The Journey of Dagny Taggart offers the most detailed literary analysis of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged yet published. Cookinham works through the novel page by page to explore the many life experiences and locations that influenced her literary development of the novel. Unlike most reviews of Atlas Shrugged, Cookinham says the book should be examined as a romantic novel about the philosophical transition of Dagny Taggart through three love affairs rather than as a political manifesto. Along the way, he examines the many criticisms that have been launched against Rand's literary skills by critics, many of whom have never read the book, and thoroughly refutes them. He demonstrates through the commentary that Rand is a novelist of extraordinary skill and deserves to be treated as such.