re: Good approach - bad books
I don't think Ayn Rand is required reading in ANY public school. I would venture to guess that a number of professional educators would respond to a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" the same way that a vampire would react to a free ticket to the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
You're right that "Anthem" (the second book) is too allegorical for most folks. But when you look at places like North Korea, not as far-fetched as you might think.