Review by John C. Snider © 2009
Love her or loathe her, there’s no denying that Ayn Rand was a fascinating person. Born in 1905 in Czarist Russia, Alisa Rosenbaum’s childhood was devastated by the upheaval of the revolution and the subsequent reversal of her family’s fortunes under the Communist regime. Emigrating to the United States in 1926, Alisa reinvented herself as Ayn Rand, going on to write plays, screenplays and two mega-bestselling novels–The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged–and founding the still-controversial philosophy known as Objectivism. The perpetually prickly Rand became ever more strident as she grew older, eventually alienating all but a handful of sycophants. She died alone and embittered in 1982.
We interview Jennifer Burns, assistant professor of history at the University of Virginia and author of the new biography Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right. It’s a timely book considering the recent resurgence of Rand’s works (especially her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged) as a reaction to the country’s current economic situation. For more about Prof. Burns visit 
Podcast #59 – Bill Maher Stand-up Tour
Thursday, July 16th, 2009We also give listeners a heads-up on several upcoming events, including:
Atheist Alliance International 2009 Convention (Oct 2-4 in Los Angeles) featuring Bill Maher, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Brian Keith Dalton (”Mr. Deity”), Lawrence Krauss, Eugenie Scott and more. (Say “hi” to David Driscoll, since he’ll be in attendance as well.)
(more…)
Tags: atheist alliance international, bill maher, charlotte pop fest, evolution of god, goddess of the market, greatest show on earth, jennifer burns, richard dawkins, robert wright
Posted in atheism, books, christianity, commentary, evolution, islam, judaism, music, news, podcast, religion, science | No Comments »