We the Living, Ayn Rand
We the Living, Ayn Rand
11 Rating(s)
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We the Living

Author: Ayn Rand

Narrator: Mary Woods

Unabridged: 18 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/03/2007


Synopsis

We the Living portrays the impact of the Russian Revolution on three people who demand the right to live their own lives. At its center is a girl whose passionate love is her fortress against the cruelty and oppression of a totalitarian state.Of this book, Ayn Rand said, “it is as near to an autobiography as I will ever write. The plot is invented, the background is not. I was born in Russia, I was educated under the Soviets; I have seen the conditions of existence that I describe. The specific events of Kira’s life were not mine; her ideas, her convictions, her values were and are."We the Living is not a story of politics, but of the men and women who have to struggle for existence behind the Red banners and slogans. It is a picture of what dictatorship-of any kind-does to human beings. What happens to the defiant ones? What happens to those who succumb? Who are the winners in this conflict? For those who found Ayn Rand’s blockbuster Atlas Shrugged a powerful voice raised in defense of the individual, this book continues the theme of an individual’s right to the pursuit of his or her own happiness.

About Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success, and her unique philosophy, Objectivism, gained a worldwide following.

About Mary Woods

Mary Woods began her career in Washington, DC, where she performed at Ford’s Theater, the Folger Theater, Round House, and Washington Stage Guild. She spent several seasons at New Playwrights’ Theater developing new American plays. She is a veteran narrator of Talking Books for the Library of Congress, and received the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award for fiction in 1996. Formerly a radio news director, she now hosts a daily local affairs interview program on Catholic Radio, for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. She lives in Albuquerque, where she continues to act on stage and in film. She received her BA at the Catholic University of America in Fine Arts and Drama.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Oliver on May 07, 2007

Here's the thing: this book is fucking awesome. I'm a big fan of this theme - the whole "individual vs. the state" story. I think most of the books I've read in this vein were descended from "1984", but this is without doubt my favorite execution of the familiar thematic focus. This book was just so......more

Goodreads review by Kendra on March 19, 2008

I just finished this book. My soul has never been so pained by a novel. Very few books affect me like this one did. I cannot explain other than it was so beautifully horrific. I knew very little about Communism or what the USSR was like. It caused so much anger and frustration in me, but the pain co......more

Goodreads review by Lena on February 22, 2022

It could've been great philosophic book, with an amazing picture of post-revolution almost dystopian society. It full of fresh ideas and deep thoughts. But I hate the toxic love story and annoying characters. It's suppose to be a tragedy of human individual against the government, but it turns to be......more

"Το "Εμείς οι ζωντανοί" δεν είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα για τη Σοβιετική Ρωσία. Είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα για τον άνθρωπο ενάντια στο κράτος. Κεντρικό θέμα του είναι η ιερότητα της ανθρώπινης ζωής - χρησιμοποιώ τη λέξη ιερότητα όχι με τη μυστικιστική της έννοια, αλλά με την έννοια της υπέρτατης αξίας". Σε αυτό......more

Goodreads review by Richard on March 10, 2009

If you ever want to acquire a keen appreciation for food, read any story about the USSR. History or fiction, doesn't matter. Mildewed millet and one loaf of bread a month is enough to break anyone! We The Living is an illustration of the loneliness that seems the unavoidable consequence of any who po......more


Quotes

“A really excellent piece of work.” H. L. Mencken

“A colossal love story with a massive philosophical framework.” Miami News


Awards

  • Modern Library's 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century