Sigh -- sometimes I think I'm about the only person who recognizes that the characters in Atlas Shrugged as as they are because the book is an *allegory*.
I have no argument with the point of the book but it is not significant enough to even consider on a list like this.
On the contrary, it deserves a spot on a list like this not because it's a fine example of flowing English prose (although it is quite good for an author whose first language was not English), but because it lays out the consequences and motivations of socialism in a comprehensive way that has never been equaled before or since. Like "1984" did for totalitarian communism, no non-fiction essay could cover the same issues and bring it home, in human terms (both in the toll on lives and the human characteristics which bring them about) as well as an insightful novel could.
The "two minute hate" scene in "1984" explains more about propagandistic scapegoatism than any amount of non-fiction discussion of the topic. And likewise for countless scenes in "Atlas Shrugged".
Like Aesop's fables (themselves allegories as well), a properly set up fictional scenario imparts more understanding in a few paragraphs than entire books of philosophy (including Rand's own philosophy books, which are dry, windy, and dull). This is why "Atlas Shrugged" is a "must read" -- it contains *countless* lessons about socialism and other forms of human enslavement (including the voluntary kinds), as well as ways to break the cycle.
I've lost count of the number of people who have suddenly "gotten" conservative economic philosophy after reading this book.
Look at the skill difference between Orwell and Rand. No comparison imo. And G.O. says it all in 1/3 the length.
Similar messages, but *not* identical. "1984" focuses mostly on the totalitarianism itself. A lesser attention is paid to the economic aspects, and what is covered is pure communism. Nor is there much attempt to cover how the society became so enslaved in the first place. "Atlas Shrugged", on the other hand, covers *socialism* (and no, that's not identical to communism), and more importantly, how it attempts to creep into and take over capitalism with smiling promises of being more "fair" when it is anything but. After reading "Atlas Shrugged", the reader will be well innoculated against the was that socialism tries to worm its way into, and take over, capitalism -- and why such "reasonable" changes must be fought tooth and nail.
Rand tried to write an allegory; she ended up writing a sermon.
Compare Atlas Shrugged to Moby Dick which is also an allegory and Rands writing deficiency is pronounced.
I always though of it as an ironic satire.