The Virtue of Selfishness

by Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden

Forbidden fruit. This is one of those books that others will shame you for reading and cast judgment on you for agreeing with the principles of, but damn this was good. A great argument against altruism in a way that doesn’t read quite how you’d expect (i.e., don’t pass judgment just based on the title/anecdotal experience with it—read for yourself). A real eye opener for me and a big motivator toward personal responsibility moving forward. Highly recommended, but be careful; what it teaches you will not make others happy (this is addressed in a later chapter).