‘100 voices’ a big benefit for study of Ayn Rand canon

Scott McConnell's book '100 Voices' will benefit those interested in the works of Ayn Rand.What’s the best way to really get to know an author, besides reading her works? Talk to those who knew her personally. That’s what oral historian Scott McConnell did and the result is his book 100 Voices: An Oral History of Ayn Rand. McConnell’s book will offer a big benefit for current and future students of the woman admired by many freethinkers around the world. Hundreds of thousands of copies of Rand’s books still sell and according to the Internet Movie Database, a film of Rand's definitive work Atlas Shrugged is set for release around mid-April, 2011.

To compile and refine interviews with 100 of Rand’s contemporaries talking about the author from a personal and professional standpoint—it’s fair to say McConnell has given a gift to the academic and even the pop culture worlds. After all, Rand transcends both. The book even has its own 100 Voices Facebook page.

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In family, a sense of military tradition dates to the Revolution

Happy Veterans Day to those who serve and who have served.As children, my brother and I had the run of a big old family home with a large front porch—it wasn’t fancy but it was solid. Families were larger then and as a result of both our parents' numerous brothers and sisters, we enjoyed a great deal of attention. In sharp contrast to today, we spent a lot of time with the men in our family. I suspect they wanted to get us out from underfoot when the women were canning, quilting or taking care of other domestic business. We children were only too happy to oblige. If you've ever snapped peas or removed the strings from beans, you'll know what I mean.

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