How did I go 36 years without reading this book?!?

I love my book club! I can't say it enough! A small group of us began meeting about 9 years ago and we continue to meet monthly. Many have come and gone, but there are still 3 of us (I think) that have been there since the beginning. Our group has gotten MUCH bigger and sometimes it is even difficult to have the discussion with so many people. Not everyone comes every month so the group has a bit of ebb and flow, but there always seems to be a core group that is there every month.

How I love these ladies! We have some gals that are really well read. They are all smart and deep thinkers and I learn so much from them. I love the time spent with these friends discussing books and life stories and experiences. ("What is said at book club, STAYS at book club!") It is not unusual for our talking to go to midnight and sometimes even later. When I leave for book club, Ken usually just says, "See ya tomorrow." :)

But I digress...

ANYWAY, when we made our schedule for this year I was most excited to read our book for March, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Seriously. How did I go 36 years without reading this book?!? I feel like a giant chunk of my education was missing.

I didn't find the story super compelling, but the themes that were developed were so well thought out and explained. I'm sure part of the reason I am so struck with the book is because I am seeing those same themes discussed and debated on our national political stage (and we all know how obsessed I am with that discussion). I kept finding great nuggets of truth that kept resonating with me.

I'm afraid that if I really started to get into the details, I would end up writing an essay and I'm pretty sure that my essay writing skills are pretty rusty, so I won't put you through that. You're welcome. However, our discussion of the book was fascinating to me. Here were just a few of the themes that we talked about: individualism vs. collectivism, being true to yourself, redistribution of wealth, dynamics within society, scope of government, and the nature of evil.

The Fountainhead is easily the most thought provoking book that I have read in years. I give it two thumbs way up! I can't wait to dig into Atlas Shrugged!