Goodreads | We the Living: 60th Anniversary Edition

Mason rated it:

(review of isbn 0451187849)

03/21/08

Read in February, 2008

This was Rand’s first novel, and it was likely the first novel to share firsthand knowledge of post-revolutionary USSR with the rest of the world. Although she lived through this period before re-locating to the US, this is a work of fiction. It is based around the actual living conditions and social attitudes of the time and follows a young woman who was formerly from a privileged family, but was now just a citizen like anyone else. Actually she was looked down upon by most other citizens a...more This was Rand’s first novel, and it was likely the first novel to share firsthand knowledge of post-revolutionary USSR with the rest of the world. Although she lived through this period before re-locating to the US, this is a work of fiction. It is based around the actual living conditions and social attitudes of the time and follows a young woman who was formerly from a privileged family, but was now just a citizen like anyone else. Actually she was looked down upon by most other citizens and the government precisely because she was from a privileged family before the revolution. Unlike most (then and now) she was a thinker, and refused to just go along with convention or the popular attitudes solely because they were the prevailing attitudes. She held on to her independence and never lost her will to be a person, rather than just a citizen of a state.
This is the story of man against state, not just Kira against Russia. I think the themes and lifestyles and oppression written about here are similar in many different regions and governments (and at the time of the writing of this book, we’re very popular among many Americans) and are the result of the spirit being taken out of life. The whole idea of living for the sole reason of bettering the state sounds good, but has yet to be accomplished and when the reality of the most important aspects of life (emotion, love, dreams, ambition, independence…) being taken away and devalued is examined, as it is in this book, it is clear that the socialist state is highly unlikely to ever exist in the idealistic fashion that many believe it can achieve.
As for the story of the book, it follows Kira through her family’s return to post revolutionary Russia and their struggles to try to survive while still remaining true to themselves. Kira never sees the need to keep her anti-communist ideals to herself and because of this is constantly treading water, doing what she can to remain on the surface of life. The book follows her through a few different love affairs and ultimately to her personal escape of the domination and oppression faced by her countrymen.
I really enjoyed this book and the underlying themes of individuality vs. the collective. Looking back, though, I feel like this book would have had much more of an impact on someone from a generation older than mine or a different culture. Maybe in my parents’ generation. Although, this is more than just the struggle of individuals vs. communism, I felt like because I have always lived in a fairly stable capitalistic society and have never felt the things that came out in this book, maybe I appreciated the story less. Who knows? It was really good regardless, and I sort of wish I would have read it in a Literature class because I think there were so many underlying themes and ideas in the book that could have lead to lengthy discussions. If you haven’t read this yet, give it a shot. Or try Anthem (much shorter and simpler and very different, although still very anti-state) for an intro to Ayn Rand.

“Ah these people here! I know so many of them. We meet, we talk, we shake hands. What does it mean? Nothing. Nothing but an empty physical gesture. Who among them knows the deeper significance of the spirit or the real meaning of our lives?”
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