Barbara Branden was a close associate of Ayn Rand's during the 1950s and 1960s. She was managing editor of The Objectivist and executive vice president of the Nathaniel Branden Institute which conducted courses on Ayn Rand's individualist philosophy across the United States. Tapes of her lectures, The Principles of Efficient Thinking, are still available.

Branden contributed a biographical chapter on Rand in the book Who Is Ayn Rand? (1962). Her biography The Passion of Ayn Rand (1986) told the full story for the first time, including how Rand developed her ideas, how Rand wrote her beloved books, and how Rand and Nathaniel Branden had an affair which changed their lives.

You can find great substance in one of her latest audio recording Influence of Ayn Rand: "I want to infect you with my optimism," says Barbara Branden, on the question, "Can Our Ideas Make a Difference?" She contrasts her difficult experiences when first trying to promote these ideas as a university student with key aspects of today's culture to show that they not only can make a difference, they already have.

Here are some comments about The Passion of Ayn Rand:

"A superb biography written with much of the sweep, drama and narrative momentum of the great works of Ayn Rand herself."
--George Gilder, Washington Post Book World

"A wonderful story, ranging from Rand's birth in Tsarist St. Petersburg through her escape from the Soviet Union to her triumph amid the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the city she always maintained was the supreme testament to the human spirit."
--Peter Brimelow, Times (London)

"I loved the book. . . . It is an epic tale of soaring ecstacy and searing pain, of unbelievable triumph and unspeakable tragedy. It is a story that will leave you scarred . . . and ennobled."
--Robert James Bidinotto, On Principle

"A piece of work you cannot put down."
--Carolyn See, Los Angeles Times

"A stunning biography, rich in revelations that will add substance to a hidden life, and depth to an enigmatic genius who strode across the world’s stage and had an explosive impact on our time."
--Roy A. Childs, Jr., Laissez Faire Books

In 1999, Showtime aired a TV movie based on The Passion of Ayn Rand. It starred Helen Mirren as Rand, Peter Fonda as Frank O'Connor, Eric Stolz as Nathaniel Branden and Julie Delpy as Barbara. There was a cameo role for Barbara playing her mother. The British National Theater presented the stage version of The Passion of Ayn Rand at London's West End.

(Reprinted with permission from Laissez Faire Books)

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