Ayn Rand was one of the twentieth century's fiercest, most controversial, and most influential champions of laissez-faire capitalism and individual rights. Her novels and essays have attracted tens of millions of readers, shaped the Libertarian movement, and influenced White House economic policy throughout the Ford, Reagan, and Bush administrations. She remains a powerful force in the political perceptions of Americans today. Yet twenty-five years after her death, her readers know little about her life. This book is a comprehensive and eye-opening portrait of one of the most significant and improbable figures of the twentieth century -- from her childhood in Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution to her years as a screenwriter in Hollywood, the publication of her blockbuster novels, and the rise and fall of the cult that formed around her in the 1950s and 1960s. - Publisher.