I review the reviewer

While browsing through last week's edition of the New Yorker online, I stumbled across a book review of two recent biographies of Ayn Rand. The reviewer tipped his hand early when he referred to Rand as a "crackpot" and compared her literary worth to L. Ron Hubbard. Maybe the title of the review should have given me a hint as to what lay ahead: "The cult of Ayn Rand".

Reading through the rest of the review revealed that this was a mere warmup. Thomas Mallon later refers to Rand as "the most totalitarian novelist ever to sit down at a desk" (I immediately thought to myself Mallon must be the most hyperbolic book reviewer ever in the history of the entire universe), and while acknowledging that her books "sold well", he refers to her success as a "crankish fame".

Reading the review, I began to feel sorry for Rand and her hollow notoriety. It's too bad she never wrote anything of significance. Something like a memoir of Dan Quayle, for example.

This is not Mallon's first attempt at tackling revered books. He's become a prolific polemic reviewer of books, having launched a firestorm with his dismissal of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. One begins to wonder if Mr. Mallon has a thing for female writers of note. Which I personally find interesting as Mallon continues his journey to becoming the Ann Coulter of book reviews.

Nice job, NewYorker. I guess you weren't going for objectivity. It's too late now, but in the same spirit you know who would have done a bang-up job on Bill Clinton's biography? Mallon's buddy, Dick Cheney. Maybe next time.