel ten years later. With her next book, the dystopian novella Anthem (1938), she introduced the theme that she would devote the rest of her life to pursuing: the inevitable triumph of the individual over the collective. 

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    Reviews for Anthem

    3.5/5

    2,733 ratings125 reviews

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    • 4/5
      As Rand's shortest fiction work, it's probably the easiest read. I'd recommend it as an introduction to Rand's fiction.
    • 4/5
      Worth the read. Short, sweet, and relevant. If you find a good audiobook version, it helps a lot.
    • 4/5
      It’s hard to classify Anthem. It’s hard to even determine if I like it.I do like the message. That’s an easy thing. I like the way it’s written, too. But the novel itself… do I like it? I’m not sure. The message is not so much aimed at today’s audience, I think. It’s (in my mind) a response to the “unity over all” mentality of communism. It’s about the Self instead of the Community. I suspect it takes the imagery to extremes, but then it needs to. If it used actual events, there wouldn’t be much point. Some people wouldn’t get it. (Actually, I suspect some people still won’t get it.)The hardest thing about reading this novel is the constant use of “we” instead of “I”. As a writer, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to write this aspect of the novel. It’s simply not something we’re used to as a society. On the other hand, it’s a very simple thing (in theory) and yet it makes such a HUGE difference to the story. It wouldn’t be the same if Rand hadn’t used “we” even when referring to single people.One thing I can tell you without hesitation: I would not want to live in that world.Unrealistic though it seems, however, and as far-fetched as we want it to be, if you have ever seen people in a mob, you know the potential truth to the story. The prospect is rather scary. I hope my world never becomes anything closer to the setting for Anthem than it is today — and, in fact, that it moves farther away from that fictional world. I think — I hope! — that we are in a better place than we were when this was written. If our luck holds, that trend will continue.
    • 4/5
      This is my first foray into Ayn Rand, not really knowing much about her philosophy except its focus on individualism vs collectivism. This is a dystopian novella, originally written in 1937, today's reader may find the story/plot cliched but one must remember those cliches came from these early writers of dystopia. It's a well-written story of a man finding himself rebelling against the post-apocalyptic world he's only known. He's being force-fed happiness and seeing through it. It ends happily enough for him and a mate he meets of like-mindedness who escape. However, unlike dystopian books written today Rand had a purpose and agenda for writing her story. the last two chapters summarise what was wrong with this society they lived in (utter hard-core socialism) then continues with how the main character will build a better future (based on Rand's philosophy). I find her "individualism" to be similar to today's "libertarianism" and frankly disagree with those philosophies since they make man his own God. However, her observations on socialism and what have come to be predictions speak volumes on our world today where the "We" use "groupthink" to merge socialist idea into realities in our present sorry society. I'm rratherinterested in reading more Rand, not that I agree with her individualistic, capitalist ideologies but I find her warnings of socialism prophetic and wonder whether I'll find her other observations of living through such an era enlightening to me as I continue the fight against such regimes.
    • 5/5
      Koestler puts forward his theory of the shared mental processes that take place in the successful artistic, scientific, and comedic mind, which he calls bisociation. He discusses how discovery of a new beauty or truth relies on the appropriate perception of an idea within two or more previously incompatible or distinct frames of reference. There are lots of examples and stories from the history of science and invention, and these are interesting to read in their own right.Despite the fact that these associations often spring from the subconscious, they only tend to be made by the most intelligent minds – those which possess the capacity to understand ideas and their connections to other ideas, and the relevance of these connections to the solution of problems. The artistic and scientific revolutionary are often viewed in quite different ways, but Koestler makes a case that the nature of their general intelligence has a lot in common, despite them being gifted in different specific areas. This is a very accessible and readable work, and should be of interest to the general academic, the artist, the psychologist, or the scientist. It isn't deeply technical or precise, so I would not class it as a completely serious work of philosophy, but it excels as an inspiring popular work for the non-specialist reader.
    • 3/5
      This was a fairly thin dystopian novel. Not much was said here that you couldn't read in something like "We" or "1984." Rand's tone was fairly didactic, but that isn't surprising given Rand's reputation. Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars because I did enjoy it, but I felt that more could have been done with it.
    • 4/5
      It's hard not to compare Anthem to 1984. Anthem could be considered the unofficial and unintentional sequel. Written both by people with similar Soviet backgrounds and written with similar purposes in mind. The good thing Rand does is build up the background quick as that's what makes the story the most interesting. There isn't really a need to build much of a character since the whole point in for everyone to be character-less. Anthem follows a lot of Rand's other motifs with the society at large wanting for collectivist control. Here, that system has won. And in similar Randian fashion, the individual that resides in the spirit of man attempts to break free. As far as a complete philosophy being built up, you'll have to read her other novels to get that. Rand's attempt is to show what would happen if the ideology of communism developed a Utopian society - even when civilization is destroyed by it to rule over men by man is deeply set. Anthem does what it sets out to do - to promote the need for the "I" rather than the "we". Final Grade - B
    • 3/5
      Anthem is a novella written by Ayn Rand. Rand first developed her idea for the story during the early 1920s, before emigrating, but did not write the story down in its present form until the summer of 1937. Therefore, its publication was preceded by We the Living, and followed by her writing The Fountainhead.The novella already contains all the major elements of Rand's philosophy. It has been suggested that she might have been influenced by Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel We, which was published in 1921, but the main consensus is that Rand independently conceived the idea for Anthem.By the late 1930s, science-fiction was no longer a novelty, but the dystopian nature of Anthem, the idea of technological regression in the future and the social implications of the loss of civilization may have surprised readers. The story of the novella is fairly simple.At the time of the story, people no longer have names. The main characters are identified as Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000. Like their names, all other traces of independence and individuality have been erased. Children are raised away from their parents, and in youth there is no freedom of choice in careers. Thus, while Equality 7-2521's ambition was to become a scholar (i.e. scientist) he is assigned to serve the community as a street sweeper.Outside the city, Equality 7-2521 discovers a place where he can withdraw, devote himself in self-study and develop his invention. He also meets a girls, Liberty 5-3000, with whom he falls in love. With the re-discovery of some lost technology, Equality 7-2521 hopes to impress the authorities, help humanity and be allowed to pursue his career as a scholar, but instead he is cursed. With Liberty 5-3000 he flees the city, to the Uncharted Forest, where is is pursued, but succeeds in hiding.Especially to readers today, Ayn Rand's novella Anthem may seem little spectacular. However, as an early novella within the genre, Anthem may still be read. It also provides a very readable introduction to Rand's work, for readers who hesitate to take on the large tomes, such as The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged.While not everybody is interested in Ayn Rand's philosophy, her fictional work has merit in its own right. It is stylistically pure, interesting and very well-written. The novels and early fiction of Ayn Randare classics of modern American fiction, with a unique perspective.
    • 5/5
      I'm just rating the aduio book rather then the actual story itself. The story is a 3/5. but the audible narration right here is very good and soothing.
    • 5/5
      Came across this one by accident. Grabbed me from the very first sentence and never let go. Story of a man and woman who triumph over a communistic, brain-washing, paranoid society that thrives on fear of individuality. This society came about in the aftermath of a global atomic holocaust. It is obvious that mankind decided selfishness was the cause of man's downfall so the survivors who became the new leaders decided it would be illegal to consider anything but the good of the collective masses and individuality became forbidden.... kind of like the Borg in Star Trek.
    • 4/5
      Anthem is dystopian fiction published in 1938 in England."Macmillan turned it down; their comment was: the author does not understand socialism.""Cassell published it in England under the title Ego."Our protagonist, (Equality 7-2521) ,is introduced through a series of journal entries, as he, a street sweeper discovers Liberty 5-3000, a female gardener.Difficulty arises as individualism has been eliminated in favor of 'collective will".A revised edition of Anthem was published in the US in 1946 by Pamphleteers,"The protagonist sits alone in a tunnel and writes down his feeling of rebellion against the collectivist society into which he was born"4 ★
    • 4/5
      The story is a bit vague and the allegory obvious. But it's a good listen and invokes thinking.
    • 3/5
      5/10-6/10

      I have to say that I liked this quite a bit more than The Fountainhead (which I did not enjoy for the most part).

      The characters were actually those you could get somewhat invested in, the dystopian world it created, while overly simple and unrealistic, was at least interesting to read about. The epistolary format was done well. The prose and general writing quality seemed vastly better than The Fountainhead. The themes and general ideas that Rand was trying to convey were executed much better here.

      Don't get me wrong, I still think her themes are absolute garbage, and she's an absolute garbage human being, and nobody should take her seriously. But the themes and messages were communicated fairly well in this book, in a way that was much easier and interesting to digest. I think the brevity of it is one of its strengths, at only like 90 pages, it can be read in an hour or two. Most of the patented Ayn Rand ridiculously heavy handed diatribes were kept to a minimum, or just the last few chapters. And it was still full of offensively simple propagandic proselytizing to push her nonsensical views, just a bit less overt than usual for 90% of the book. Still annoying when they come up, but it's easier to grit your teeth through 3 pages than 30 pages.

      Would I recommend it to someone looking for a book to understand what Ayn Rand is about? Definitely, it's a perfect intro to her. Would I recommend it to literally anyone else? Eh. But it's an easy read, that can be knocked out in an afternoon, so it gets bonus points for that.
    • 1/5
      Ugh. Rand's simplistic allegory paints the world in black and white - there is the individual vs. the collective, a struggle which ultimately stands for freedom vs. totalitarianism. If she had read Freud or Darwin, she would know that human beings are a communal species - while it is true that individual rights should be protected and genius should be nurtured, you can not completely take a person out of the context of the community. This novel, and indeed all of her writing, is based on a false dichotomy, which was probably her reaction to seeing the results of the Russian Revolution - a reactionary response to a reactionary period in history. Unfortunately for Rand and the Soviets she despised, the world is much more nuanced than their respective dogmas will admit. I might have given this book two stars for the coherence of its philosophy, but a star was deducted for packaging the brief story with a sycophantic introduction by Rand disciple Leonard Peikoff, along with additional materials tailored to the Randroid cult of personality.
    • 4/5
      This is a short one, I started to read it in June and made it to Part 5 and life got in the way. I finally finished it in one sitting. It's nice to see where Hunger Games, Divergent, and all those other dystopian type of novels get their inspiration from.
    • 4/5
      Anthem by Ayn RandWhy I picked this book: I never read an Ayn Rand book and was interested to see what I would find. The collective. what it is about. The Us? the we, No more, I, me, nothing individual, no choice, no freedom after the world council took over. Jobs were given to people, numbers for names, no looking at ourselves, things had to change from the awful unmentionable times have passed. Equality 7-2521 had the desire, the curiosity, the drive, the attraction and ran off with the golden one. He found the “we” and the long lost “I” that belongs to every person. Why I finished this read: This book made me look around at the USA today, the push for socialism, the ideas of equity vs. equality the Marxism and communism that NEVER crossed my mind growing up during the Cold War waiting for nuclear war heads flying towards us. I finished this book to revel in the choices made and value was we have in America. When reading this the author’s different language seemed to seep through, idk, maybe the words were too focused on or something but because it was a good messsfe I rated it as a 3.5 stars.
    • 2/5
      "Our name is Equality 7-2521..."

      yeah, try saying that over and over again....it's not pleasant, and neither was this short---but really long---read.
    • 5/5
      This was a strange, powerful read. Ayn Rand's philosophy of the "I" is most evident in this simple yet stimulating novella.

      She depicts a society where there is absolutely no individualism to speak of; it's also a society where men work for other men and all technology/progress is controlled. It's a nightmarish world which I wouldn't ever wish upon my worst enemies.

      She writes about the human spirit, individuality, and free will. While her philosophy of the "I" and the "ego" are more prominent in her later books, I feel that this short novella is an excellent sample of her ideas.

      I'd love to recommend this book to everyone. Even if you're an ardent supporter of collectivism, socialism, or whatever similar -ism(s) there may be, I feel this is something you need to read.
    • 4/5
      Review of eBookIn a dark world ruled by the World Council, there are no individuals, no choices, no options. The Council of Vocations decides what work each one will do; it has been so since the Great Rebirth following the Unmentionable Times. There is no longer the individual, only the collective.But the restrictions cannot stop Equality 7-2521 from being curious, from wondering. And although he realizes that, according to the teachings, such ideas are evil, he cannot stop himself. What will happen as Equality 7-2521 rebels against the “We” and discovers the long-lost “I” that belongs to every person?This narrative serves as a sort of prophecy, an observation on the loss of the individual to the machinations of the powerful [that is, “the state”]. It’s an ode to individualism, to freedom, to choice. It’s quite heavy-handed on the hypocrisy of the leadership [that is, those wielding the power] and the inequitable treatment of the populace destined to follow orders without question. The glorification of individualism, of owing nothing to any other continually jumps out at the reader.While it is true that each individual has moral worth and deserves both freedom and independence, the true answer to the conundrum would seem to lie somewhere midway between individualism and collectivism. However, “Anthem” is worth reading as a reminder that when we forget to value each person, something important is lost.Recommended.
    • 2/5
      I hate this book.
      Just added additional point for its length, but boy, Ayn makes it difficult for me to finish it!
      I was already not in the mood to read anything else other than short books, and this one is making it worse.
      Are her other books better than this?
      Because right now I'm determined not to waste my time in reading The Fountainhead.
      Glad I didn't buy it on sale when I had the chance, but it's another story.
    • 3/5
      This book is my least favorite of Rands, although still worth reading. I don't recall any paramount passages (such as d'Anconia's speech about money in [book: Atlas Shrugged]), and the plot is pretty straightforward: Guy lives in socialist society, guy starts liking girl, guy convinces girl to run off with him and live in a cabin in the woods, they become individuals.

      If you're reading Rand's books to get a better sense of her ideas, there's no reason to read this one. If you want something that doesn't require too much thought and can be polished off on a rainy Saturday afternoon, there are worse choices.
    • 2/5
      A little parable about a very collectivist society. Even the word "I" is banned. It is a very flat characterisation, and unbelievable, and banal.
    • 4/5
      Short SF book about the strangulation of man by the state. Since she left the Soviet Union in 1926, to come to the US, she has experience in this area. Readers of Classic SF will say they have read this theme by others who did it better. Published in 1938 she did it before many of the others.
    • 4/5
      I read this book on the serial reader app. It is the first Ayn Rand book I have read and I really enjoyed it. I read it during my breaks during work and it was very hard to put down when it was time to go back to work. I felt the story was very original and I was excited to see what would happen to Equality 7-2521. His society was very disturbing although I did find the ending to be equally disturbing. The use of the plural pronouns made the story that much more intriguing to me.
    • 3/5
      This was a fairly thin dystopian novel. Not much was said here that you couldn't read in something like "We" or "1984." Rand's tone was fairly didactic, but that isn't surprising given Rand's reputation. Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars because I did enjoy it, but I felt that more could have been done with it.
    • 3/5
      On a whim, I decided to read Anthem by Ayn Rand. I'd noticed it popping up on Middle School and High School reading lists in recent years. Since this book wasn't part of the reading curriculum in my school years I was curious to read it and see why it was being revisited now. As I started reading I made a couple of early observations. First was the odd usage of point of view and pronouns. If you've read the synopsis or any brief outlines of the book you are aware that this book is set in a dystopia where individualism has been eradicated to the sense that the idea of "I" or "me" has been eliminated. Thus, while the book is written in "first person", it is written in first person "plural." That is, the narrator speaks and writes using "we" to narrate rather than "I." Even as he speaks of actions he did alone, he writes "we" rather than "I." The other observation I made was that of simplicity. The sentence structure and the delivery of ideas and concepts was very blunt and matter of fact. While there were certainly a lot of nuances and details still left to be learned about this world and the people inhabiting it, the sentences and observations were very to the point. As such, Rand's messages quickly became very clear and often felt a little heavy handed and over the top.As you might expect in a world without individualism, I found the characters and the world to lack in terms of depth. Our narrator (whose name was "Equality-7###") was the only character with any depth to him at all and that was presented as an abomination and subversive to society. Indeed, everyone and everything was expected to be precisely the same and completely equal.The story of the book progresses as you might expect with the primary tension being because of the narrator's break from same-ness and the consequences of that break if, and when, it is discovered. With more than a century of dystopic fiction (and a recent resurgence in the past decade), it was fairly easy to predict how things might play out. As a result, the story and the plot obviously aren't the most compelling things about this book.Rather, this book is more a book of philosophy. As the title suggests, this could be seen as a sort of celebration or eulogy. This book is meant as a way for readers to forge their own personal "anthem" in celebration of their individualism and rights to be their own person. The philosophies presented by this book are natural expressions of the author's personal struggles in Russia and her opposition to Communism. But why might this novel be finding its way back onto school desks in America in the 21st century? Without getting too political, I can see a couple of reasons.First, as I mentioned above there's been a recent growth in the popularity of dystopian fiction. Kids are latching onto this genre and devouring it. Schools can attempt to tap into this popularity by prescribing dystopian literature as part of the curriculum. But the schools will likely want to steer clear of work that is too violent or racy. As a result, we find a book like Anthem that contains almost no violence or anything else to push it beyond a "PG" rating.Secondly, and I think this speaks somewhat to the popularity of dystopian novels now generally, people are more and more dissatisfied with the state of things and are seeking ways to analyze and overcome the problems they see within society. Studying this and other dystopian novels is a way to have a "safe" conversation about a fictional society and then to ponder the potential relation to the real world and our out thoughts and ideals.Another thought occurred to me while reading...one of strong familiarity. As I read, I kept finding myself thinking of other novels, most particularly The Giver by Lois Lowry. Knowing that The Giver frequently shows up as school reading, I could see lesson plans reading both novels and then writing papers or doing presentations comparing and contrasting the two novels or perhaps writing their own short story dystopia.Curious as to if Anthem had influenced The Giver, I did a few searches and found this post from Lois Lowry speaking in response to claims of similarities (or outright plagiarism) that she sometimes receives. As I've often pointed out to people, there are few stories/movies/etc. that I would call 100% original. Everything has similarities somewhere. And when you look within very specific genres you will likely find even more similarities. In my mind, these similarities don't suggest plagiarism but rather that two (or more) individuals had similar ideas that they presented in similar ways. Sometimes the timing and the similarities are uncanny (I remember discussions when the movies "A Bug's Life" and "Antz" were released so closely together...while high level ideas had similarities, there were plenty of differences). In cases where an author has experienced a previous work, there are sometimes even more similarities. I think an author should be aware of this but if the author has an idea they want to share in their own way, they should do so. That's my long-winded way of saying that you shouldn't shout " plagiarism" unless an author is blatantly and obviously copying something without paying homage or presenting their own ideas and concepts. Overall, I found Anthem to be a thoughtful read. The story and characters were naturally flat but the ideas and concepts were interesting even if the author really beat you over the head with them. As to the relevance of this story in our modern era of personal freedoms, there is still plenty of space for improvement even in the most open societies. As a piece of literature and philosophy, we can learn from Anthem and use it to inspire conversations moving forward. While it's certainly not the most eloquent or profound piece of writing, it is a worthwhile read and gives good food for thought.***3 out of 5 stars
    • 4/5
      A thoughtful bleak look at a degraded society and the discovery of freedom. It reminds me of Farenheit 451 and 1989 but in a way that is entirely different and mesmerizing.
    • 3/5
      “And slowly, slowly as a flush of blood, a red flame trembled in the wire.”I read in an article that the head brewer of New Anthem named the business after Ayn Rand’s novella “Anthem”. So, of course, I had to read it to source the inspiration. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of Rand or her unilateral and often selfish philosophy—however, there are truths to be gleaned and hints at vision. “The Fountainhead” I particularly enjoyed for its resolve, even if it was a bit stiff and, once again, unilateral. No surprise, then, when “Anthem” seemed even less fleshy, more static, and far too familiar. Zamyatin’s “We” had the same stiff, mechanical coldness—yet, I felt it had far more emotion and poetry (all while being published fourteen years prior). Not that “Anthem” doesn’t have its flourishes—they just seem to come far too little near the end. But then, I’ve read and watched so many dystopic works that I can be a bit bored if nothing startlingly new is presented. “Brave New World” and “1984” are both mind-blowing and painful benchmarks. And there’s nothing I’m going to add to that discussion that Walter Cronkite hasn’t said in his superb foreword to Orwell’s grand masterpiece. Rand’s novella also shares similarities with “Fahrenheit 451” and Fritz Lang’s silent epic “Metropolis” (as well as the aforementioned “We”) in that the principal male protagonist is sparked into awareness by a female character, and that newfound freedom snowballs down various hills of destruction and creation. Oddly enough, “Anthem” also reminded me of Gilliam’s latest movie, “Zero Theorem”, in its employ of plural pronouns (and subsequent discarding upon the growing awareness of individuality).If New Anthem’s beer is as adequate yet unoriginal, I won’t be disappointed. From the article, though, it seems the brewer’s definitely dedicated to serving up some unique fare. In any case, the idea of using a philosophical novella as a sudsy moniker is pretty fucking cool.“It is our own world, Golden One, a strange, unknown world, but our own.”
    • 3/5
      The first 75% or so of the book is pretty decent, I mostly agreed with it; sheeple are bad, question things, don't follow blindly, etc. But then, it wouldn't be Rand if she didn't smash it into your face and go absurdly over the top, and she ruins it with the ending. Basically (as per her norm) saying, eff everyone else, only do things for yourself not because they benefit humanity, and so forth. Because that is what will obviously make for such an excellent society! *groan*Anyhow, the story is decent enough, and it's only a novella, very quick read. But yeah, Rand had some seriously screwed up notions.
    • 5/5
      A quick read. Found this book in my daughter’s stack of unread books from high school. I enjoyed the story of a post-apocalyptic society and how one individual went from being part of a collective to an individual.