Pretty fascinating. I never bothered to learn much about her private life, probably because I've never liked her books all that much. But if you only read her books and knew nothing about her, you might be able to imagine that she would be the people-hating, domineering psycho that she apparently was in real life.

It's also ironic that her entourage seemed to resemble something like a cult...which is not unlike how one could view the Screaming Teabaggers.

Fiscal cons keep a LOT of Ayn's personal life quiet...especially from their social con allies.

Love her take on "individualism"...but can't tell the Religious Righties her take on religion and sex.

I couldn't even finish watching the movie "The Passion of Ayn Rand." Too scary.

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Knowing more about her life makes her more understandable, but doesn't change that she wrote some pretty awful books. I read them and came out wondering why I had bothered.

Listening to Rush's 2112 in 6th grade led me to Anthem (the book which inspired 2112). Later, in high school, "majoring" in architecture, I read The Fountainhead. Her notions of individualism, leadership, "producers," etc. did inspire my teenage self and have stuck with me to this day.

But her books are nigh unreadable to me these days; and the woman was 100% freakshow.

I love to think of Alan Greenspan and all these guys currying favor with Ayn. What a bizarre scene.