• • • Calling All Readers: Join the Atlas Shrugged Book Club 
Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic Monthly - Conor Friedersdorf Alan Greenspan  |Atlas Shrugged  |Paul Ryan  |Image  | Published in 1957, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is one of the most controversial novels in American history, and a hugely successful one too: It has sold more than a million copies ... since 2010! Alan Greenspan, Clarence Thomas, and Paul Ryan have cited it as a significant influence on their thinking. Tea Party-affiliated entertainers touted it at the height of the protest movement. And fans and critics alike found it relevant to the 2010 election.

But how many people who invoke the book have actually read it since high school? Or ever?

Since it’s likely to remain a touchstone in American political discourse for the foreseeable future, some colleagues and I decided to assemble a small group to read and publicly discuss the novel -- a book club of sorts, and one we’d like to encourage every interested reader to join.   Published: 2013-02-12