Anthem by Ayn Rand
“Pronouns can get confusing, but it has a solid message”
Overview: Anthem tells the story of Equality 7-2521, a man living in a time in which the words "I," "my," and "mine" do not exist and each person is assigned a life of toil in a designated vocation at the age of 15.
The book is around 100 pages and a quick read and is impressive in that as a short story it masterfully weaves together the concepts of invention, freedom, conscious thought, and the power of the individual.
The story at times becomes preachy and heavy-handed, but it doesn't detract from the story. For as controversial as Rand can be, Anthem does a very good job of illustrating a core concept of her ideology with a great deal of brevity. She manages to make a compelling point about the nature of the philosophical debate between individualism and collectivism without overreaching or attempting to explain more than the work is capable of.
Although the story is dark, it is compelling, and it forces the reader to consider how easily our own society could fall victim to conformity. Whatever you may think of her reasons, Rand could write, and this story has many vivid images you'll remember.
