Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul
"Meticulously eye-opening... A scrupulous and sobering investigation, vital for our times." --Kirkus Reviews"[A] riveting and disturbing inquiry into Ayn Rand's widespread influence on Amerocan economics and politics."--Publishers Weekly"A lucid, thoroughly, and utterly terrifying investigation into the movement that is destroying America, bit by bit, in accordance with the vision of a woman who believed in nothing and no one except herself."--Daily Kos"Unlike most books on Rand, which tend toward the hagiographic, this one takes a reality-based look at the consequences of her ideas. Weiss lands a few deserved punches in this quick, magazine article-like read."--Library Journal"Thought provoking and more than a little ominous."--Booklist“Gary Weiss brings his skeptical bent and sharp writing to a character who has inspired both fanatical belief and deep derision for decades: Ayn Rand. The book is a compelling journey of discovery about a woman who continues to exert a powerful hold over our society. Weiss shows how Rand is ultimately quite a bit more complicated than either her fans or her detractors would have it.”—Bethany McLean,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Smartest Guys in the RoomandAll the Devils Are Here“Ayn Rand Nationis a fascinating exploration of one of the fastest-growing and most powerful coalitions in American politics. With an unerring eye for detail, Gary Weiss embarks on a journey of discovery that examines the emerging influence of the Tea Party and other political groups that proclaim themselves to be Rand’s intellectual progeny. Weiss explores this phenomenon with the evenhanded and objective techniques of a sociologist. If you want to understand the men and women whose vehement voices are reshaping American government, you must read this book.”—Kurt Eichenwald,New YorkTimesbestselling author ofThe InformantandConspiracy of Fools“The timing of this book couldn’t be better for Americans who are trying to understand where in the hell the far-out right’s anti-worker, anti-egalitarian extremism is coming from.Ayn Rand Nationintroduces us to the godmother of such Tea Party craziness as destroying Social Security and eliminating Wall Street regulation. Weiss writes with perception and wit.”—Jim Hightower,New YorkTimesbestselling author ofThieves in High Places“Think Ayn Rand is marginal? Think again! Gary Weiss’s powerful new history inscribes the libertarian firebrand at the very center of the American story of the past three decades.”—David Frum,New YorkTimesbestselling author ofThe Right ManandComeback