Timothy Sandefur

Isabel Paterson, Rose Wilder Lane and Ayn Rand were leading thinkers during a period when liberty was tested and shaped. Their stories intertwined, as did their writing and their relationships. Freedom's Furies shares their stories, how they reinforced each other and how their firm beliefs ultimately led to falling out with each other. In course, Sandefur conveys some of the most important principles underlying concepts like positive and negative rights, systems of government, and the connection between economics and ethics.… (meer)

What I most appreciate about this book is the first-hand account of a man who struggled successfully to rise far above the oppressive circumstances he was born into. While focusing on the historical and political rights issues involved with slavery, he equally gives due attention to the suffering and emotional issues that slaves endured. There are many lessons within this concise book. Frederick Douglass took risks that fortunately worked out, resulting in a freedom to think and earn for himself. Even then, he faced political factions within his own cause and an ambivalent bureaucracy from the part of the state that supposedly espoused freedom for all. More than anything, this book inspires us to realize that even the greatest nations can be built on practices that take many generations to reconcile.… (meer)