Last weekend I was searching online for more scholarships when I came across one for $10,000! It is the Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged Scholarship. All I have to do is read this book, answer an essay question, and hope for the best. The catch? This book! I usually read books that I call my "mindless entertainment" They are fun and engaging and I am not at all smarter when I am done with them. This book is almost 1100 pages of stuff that is incredibly intellectual. Here's the description from amazon.com:
Published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged was Ayn Rand's greatest achievement and last work of fiction. In this novel she dramatizes her unique philosophy through an intellectual mystery story that integrates ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, politics, economics, and sex.
Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life-from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy...to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction...to the philosopher who becomes a pirate...to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad...to the lowest track worker in her train tunnels.
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller.
Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life-from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy...to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction...to the philosopher who becomes a pirate...to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad...to the lowest track worker in her train tunnels.
Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller.
This morning I finished part one (there are three parts). Believe it or not I am learning some things and thinking in ways that would most definitely make my father drop dead out of amazement and shock. Now, I am in no way fooling myself into thinking that I am going to win the $10,000 prize. I am sure there are some extremely nerdy intelligent people out there who will not only write a better essay than I will, but also have a much better understanding of the book. But ... there are 49 scholarships being given in all. And eight of them are for $1000 or more! I have until September 17th to read the rest of the book and write my essay. Wish me luck!
3 comments:
I wish you luck! You should get bonus points for just reading the book;) When your done I'll give you some of the books we are reading currently. Ryan has a list of 50 books from the State Dept. and we are up to our eyeballs in non-fiction here.
Non fiction? No thanks!
Good for you!! : ) I was lost just from reading the description!!
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get the scholarship!
JL
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