“All men are created equal.” We hear those words so often they slide right past us. But what do they actually mean? Thomas Jefferson wrote them. He also owned slaves until the day he died. Clearly, even the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence did not mean everyone is identical in talent, strength, or intelligence. So what did he mean – and how has the meaning of “equality” changed over two centuries?
So that’s Shortfall. A book about a family scandal that turned into something much bigger.
Let me give you my honest take.
Book: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (35th Anniversary Edition, ISBN: 9781101137192)
This chapter is a big one. It gives us the full backstory on Francisco d’Anconia and turns what seemed like a side plot into the emotional core of the book. It’s also where Rand pulls off something clever: she makes you fall in love with a character and then shows you his apparent destruction, all in the same chapter.