Libertarianism for Tweens - author Arin Greenwood interviewed

Libertarianism for Tweens: A conversation with young-adult author Arin Greenwood - Lucia Graves, National Journal:

November 12, 2013 - "Arin Greenwood's terrific new book, Save the Enemy, is labeled young-adult, but her explorations of libertarian philosophy are not typical of the genre. The story's protagonist, Zoey Trask, is torn between her parents' competing worldviews: her dad's libertarianism and her mom's spirituality. (Believing in spirits, Zoey's dad notes, is worse than stupid — it's irrational). While the novel is billed as a thriller, Greenwood's funny, psychologically astute characters make the fantastical story line seem just outside the bounds of normal. An excerpt:

Your dad probably read you books like The Giving Tree when you were a kid. My dad did read me The Giving Tree once, calling it "evil" in that it "promotes the immoral destruction of the self." (I was four.) He preferred Atlas Shrugged, which is basically about how rich people shouldn't pay taxes. He has explained to me a lot over the course of my seventeen years that taxes are "slavery." People are only "free when they act as they want to act." Perfect for toddlers — is my sarcasm coming through? — Atlas Shrugged is also the novelized explanation of the writer Ayn Rand's "objectivist" philosophy, of "rational self-interest," in other words: extreme selfishness....

"I've known Greenwood, and even worked with her briefly at The Huffington Post. A journalist by day, she adores animals and lives with her husband, Ray, in Old Town Alexandria, Va., where Save the Enemy is set. I interviewed her Monday about her new novel, which was published today by SoHo press."

Read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/libertarianism-for-tweens-20131112