The story of "We the Living" is set entirely in Soviet Russia. The book starts right after the fall of the White Army to the Reds and throughout goes into more and more detail on how the White Army fell and how the Reds took over. It explains and examines the prejudices that the Reds had for any members of the "new" societ that were sympathetic to the Whites or who had been people of talent in the old Russian Kingdom. It is quite literally a fictional story set in a non-fictional senario. What Ayn Rand lived through she describes in brutal detail.

While the explaination and examination of the beginnings of the Soviet Union and the people who endured it was wonderful and a must read for anyone who truly wants to know what socialism leads to. The story, however, is quite upsetting. Here on in I may have a few spoilers. Nothing too critical, at least I don't think they are, but you've been warned. The main female "hero" is named Kira and at the beginning it goes through her life with her family as they move out of their house following the fall of the Czar. The description of the transformation of her family from that of a hard working, talented, rich family into a poor family like all the others is quite astonishing. Throughout the book starvation and cold are described that it makes you want to take a nice hot shower and eat like you've never eaten before.

The story begins to take a turn as she meets two men, Leo and Andei. Andei is another student at Kira's Institute and is a Party Communist. Leo is quite literally the type of man that she most wants in the world and after a failed attempt to escape the canabalistic country they decide to live together but not marry. It was both of their idea to not marry but we can see, yet again, a female hero in an Ayn Rand book not taking the man she loves last name. The story then goes through the trials they face together as relatives of previously wealthy men as people who do not work or work poorly are given everything by the party because their parents were poor and because they have connections. In this we can see the current Democratic party's stance.

Here's where the spoilers start but read on if you want to know what I really didn't like. Leo eventually falls ill with a deadly illness. being the proud man he does not want charity and after several failed attempts to get the money another way Kira literally whores herself out to Andei who wants her more than anything. In return for what he believes is her love Andei gives her his pay for, what he believes is, her family. Leo is then sent away to get better and Kira continues to see Andei. When Leo comes back, the visits do not stop. While Leo has changed, Kira doesn't really seem to make an attempt to deal with the new Leo. If Leo says he's going somewhere and her protests fail, then she sees Andei, instead of trying to plan things for them to do or really trying to talk to him about it when he gets home. Realize of course that Leo is a very hard man to talk to, but I know my friends and I know Stephanie and if I changed drastically and made them feel like they didn't matter as much anymore, you can be sure they'd stick by me even then and try to understand what was going on. There are people in life one knows they will never lose by there side no matter what they do or say and quite frankly Kira is not. In my opinion she tends to falter, although the counter argument could be made skillfully, and gives up on her true love.

While she did what she had to do to save Leo, the fact that the visits continued shows that there was something more to them. Perhaps, as some of the ending suggests, Andei was touching her how she wanted to be touched by Leo who now had little time for such things. Perhaps there were elements of Andei she loved. However Leo is still a more perfect man in his beliefs and convictions and Andei is still a Communist in belief and actions. Kira continues to lie to Leo about Andei and to Andei about Leo and this is where Ms. Rand justifies lieing. When one loves to someone they love they become smaller in every sense of the word. I should know, considering my relationship in High School ending with her cheating on me. Perhaps this book hits too close to home since, like Kira, she was seeing both him and I at the same time near the end of the relationship, and I was lied to about where she was and whom she was with. Only a slip up by her mother revealed the truth.

Lieing cannot be justified when it is to someone you love. Under torture- yes. To save someone you love's life- yes. But to see someone else when your love is well- no. Perhaps Kira continued it because she wanted a backup plan in case Leo got caught running his business but I highly doubt it considering the speech she gives Andei after Leo is captured which again ends with her submitting to Andei. Only at the very end are we ever really sure who she loved more and I'll leave that for you to find out. Overall I would say this is a must read to understand communism and how the Soviet Union began but as far the story goes, be ready to discuss many things with your love.

"She wondered why the words: "But he's going to die," meant so little to them and the words: "But he isn't a registered worker," meant so little to her and why it seemed so hard to explain" -from Ayn Rand's "We the Living"