Reviews-
Retired NASA Astrophysicist, October 2022
“This is an amazing and provocative analysis -- even for someone who has not studied Atlas Shrugged.”
Manfred Schieder
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating deduction from Ayn Rand's main masterpiece
Reviewed in Germany on February 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
Whichever way to induce people to read Ayn Rand’s main masterpiece “Atlas Shrugged” meets my full approval, even as abstruse the starting point from which Christiane Munkholm reaches the solution of the thesis presented in her book “Atlas decrypted,” which she assumes to have been hidden by Ayn Rand herself in her novel .
Whether the deduced equation was actually hidden by Ayn Rand herself in “Atlas Shrugged” cannot be proved, since the author is, unfortunately, since long dead. Munkholm's deduction, however, is most fundamentally right, and the way in which she presents her long quest for it, is fascinatingly described in her own book, published, following a thoughtful decision, by Amazon itself.
Munkholm starts her quest by deciphering the first clue she thought to have found in the name of some of “Atlas” protagonists and adding a few tricks of her own to other main characters. This allows her to construct the second premise of the presumed equation, this metaphor itself corresponding exactly to what Ayn Rand’s development of the novel provides as the formula for mankind’s wellbeing and survival.
Should Rand’s recommendation, as deduced by Munkholm, not be followed, Evolution itself, whose automatic procedure has no room for second appeals, will apply the same strict indictment she has already used millions of times before and erase mankind from existence.
I recommend to read both books mentioned on this comment, for they involve a forceful argument for mankind`s future.
5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Measure
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2022
Hank Rearden is the rarest of entrepreneurs. The shrewd CEO is also a metallurgist and manufacturing engineer. He can work at the bench, formulating the innovative compounds that kept Rearden Steel as the world’s leading source of superior steel alloys. He can design production lines, with their enormous cranes moving crucibles of gurgling, molten liquid steel, and where a minor miscalculation can have deadly consequences. And he operates with the confident aplomb of a man who “…had spent his life in mines and mills, shaping matter to his wishes by the power of his brain” (Atlas Shrugged, p. 158).
The equations and explanations that precede and follow that paragraph blew my mind and probably will yours too.
Buy Munkholm’s book and be a member of her review committee as she defends her unconventional and novel dissertation. “Until proven otherwise,” she writes,” I consider my claims’ unprecedented and unreported nature a measure of originality.”
Marvelously beyond measure and remarkably convincing—in my book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Chock full of thought-provoking ideas
Using the scientific method to decode messages of Atlas Shrugged that are just beneath the surface or even in plain sight is thoroughly entertaining. We get a methodical approach to solving a mystery, giving us proof along the way and guiding the readers to fascinating ideas. I really enjoy the hypotheses put forth and the broader implications of a message Rand was sending to the world.
5.0 out of 5 stars Ayn Rand Decrypted
Ayn Rand is worshipped and/or reviled but few are indifferent to her controversial yet monumental intellect. Much has been written but nothing quite like Atlas Decrypted. Obviously a Rand devotee, Christine Munkholm uses her doctoral training in chemistry to pry clues and connect them like a super-scientist. I’ve no doubt her discovery as to ‘Who is John Galt?’ is right ‘on the money.’
Ms Munkholm’s clear, concise writing style makes for a highly enjoyable ride, even if you’re no scientist or Ayn Fan like me.
4.0 out of 5 stars Can a book of literary criticism be a page turner?
You will want to know what happens next, as Christiane Munkholm guides you through her 30-year investigation into the connecting code between the main characters in Ayn Rand's controversial but enduring classic, Atlas Shrugged. Ms. Munkholm's final discovery is not what we would expect, but makes perfect sense. In her clear and engaging style, and with utter respect for Ayn Rand's philosophy, Ms. Munkholm introduces an updated analysis, ensuring that Atlas Shrugged, although written in 1957, will offer meaningful applications for decades to come, and in a continually changing world.
Ms. Munkholm assures us that familiarity with Atlas Shrugged offers the best preparation for following Atlas Decrypted. I do agree and thus four stars. That being said, my cursory understanding of the characters and philosophy in the source novel gave me quite enough background to follow and thoroughly enjoy Ms. Munkholm's intelligent and original analysis - and even feel inspired to read the entire Atlas Shrugged!
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and stimulating
I am not a scientist or a writer, I am a painter, and I view Christiane Munkholm's writing as an abstract painting that is provocative and compelling, and the more you look, and more you see. Her meticulous research and analysis, coupled with her clear and concise writing, are genuinely intriguing and stimulate my mind to research and to know more. A must-read book that will keep challenging your thought process and keep you in suspense!
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched read written by a modern-day Sherlock Holmes
For those that wish to devour the complexity and illuminated writing of an astute scientist and modern-day Sherlock Holmes will find Munkholm’s Atlas Decrypted a well-researched, philosophically astute detailed account of Munkholm’s mining of Ayn Rand’s inner thinking behind her world-renowned novel Atlas Shrugged. Munkholm’s mastery of the written word and scientific knowledge takes you into the depths of reasoning in a passionate pursuit of a code written and camouflaged within the pages of Atlas Shrugged. The author has brought forth another dimension to Ayn Rand and her writings.