Posted by Naomi Firestone-Teeter
This October, Doubleday and Oxford University Press are both releasing new titles on the life of Ayn Rand, best known as the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and the creator of Objectivism.
Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right (Jennifer Burns)
Goddess of the Market follows Rand from her childhood in Russia through her rise from struggling Hollywood screenwriter to bestselling novelist, including the writing of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Burns highlights the two facets of Rand’s work that make her a perennial draw for those on the right: her promotion of capitalism, and her defense of limited government. The book also traces the development of Rand’s Objectivist philosophy and her relationship with Nathaniel Branden, her closest intellectual partner, with whom she had an explosive falling out in 1968. Read More.
Ayn Rand and the World She Made (Anne C. Heller)
In this biography, Heller traces the controversial author’s life from her childhood in Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution to her years as a screenwriter in Hollywood, the publication of her blockbuster novels, and the rise and fall of the cult that formed around her in the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout, Heller reveals previously unknown facts about Rand’s history and looks at Rand with new research and a fresh perspective. Read More.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Naomi is the CEO of Jewish Book Council. She graduated from Emory University with degrees in English and Art History and, in addition, studied at University College London. Prior to her role as executive director and now CEO, Naomi served as the founding editor of the JBC website and blog and managing editor of Jewish Book World. In addition, she has overseen JBC’s digital initiatives, and also developed the JBC’s Visiting Scribe series and Unpacking the Book: Jewish Writers in Conversation.