Julsbookdiaries

I started this book on the beach yesterday and read about 2 chapters. I was getting a little distracted people-watching & doing beachy things!

I finished this book on the car ride back from our trip today, and let me just say, it’s quite an interesting read.

*Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!!!*

The author, Ayn Rand, writes about a utopian society in which the word, “I” does not exist. Everything is a collective, and instead of “I”, the main character, and everyone else in their society, uses “We”.

An interesting concept, and I was introduced to it a while ago before I actually got the book, but I obviously got to dive deeper into it while reading.

The book shows two extremes: the completely collective society of “We” and then a fully individualized society of “I”.

The main character, “Equality 7-2521” (they aren’t allowed to have actual names), is an outcast of society for the most part. He breaks the rules and pushes boundaries, investigating unknown places and making a secret, forbidden romantic connection. He eventually goes on to leave the society and venture into an uncharted place to find his own way. The woman he’s romantically involved with, Liberty 5-3000, eventually follows him. One of the questions that arose for me while reading was why did Rand choose to have someone else join this “individual” mission Equality 7-2521 was one? It seemed odd to me that the point of the book was to find the word “I”, and this idea of a more individualized society, but the main character wasn’t alone.

This was a very interesting book, but I think it’s one where you have to weigh the pros and cons of both extremes Rand portrays. It got me thinking, and it was pretty short, so I recommend it overall!

Back-of-the-Book Extras:

I’m not sure if this was included in other versions of this book, but at the back of my book, there is the English publication of the book with all of its edits.

When Rand published Anthem in England, the book was a little longer, with some more details and story layout. However, she decided she wanted to edit it down for the American publication, trimming the fat, getting rid of unnecessary details.

The version I read was the American version, but her English version, including crossed out sentences, additional words/phrases, and new paragraphs, is located at the back of the book.

In my original post, there was a side-by-side of the American version and the English version. At the bottom of the English version, Rand adds the two paragraphs that are at the top of the page in the American version. So, those two lines weren’t even in the original version of the book, yet here they are in the final American edit.

An interesting addition to the book!