Comparing the novel ATLAS SHRUGGED and the fantasy “LORD OF THE RINGS”

This Oft Repeated Quote Comes From Barry Ritholtz

The following is not new, but as Mr. Ritholtz points out it is so worth repeating.

A fantastic quote bubbled up in comments the other day:

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves Orcs.”

-John Rogers

I find this hilarious, because it it true.

As most people know, ATLAS SHRUGGED is important because it is a bible of the philosophy of many Conservatives, and it is fiction.  That "fiction" part explains a lot, doesn't it.