As many of you know, a few months ago I reviewed Gary Weiss's new book Ayn Rand Nation.
This book, based on meticulous research and many interviews with Rand followers, Tea Party members, and others influenced by Rand's works, is a searing expose of just how powerful, unscrupulous, and influential Rand's supporters have become. Of course Objectivists, many from the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), immediately attempted to downrate the book on Amazon.com, and I had a grand time arguing with some of them on the review message boards.
Well. I just found out that the downrating has not only continued. It's gotten worse. ARI and other Objectivist groups are determined to bury this book before it can have any impact on the coming election, and it's getting very, very nasty.
Details, plus a smoking gun, below.
Ayn Rand Nation was published in late February, and until very recently (as in, last week), the "most helpful" review as voted on by Amazon.com readers and purchasers was by Gordon Burkowski. Burkowski's largely positive review does a good job of describing the book and its themes, and touches on a lot that I missed in my own review here at DKos.
All well and good, and despite some attacks by Objectivists, most of the reviews were positive. Oh, there was a really nasty (and inaccurate) one by an Objectivist named Sarah Rolph, who seemed to have concentrated on the free Kindle sample while exercising her freedom as a capitalist to avoid reading the rest of the book,* but it was just another review from the day it was posted (May 31st) until June 6th.
Then one Harry Biswanger, a member of the ARI, decided that this situation was intolerable. He devoted a post on his (paid) mailing list to praising Rolph's perception and ability to get straight to the heart of a book she either hadn't completely read or merely skimmed, on June 8. He also reprinted Rolph's review in its entirety on the 11th.
And if this weren't enough, look at what turned up on an Objectivist message board for all to see, starting on June 6th (what a coincidence!):
From one P. Michael Hutchins, lauding an attack by Sarah Rolph (emphasis mine):
is on Amazon @ http://www.amazon.co...#R2N4DH5IPRRSQX.
I think it's wonderful, and conveys an Objectivist view extremely well.
I suggest that it be both voted as Helpful there, and publicised.
(I could not figure out where is most appropriate to post this.)
And from Sarah Rolph herself, who's oh so modest even though it's clear from her review that she really hasn't read the whole book:
Before I wrote my review at Amazon, the most popular review of Ayn Rand Nation (as evidence by helpful votes) was a cheerleading positive one by someone who thinks Weiss is correct. The most helpful negative review was terrible, its headline is "worth reading for the pros and cons" -- of Objectivism! (Which it certainly is not.) Now my review pops up as the most helpful negative review in the side-by-side, and comes first overall in the reviews. So that was the point of writing the review and telling a few people about it--to make sure that unsuspecting readers aren't given the wrong impression by all the positive reviews.
If the book isn't being read much--great! Glad to hear it! Let us hope nobody else checks it out from my library, either!
Oddly enough, almost 80 people suddenly found Rolph's review "helpful" between June 8 and June 11, with most of these votes coming on the 9th - just three days after P. Michael Hutchins urged his friends to read and click on the review, and but a single day after Harry Biswanger's post on his (paid) mailing list.
Isn't that just special?
Amazon supposedly forbids organized campaigns either uprating or downrating books. I don't know if this is actually a violation of their TOS, but I suspect that it's close enough to make no difference...so if any of you know how to report this, or have a friend who works for Amazon, I think it's time to shine a little light on Sarah Rolph, P. Michael Hutchins, and Harry Biswanger's sterling efforts to bury a book that has the nerve to expose Ayn Rand and her followers for what they really are.
Have fun.
*How do I know this, o best beloved? Simple: Rolph slams Weiss for never finishing Rand's novels before attacking them and their "philosophy." Alas for Rolph, the only place where Weiss mentions not finishing the books is in the introduction when he initially tried to read them as a teenager. He later states more than once that he did indeed read Atlas Shrugged and its ilk as part of his research for the book.
Oops.
Tue Jun 19, 2012 at 4:29 AM PT: Gary Binswanger, director of the ARI, weighs in with a comment that is breathtakingly disingenous.
Tue Jun 19, 2012 at 2:27 PM PT: And oh, guess what? Dr. Binswanger has mentioned us on his (paid) mailing list! Too bad we can't read his golden words attacking us since we aren't members of his (paid) mailing list....
