The Future is in Pocono

So a library in Pocono, Pennsylvania, solicits book reviews from patrons then publishes those reviews in the local paper. Normally these patrons are adults, but this time they chose to solicit reviews from youths who participate in the summer reading program. Not many students took them up on their offer, which is no surprise, considering how recently the students got released from bondage, er, school.

As is happening more and more these days, one of the three published reviews happens to cover The Fountainhead. Not only that, but it does so bravely, smartly, and, I think, accurately.

Here's a sample of the short review:

"Multiple themes of human progression and egotism, combined with Rand's marvelous authorial objectivism, make "The Fountainhead" one of the most controversial and philosophically challenging novels to ever have exposed the human potential as the product of individualism."

I offer a warning to the members of the Religious Right and the Marxist Left (not to mention the Marxist Right and the Religious Left): Take one look at the kind of kid/young adult who would write such a cutting review. Take a look at the letters that these youthful fans of Ayn Rand write to their school papers and the essays they send to the Ayn Rand Institute. Compare these to the incomprehensible drek you routinely get from even your brighter students. Consider the power, clarity, and precision of the minds behind these reviews. Consider them — and worry for your lives, because these are the kids of the future.

You can read the full review, published in the Pocono Record, here: Library youths recommend books on the Titanic, individualism and a kindergartener. (HT: Randex)