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Dani Levy ( Дани)'s Reviews > We the Living
We the Living
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Dec 19, 2024: EDIT �
Still my most favorite book � ever. Still tell everyone I love about this book. Still utterly and unexplainably in love with this book.
Surprisingly, I DNFR “Atlas Shrugged�, though I have no complaints on it and was simply too caught up with life and school to finish it, it didn’t “wow� me nearly as much as this book has.
No one knows about this book, really. It’s like a special little golden nugget I can gate keep.
“Really Dani? Ayn Rand wrote your all time favorite book ever? Of all writers?�
“I mean, she’s cool and all, but to say she’s the author of a book you don’t shut up about?�
Yes, precisely. Surprising to some; maybe. And that only makes it more special. You don’t expect it.
My only complaint in this � the lack of love this book gets � is due to it, not many print versions of it exists. I actually despise the 75th version of this book, and it’s the one I read and have. There’s only like 2 other prints (that are easily obtainable online and affordable) and the prints are “meh�. Small, hate the “compact size� of it. Whatever. The story was worth it.
Nov 9, 2022: EDIT �
I really love this book. A lot. LOL
Aug 26, 2022: EDIT �
Just here to say and emphasize how much I deeply loved this book, I finished it over a month ago and still feel the deep, painful attachment to it. Good god, I sit and look at quotes from the book and still fall more and more in love with this book. I may even say this is my all time favorite book ever.. I truly believe so.
JULY 17, 2022 �
Okay, deep breathes now. I need to remind myself that this story is "fiction", and I quote because everything about it is so true and raw, incredibly historically accurate of Lenin/Stalins communist USSR; but Ayn's characters are fiction..(I find myself reminding myself for hours after finishing this book.)
I'll keep this short and simple. Rand does something many do not. She captures Communism in the emotional, physical and daily light - not in its fact to fact stoic manner.
When you read about communism, especially Russian communism, you don't see how this political ideology affects people emotionally. You don't see how it destroys a family structure from the inside out. You don't see the betrayal in humans, the mistrust, the anger. You don't see the death, not the physical death where a corpse is involve, but the death of ones ambition, ones mind, ones personality, ones love and faith - something we humans NEED to survive and be.. human. Ayn captures this is such a manner, I found myself breathless reading her book, closing it and trying to take in the air around me. Because it hurts to know that despite the fictional characters, in the millions that suffered communism, many were bound to have a similar story.
I fell in love with Andrei. Never have I ever believed I could see the view point of a Communist and defend one against myself so badly as I have with this character. For Ayn Rand to show the human, the essence of why one has resulted in such a powerful position and defend a collective ideology that omits free speech and still love the character, is nothing short of phenomenal. Ayn did something I have never seen before.
Who is this book for?
If you are not from a Communist background and want to see what its like to live under a communist regime, if you want to touch up on your history, if you are a self proclaimed twitter communist and think you know what communism is, or simply, if you want a beautiful story that'll break your heart for days, this is the book for you.
Still my most favorite book � ever. Still tell everyone I love about this book. Still utterly and unexplainably in love with this book.
Surprisingly, I DNFR “Atlas Shrugged�, though I have no complaints on it and was simply too caught up with life and school to finish it, it didn’t “wow� me nearly as much as this book has.
No one knows about this book, really. It’s like a special little golden nugget I can gate keep.
“Really Dani? Ayn Rand wrote your all time favorite book ever? Of all writers?�
“I mean, she’s cool and all, but to say she’s the author of a book you don’t shut up about?�
Yes, precisely. Surprising to some; maybe. And that only makes it more special. You don’t expect it.
My only complaint in this � the lack of love this book gets � is due to it, not many print versions of it exists. I actually despise the 75th version of this book, and it’s the one I read and have. There’s only like 2 other prints (that are easily obtainable online and affordable) and the prints are “meh�. Small, hate the “compact size� of it. Whatever. The story was worth it.
Nov 9, 2022: EDIT �
I really love this book. A lot. LOL
Aug 26, 2022: EDIT �
Just here to say and emphasize how much I deeply loved this book, I finished it over a month ago and still feel the deep, painful attachment to it. Good god, I sit and look at quotes from the book and still fall more and more in love with this book. I may even say this is my all time favorite book ever.. I truly believe so.
JULY 17, 2022 �
Okay, deep breathes now. I need to remind myself that this story is "fiction", and I quote because everything about it is so true and raw, incredibly historically accurate of Lenin/Stalins communist USSR; but Ayn's characters are fiction..(I find myself reminding myself for hours after finishing this book.)
I'll keep this short and simple. Rand does something many do not. She captures Communism in the emotional, physical and daily light - not in its fact to fact stoic manner.
When you read about communism, especially Russian communism, you don't see how this political ideology affects people emotionally. You don't see how it destroys a family structure from the inside out. You don't see the betrayal in humans, the mistrust, the anger. You don't see the death, not the physical death where a corpse is involve, but the death of ones ambition, ones mind, ones personality, ones love and faith - something we humans NEED to survive and be.. human. Ayn captures this is such a manner, I found myself breathless reading her book, closing it and trying to take in the air around me. Because it hurts to know that despite the fictional characters, in the millions that suffered communism, many were bound to have a similar story.
I fell in love with Andrei. Never have I ever believed I could see the view point of a Communist and defend one against myself so badly as I have with this character. For Ayn Rand to show the human, the essence of why one has resulted in such a powerful position and defend a collective ideology that omits free speech and still love the character, is nothing short of phenomenal. Ayn did something I have never seen before.
Who is this book for?
If you are not from a Communist background and want to see what its like to live under a communist regime, if you want to touch up on your history, if you are a self proclaimed twitter communist and think you know what communism is, or simply, if you want a beautiful story that'll break your heart for days, this is the book for you.
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We the Living.
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Quotes Dani Levy Liked
“It's because...you see, if we had souls, which we haven't, and if our souls met--yours and mine--they'd fight to the death. But after they had torn each other to pieces, to the very bottom, they'd see that they had the same root.”
― We the Living
― We the Living
Reading Progress
June 16, 2022
– Shelved
June 16, 2022
– Shelved as:
russian-history
June 16, 2022
– Shelved as:
communism
July 1, 2022
–
43.53%
"Never thought I’d relate so much to a 1920s Soviet woman.. but alas.. the awkwardness in social setting is so reminiscent"
page
202
July 3, 2022
–
47.41%
"This short sentence made my heart flutter. It was, and is, the best way to ever describe living under communism.
“Because there was no future, they hung onto the present.�"
page
220
“Because there was no future, they hung onto the present.�"
July 6, 2022
– Shelved as:
all-time-favorites
July 11, 2022
–
Started Reading
July 16, 2022
–
80.17%
"Good God. What a painful, heartbreaking read. What am immense emotional reality into Lenin’s Communism. I love this book, but man, what a tough read."
page
372
July 16, 2022
–
Finished Reading
July 17, 2022
– Shelved as:
all-time-favorites
Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)
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Thank you for posting Dani. Spot on. I agree with Patrick that the film version is a great adaptation. BTW, I am the person who interviewed Duncan in The Objective Standard. We also had him as a guest on our podcast, The Hero Show.
Wow! Great review! I’ll be adding to my TBR list.
Robert, I apologize, I just saw your comment! That’s amazing and I’m definitely tuning into your show ASAP
BTW, lets remember the characters are fiction but let's remember that the life under communism that she describes is real. The desire for power is the most corrupting desire in the universe,
Hey Bert, yup. Totally agree.
I think I can truly say, you captured the essence of this too little appreciated book.
BTW, the movie version(s) is quite good.
There is a new video interview with Duncan Scott (the American editor, when the original Italian version was recaptured after about 40 years):
I can't give you links here, since ŷ is being really nasty about posting them and won't let me. But if you search on the book title you should be able to find the movie listing and some documentaries.
One of the interviews is at the website of The Objective Standard.
When the rescued/restored/edited movie appeared in the late 1980s, I hosted a premier event in Chicago with the Heartland Institute and one of the producers of the new release. It was a very memorable occasion and film. CLASSIC.