Clark: Reading By The Pound

SR columnist Doug Clark shines a spotlight on the bill sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman John Goedde (pictured), R-Coeur d’Alene, to require public school students to read Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” (book cover above):

With themes like capitalism and individualism, “Atlas Shrugged” is a perennial favorite of libertarians, tea party loyalists and Glenn Beck. The sheer girth of it has won a lot of fans within the doorstop industry, too. It’s no mystery why the self-reliant are so mad about “Atlas Shrugged.” You have to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps to even think about climbing this word mountain. Years ago I made a foolhardy attempt to read “Atlas Shrugged.” I wasn’t ready. Thank God I bailed out before my eyeballs permanently crossed. Navigating an Ayn Rand novel is like driving to Nevada via New Jersey. I’m not saying the book’s daunting, but the “Atlas Shrugged” Cliffs Notes alone run 800 pages. More here.

Question: Which think book would you rather have as required reading rather than “Atlas Shrugged”? Moi. “Les Miserables.”