Anthem

In this philosophical novel, the celebrated author of Atlas Shrugged presents a searing portrait of a dystopian future in which all ego has been erased.   In a world where science and learning are banned and the simple utterance of the Unspeakable Word, I, is punishable by death, a man named Equality 7-2521 struggles with his unquenchable desire to investigate, to think, to know. His instincts are a "curse" that threatens to bring him to the attention of a government dedicated to the elimination of the self. But Equality 7-2521 cannot ignore his true nature, just as he cannot ignore the fruits of his curiosity: the discovery of the mysterious "power of the sky." His great awakening—in heart, mind, and soul—represents the inevitable triumph of the individual over the collective.   A riveting, thought-provoking parable based on the author's experience of life in a socialist state, Anthem serves as an invaluable introduction to Ayn Rand, her fiction, and her philosophy.