We the Living

This book by Ayn Rand came up once on Lex Fridman in the episodes we index. That mention was a genuine on-air recommendation, not just a passing reference. The people who brought it up: Yaron Brook. Every occurrence below links to the episode page and to the exact second it was said on YouTube.

This book is about a young woman named Kira Argounova who is trying to live during the Soviet takeover of Russia. Kira wants to be an engineer, but the lack of freedom in Soviet Russia oppresses her. She becomes involved in a love triangle with Comrade Taganov and the mysterious Leo. The book is a philosophical exposition of the crushing nature of the collectivist philosophy, which oppresses the producers. “Can you sacrifice a few? When those few are the best? Deny the best its right to the top--and you have no best left.