science fictions

Just in case you thought the Borg were entirely original to Star Trek Next Generation, you should read Anthem. Ayn Rand's vision of a futuristic society has eliminated individuals by thought and deed.

This is a starkly told tale of a member of a future society, one Equality 7-2521. He is raised in a communal nursery. He knows no parents, no individuality. The word WE applies to one and all.

He is assigned to street sweeper by the mysterious council that runs this totalitarian nightmare. (Why shouldn't he be? All work, all individuals are equal, even though Equality 7-2521 would like to be assigned to the Scholars.) His unquenchable thirst for freedom and thought leads him to a monumental and dangerous discovery; the word "I". From this word, all things become possible.

The prose in this book is stark and simple, compared to the other long novels Rand wrote. This creates the atmosphere for a society so bereft of freedom and dignity that even the most basic ideas of society and individual meaning are lost. This is 100 pages worth reading.

I spent the two hours or so reading Ayn Rand's novella of individuality with a satisfactory smile. Through all my years of schooling, I had never been introduced to Rand's work or perspective. I am so glad I stumbled across a reference in a book I was reading recently.

Rand's story of breaking the chains of socialism and collectivism struck the soul of my inner belief system. In the self or ego lies the soul of a human. The inner drives and wants make up the man. We all strive to find and perfect ourselves and find answers in this world. That is what makes us human. By being held back by a society's preconceived notions and goals, we are denied our rights as humans. This is the purpose of "Anthem," which is thematic of the scores of times throughout history man has risen up to take on a powerful society.

Rand's style was smooth, concise and to the point. My favoriate line, one I read several times, was early in the work when Equality 7-2521 was struggling to find the answers of nature. Rand writes: "The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them."

For too long, different civilizations have stiffled the creativity of all man, leaving the search for knowledge left to a chosen sect of society. "There is noting to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men," Rand writes. "To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. This and nothing else." By saying this, Rand does not dimiss the brotherhood of society. She simply says a man cannot be free unless he alone searches for his true nature, his EGO.

It is for this EGO to which we truly live.

Having read THE FOUNTAINHEAD and ATLAS SHRUGGED many, many years ago, and having both those books completely change my life, I wanted to see what ANTHEM was all about. One often fears that a great writer has "used up" their energy and creativity in their major opus, and this was my hesitation in coming to this book. But my fears were unfounded, for ANTEHM is just as good as anything else Rand has written. The characters are as deep and complex as they are in her other works, and as usual, she has a powerful message. While I tend to stick with a good page-turner like THE DA VINCI CODE or THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, I do occasionally go back to what I term "classical" writers. ANTHEM is one book that Rand fans must read. Shorter and less heavy than FOUNTAINHEAD or ATLAS, this makes for a great summer read.