Tracing the emergence of Ayn Rand''s philosophy of objectivism in the 1940s to her present-day influence, Darryl Cunningham uses Rand''s biography to illuminate the policies that led to the 2008-9 economic crash in the U.S. and in Europe, and how her philosophy continues to affect today''s politics and policies. Cunningham shows how right-wing conservatives, libertarians, and the Tea Party have co-opted Rand''s teachings, and its inherent contradictions, to promote personal gain and profit at the expense of the middle class. Cunningham ultimately delivers a devastating critique of austerity-driven economics.