Unique and way cool
This is just one of the coolest stories I've ever read. To me (Gen-X male college-graduate), it stands out not so much for its interesting philosophical/political undertones (overtones?), but for timeless human-interest content penned in Ayn Rand's clean and balanced writing style. It's not verbose so as to bog you down in fluffy details, yet I could still richly visualize every scene in the book. The characters are very memorable, and Rand did an excellent job of extrapolating the consequences of the choices made in their youth and early-adulthood, throwing in enough twists and turns to keep the development of their lives very interesting, which is a very fortunate thing, because when you first pick this book up it will seem forever.