Who is John Galt?

The book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is approaching its fiftieth anniversary, yet it is still timeless and as pertinent to our age as ever. I wasn't sure how popular or well-known this book was to the general public. Perhaps it should have been no surprise to see it ranked Number One in Random House's list of 100 Best Novels

When I read this as a college student thirty years ago it made a great impression on me. Of all the books which I have read in my life, only a few have caused me to change my whole world view, such as Relativity by Albert Einstein, or The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Casteneda. Atlas Shrugged would have to be included in this small collection of very influential books.

Fans of the book will be happy to hear that a movie is in the works with Angelina Jolie cast as the lead. Filming is scheduled to begin sometime at the end of 2008.