Soccer star Hope Solo praises Ayn Rand's work and ideas

In a recent article ESPN takes a look at the rocky ups & downs of soccer star Hope Solo's life and career. The stellar goalie and two-time Olympic gold medalist states that reading Ayn Rand "saved" her life.

After her arrest, Solo was put in jail for three days. "I didn't think I could last," she says, weeping more now, dropping her head as she does.

Once in custody, Solo asked whether there was anything available to read, and the guards rolled in the jail's portable bookshelf. It was stuffed with well-worn romance novels and easy readers. Disappointed, Solo spun the shelf to the other side and there, in the bottom, snug and pristine, was a copy of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Solo grabbed the novel and clutched it to her chest, heart pounding. Rand had been her favorite author for years. She feels a kinship with a woman "most people think of as selfish." Someone whose message is "misconstrued."

Solo read all day and night. "And at my lowest point in my life," she says, her voice hitching, "it saved me."

Hours after the ESPN article was published Solo led her team to an impressive World Cup win.

Explore:

Enter the world of The Fountainhead.

Get an fascinating overview of the characters of The Fountainhead and how their premises and decisions affected their lives.

Who was Ayn Rand?

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