Anthem

Anthem
Ayn Rand
Copyright 1953

Whoa, crazy liberal girl reading Ayn Rand?  Just what has this world come to? I don't really have an answer for you other than to say: this isn't my first Rand, nor will it be my last.  I like Rand.  Her writing styles suit me and I love her characters.  We may not see eye to eye on all things, but I think she has a good message: People should not be punished for their hard work.  Okay, that was my take on Rand in general, now to get down to brass tacks and discuss Anthem.

This is not a book, Rand did not intend for it to be.  I has no climax or real plot.  I see Anthem as Rand's well written treatise.  It introduces readers to her philosophy without requiring them to read Atlas Shrugged.  As Anthem opens, we are introduced to a numbered character striving for more in a dystopian society that has eliminated the individual ego.  Intelligent, handsome, and resourceful, he is forced to wither away as a mere street sweeper because his role had been ordained so by society.  When he tries to improve his station, society shuts him down and he is forced to flee.

I thought Anthem to be a wonderful teaser for her philosophy, but ultimately it failed to move me as her other books had.  Maybe it's because it isn't 8,000 pages long, but mostly because it doesn't offer her full philosophy and so I had nothing to argue with.  Duh, it sucks when man's path is predestined and he is not allowed to stray from it.   She did not explain her dystopian society's structure at all. When you are crafting an argument against a community centered society, as she was, understanding that society's motives and structure help cement your viewpoint.  As such, I am left feeling bad for the characters, but left with only half a story.  I especially would like to know how the world got to that point, because clearly "we" had existed prior to Anthem's society.

****Next up: John F. Kennedy, A Life by the Editors of New Word City****

The Highly Intuitive Child

The Highly Intuitive Child: AGuide to Understanding and Parenting Unusually Sensitive and Empathic Children

Catherine Crawford

Copyright 2009

As I previously mentioned, I have been seeking out parenting books that will help me understand and help my four year old daughter who is very empathic/quick to internalize the emotions of other people, even things (if "things" can have emotions) .  Simply put, this book wasn’t exactly what we needed, but it did offer good advice for all parents struggling with their child's eccentricities.

 

By “highly intuitive and unusually sensitive,” Ms. Crawford meant children who have a sixth sense. Balk as much as you want to now (Trust me, I did.), but some of Ms. Crawford’s advice and prompts were very insightful and helpful, even for those of us without clairvoyants in the house.  She explained that it is important to help your child separate what is truly THEIR emotion and what they feel coming from others.  Or what seems to be our case, separating how Maia feels as opposed to what she thinks she would feel if she were in another person’s shoes.  Ms. Crawford also stressing the importance of maintaining your child’s “gift.”  After all, I think it is great that Maia, at 4, is willing/capable of seeing the effects her actions may have and want to foster this respect.

So all in all, the book was not what I expected. Nor was it a total bust. 

*****Next up: Anthem by Ayn Rand******