It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand, Revised & Updated

by Jerome Tuccille

This edition of It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand contains much of the text that appeared in the original edition revised and edited to conform to modern style plus new chapters dealing with events that took place after the book was first published. Some of the new material deals with my campaign for Governor of New York as the Free Libertarian Party candidate, a discussion of events that transpired on the American political scene after that benighted campaign, plus thoughts on my current political and spiritual leanings. The perennial success of It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand has startled no one more than me. Sales started slowly, then began to pick up over the years, until the book became an underground classic that has gained readership over the decades. It should be read as political memoir, a first-hand account of a political movement, mostly fact, but with fictional elements and hyperbole added for effect. A reviewer once said that most memoirs are neither fact nor fiction; they are the truth as the author remembers it.

So it is with It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, Biography

267 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Jerome Tuccille (c. 1937 – February 2017) was an American writer and activist usually associated with the libertarian movement of American politics.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this book because it is pretty bad, despite being funny and illuminating about libertarianism from the inside. The first bit, about the 1960s and 1970s is better than the second part, when the author loses most of the sense of humor that kept the first part of the book readable and just genuflects to Reagan, while blaming everything that didn't work out in his admin on his advisors. His representations of the New Left and even liberalism are also laughably off-base, mostly adhering to libertarian talking points. Still, it's shorter than the terrible book by Brian Doherty, so that is a point in its favor.

[Harry Rutherford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tuccille's memoir of a life as a Libertarian activist. I saw it recommended somewhere as an entertaining read even if you're not a Libertarian, and I agree that it is, with a couple of caveats.

This is the 'revised and updated' version — the original was published in 1971 — and the stuff he added to bring it up to date is the book's major problem. The early stuff, about the cult surrounding Ayn Rand, about going to Libertarian conferences and the colourful and downright peculiar characters who turned up at the them, running as the Libertarian candidate for Mayor of New York, and about the endless schisming and infighting in search of ideological purity: all that is lively, entertaining and has a sense of humour about itself.

The later bits, the chapters about the administrations of Reagan , the Bushes and Clinton, don't have nearly as much detailed colour and just lack any kind of zing. The particular libertarian angle doesn't do enough to distinguish it from any other post-mortem of recent history. And the book ends with an interview he gave to a libertarian publication which is a bit dull and just tends to repeat his earlier views.

Also a warning about the Kindle edition: they man-aged to cock up the hyphenation in con-verting it for the Kindle, so there are lots of words which have hyphens in the midd-le of them. Which is REALLY QUITE ANNOYING. Although on the upside, the Kindle edition was only £2.12, which is why I took a punt on it in the first place.

So, although I did genuinely enjoy the earlier bits, if you are going to read it I'd suggest picking up a cheap second-hand copy of the paper edition and skipping the last few chapters.

[Jon]

Tuccille combined political analysis with autobiography in this tale of how he moved from being an Ayn Rand fanatic to trying to create--if only for himself--a libertarian synthesis of left- and right-wing ideas. As someone who's never read a word of Rand and who came to libertarianism from the opposite route Tuccille took, I found this little-known polemic to be fascinating reading. (Tuccille saw the humor of his own obscurity, stating at one point that his previous book RADICAL LIBERTARIANISM sold "six or seven copies.") Interestingly, Tuccille disputes the common view that the NY "hardhat riots" of 1969 were staged by Chuck Colson and other Nixon flunkeys, and claims to have heard some construction workers bragging about beating up hippies the next day. (I suspect that was fantasy on their part and that in this case, Nixon really was the one.) This is a look at 60s politics and culture from an unusual perspective, from someone who was there. A later edition apparently includes additional material about Tuccille's run for Governor of NY State on the Libertarian ticket, but I haven't seen that version.

[Wesley Kushner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out interesting enough, as a historical romp through the libertarian movement in America. Tuccille gives an over the top account of big name players that's insightful and hilarious. However, much like the American libertarian movement, it gets repetitive and obnoxious as the same arguments happen over and over again.

[Gordana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite amusing

[BradMD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. About the libertarian movement.

[Gerardo Herrera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very well written book. Many editing errors. The narrative is unorganized. It is entertaining at times, however.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a trip.