What is it about Ayn Rand that the regular people love so much and the “professional” critics hate? When the book was released, it was severely panned by the critics, and overwhelmingly disregarded as “remarkably silly” and something that “can be called a novel only by devaluing the term.” However, it sold so many copies by word of mouth that it rivaled the Holy Bible in its sales and the impact it had on people’s lives.