Good Libertarian Fiction for 12-Year-Olds:
A reader asks:
I'm interested in finding some good libertarian fiction for my (almost) twelve year-old -- "libertarian" because I'd like her to get some exposure to those ideas, and "fiction" because that's what interests her. The problem is that I haven't read a lot of libertarian fiction, and I started when I was much older. Most of the stuff I'm familiar with has some fairly adult content.
Naturally, different people have different views about what's suitable for 12-year-olds, or for that matter what 12-year-olds are likely to find interesting. But even given this, I expect that many readers would like to hear suggestions on this score. Please post your recommendations in the comments, with whatever details you might like.
Nick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretties
historical fiction about communist china
From Wikipedia:
I do recall it has some mature content probably unsuitable for most 12 year olds (the subject matter involved compulsory reproductive practices).
My suggestions would be Orwell's "Animal Farm" and Rand's "Anthem". Both are relatively short, and both are age-appropriate both in content and in the sophistication with which the ideas are presented. If she digs those and enjoys the dystopian genre, she could move on to Brave New World or 1984. While none of these explicitly address libertarianism, they're good at showing the dangers of statism, and that's a good base to build on.
http://members.iglou.com/jtmajor/HeinJuvs.htm
is a good list, - Starship Troopers is a TAD more mature. I LIKE Citizen of the Galaxy, The Rolling Stones is similar to "the trouble with Tribbles" - Space Cadet, Farmer in the Sky, Starman Jones - nothing there that even a 10 year old can't read
Yikes, I didn't remember that in Anthem, so temper my recommendation accordingly. It couldn't have been anything too salacious, though, or it would almost certainly have locked itself in my then-adolescent brain.
This is not a book, but the Firefly / Serenity series had libertarian themes in it. Had a bunch of other stuff too, but I think a big premise was "big government bad".
His early works are best. Unfortunately, he later flirted with LRon.
Well, looks like it wasn't so salacious after all. Turns out Anthem, according to Wikipedia, is in the public domain now. Here is the pertinent passage.
Here the protagonist describes it:
http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/texts/anthem/complete.html
L. Neil Smith - "The Probability Broach", "Tom Paine Maru"
F. Paul Wilson - "An Enemy of the State"
Some of Heinlein's juveniles would be suitable, especially "Podykane of Mars" and "The Rolling Stones". The former even had a young female protagonist, though as a guy I can't really say how well he does at writing from a female viewpoint. (It was years later that I finally learned why all of 'Andre' Nortons' guys were so "off".)
Maybe a few of L Neil Smith's books, such as "Brightsuit McBear"?
In that same vein, what about Madaleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle In Time" series? It's specific to children of that age.
Assuming the child in question reads the whole thing, she may or may not appreciate all of it, but with any luck government bureaucracy will forever be, at best, Kafkaesque in her mind.
DG and KG2V, can you explain your Starship Troopers recommendations? What is libertarian about joining the marines and fighting aliens?
Don't worry, I have never met a parent capable of reliably guiding his or her child's reading habits for political reasons. Much to the distress of such parents, the kids have this delightful tendency to think for themselves.
Most parents MASSIVELY overestimate their ability to control how their kids will think or act.
But I don't think that's the game afoot here, really. After all, we're just talking about exposing a kid to libertarianism and other interesting philosophies! Nothing wrong with that. It's a long way from creating the next David Bernstein.
Animal Farm and 1984 are obvious standout picks. With every additional year and smidgen of wisdom I can gather, I find new reasons to admire Orwell's genius.
You might never have had overt political reasons for guiding your childrens' education, but to suggest it never happened is absurd, unless you're trying to juxtapose yourself against a parent going to A Clockwork Orange level indoctrination. As far as I can tell, nobody in this thread is trying to do that.
I'm assuming from the question, that you have only seen the movie. The fighting of aliens takes up only a few pages of the book - its not exactly action packed. The training and philosophy sequences are far long and describe a coming of age that encompasses an ethos of individual responsibility. The movie was a parody of imagined fascism in the book, written and directed by people who (gleefully) never read or understood it. The only redeeming part of the movie is Doogie Howser doing Heinrich Himler. Comic Genius, that.
Both illustrate the corrupting influence that participating, or even living, in an authoritarian system can exert. Nabokov's novel is much better. But "Darkness" is a much easier book.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (may be a little young for her). Willie Wonka, in many ways, is the ultimate libertarian.
Jane Eyre
I definitely agree with other posters that "Animal Farm" is a must-read and OK for 12 year olds.
I liked "Starship Troopers" but I'm not sure if it's age-appropriate for 12 yo's. I read it a long time ago, and my memory is hazy, but doesn't it have some references to casual sex that some folks might think inappropriate for young teenagers. And besides, the 'libertarian' messages are kind of subtle in that one -- likely to go over kids' heads .... "Harsh Mistress" might be a better choice, but even there, the 'line marriage' thing might take some explaining!!
I would second the recommendation for "Anthem."
Also, anything by Ayn Rand other than Anthem is likewise appropriate at a later age, probably high school. But I think Anthem is a good choice.
Aren't the Little House on the Prairie books supposed to be all libertarian, since some of them were written by Rose Wilder Lane, libertarian foundress, and all? Hanah tells me, though, that those books are aimed at much younger readers.
Also, Beggars in Spain is good (Harrison Bergeron-type themes). Hanah likes the His Dark Materials series (as in Golden Compass) (atheism + fighting oppressive theocratic state), which is aimed at the same age ground as the Narnia books.
Also, see Stuart Anderson's Reason article about libertarianism in children's fiction. I also found this list on the internet by Googling "libertarian children's books".
by Claire Wolfe; Aaron Zelman
It's a libertarian, science fiction novel, written for young teens. My ten year old son read it and loved it.
It is science fiction only in that it is set in the future-sort of a kid's Brave New World with a better ending.
From Amazon;
Product Description
Jeremy has a dream: To be the greatest lightmaker for the greatest west coast rock band, RebelFire. But what can he do? He's just a kid. A kid trapped in a prison-like school. Trapped in a world where dreams are “treated” with drugs – and roving patrols make sure you take your dose. Trapped in the Zone, where travel without a permit is impossible. Trapped under the all-controlling eye of spycams, sensors, and monitors. Trapped by the chip in his wrist that regulates everything Jeremy can – or can't – do. Trapped in a world where some far-off control freak can even decide what music he's allowed – or forbidden – to hear. Jeremy's only choice is to shut up and do as he's ordered. But some people were never meant to be controlled ... Enter the world of "RebelFire: Out of the Gray Zone". Experience the book. Hear the music. The first four chapters can be read online at Rebelfire
Fair enough, I guess, if that's the only intent (and I did jump to a conclusion). Still, I never even tried the "exposure" tactic for political reasons and I'm surprised anyone would.
Well, dropping me off at the library and letting me choose is exactly what my parents did. For my own kids -- books being cheaper these days -- I took them to the bookstore and let them choose. The only thing I tried to do was make it reading level appropriate. I ground my teeth sometimes when they chose 12 year old equivalents to junk novels, but that's what choice involves.
I don't think politics are unimportant, and at some level I might have intervened (a pro-Nazi book, I guess, just to Godwin the thread). But yeah, literary quality was pretty much my only criterion.
BTW, I think some of the recommendations in this thread are good ones. I'm a huge Heinlein fan, and of course Orwell is always good (my kids read Orwell in school anyway). I just wouldn't push my kids to read either one for political reasons.
If she's average: The Trial.
If she's dumb: Animal Farm.
It should be mentioned that the science is always reasonably presented, and all of the mathematics is accurate. Heinlein is a master of, and for, all juvenile reading books.
Would you pat your child on the head for saying 2 + 2 = 762, all for the sake of letting them think for themselves?
It seems that this attitude of yours stems from the belief that libertarianism is not the truth, the light, and the way.
Actually, I would prefer libertarian parents to be as ham-handed as possible in indoctrinating their children. I can't think of a better way to make them into liberals. =)
Warning: There just one little blim of sex. OK for mature 12 yr.
On a mostly apolitical science fiction that I really liked (I am not really a fiction reader):
The Mote in God's Eye
The Gripping Hand (sequel to mote)
Better Heinlein choices, IMO, and more suitable for a 12 year old: Red Planet and Citizen of the Galaxy (rebellion against overbearing authority), Tunnel in the Sky (what makes authority legitimate).
Out of the Silent Planet
Perelandra
That Hideous Strength
Yes, I do think that they are libertarian but that is definitely not the emphasis; they deal with personal responsibility.
Jane Austen's 'Emma' (leading to the excellent movie 'Clueless') isn't libertarian per se, but promotes female independence.
That being said, I might let her tackle Lord of the Rings, if her reading skills are up to it.
This doesn't fall into that category but it is libetarian: John Barnes, The Sky So Big and Black. That may be a little complex for a 12-year-old, depending on intelligence and reading comprehension. Orbital Resonance has similar ideas and takes place in the same universe. It's not as well written as The Sky So Big and Black, though, IIRC. Explicit disrecommendation for the series featuring Giraut Leones, though. I don't think a 12-year-old would be into it very much.
Interestingly, it seems like a lot of the recommendations are not libertarian per se, but they aren't antithetical to libertarianism. I am confused about what is libertarian about Ender's Game, though.
Nearly any of Heinlein's juveniles, picked at random, would be a good choice.
Some of John Varley's short stories in his Nine Worlds series could work, especially for a teenager. Collections such as Blue Champagne and Picnic on Nearside, for example.
All of the clearly undesireable characters (Jadis, Uncle Andrew, Gumpas, Miraz, Edmund in his treachery, etc.) display or verbalize plainly authoritarian mannerisms.
The good rulers are uniformly hands-off and freedom-loving.
Lots on responsibility, etc.
A must-read short story is Tom Godwin's "The Cold Equations".
The <i>Ender</i> series is also very good in grabbing attention through identification.
C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are good for getting one's teeth into, though the politics aren't exactly 'libertarian'.
If the girl is bright, then H.G. Wells stands as good fiction, but horrible politics.
On a broader note, I think perhaps that simply exposing your children to good literature regardless of political bent, is the best way to instill the sort of moral values like freedom and tolerance, upon which rest the foundations of libertarianism. Not very helpful advice in narrowing things down, I know, but I think that all fiction that really delves into the human condition (i.e. non-trash) helps a child develop positive ideas.
I'm having a little trouble understanding why "anti-communist" isn't more-or-less synonymous with "pro-libertarian."
Personally, I thought that "Stranger in a Strange Land" was underwhelming, to say the least -- and not especially libertarian unless one equates libertarianism with sexual promiscuity. For me, it was the most disappointing Heinlein work I've ever read.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Changing the subject: What about "Too Late the Phalarope" ? It's not explicitly pro-libertarian, but it beautifully demonstrates the consequences of living in an un-free society.
Varley's recent Red Thunder and Red Lightening are written in the style of Heinlein's juveniles. Brightsuit McBear has been mentioned. Spider Robinson? Ursala LeGuin is no libertarian - I've heard her say so, but good books accessible to kids, some with anti-authoritarian themes. Leonard Wibberley's historical novels about the American Revolution were my favorites at 10, titles something like Peter Tregate's Musket. Mark Twain.
What about novels which are not science fiction or fantasy?
The Girl Who Owned a City - I read this around age 12; It made a lasting impression; strong female protagonist.
I can see why The Golden Compass might be considered libertarian. But the whole series is fairly dark, esp. as you go on. The first book isn't that bad that way, but I had a hard time finishing it for that reason (in my 50s).
Having lived through getting a kid to love sci fi/fantasy, my view is that you hook them on the juvenile stuff that doesn't have much of a message, and then, when they are in HS or so, start pushing towards the libertarian stuff. I may have an advantage here though, since I have thousands of titles of this genera, and could use that as a hook to entice readership, since it was much cheaper to read my stuff than buy it in the bookstore, and I have a much better selection than most libraries do. A library may have a couple titles by an author, and I might have 20 (or in a couple of cases, 50) by that author.
You think John Foster Dulles was libertarian? Eisenhower? Nixon?
I'd recommend Ender's Game (not so much the rest of the series.) The Harry Potter series has a recurring theme of "suspicion of authority and the abuse thereof," but Rowling is dreadful about turning that into anything.
The original writer might want to look into Russian literature in general. Though the writers of the last half of the 19th century and the whole of the 20th century didn't do anything precisely "libertarian," I always felt, in my Russian lit classes, like we were being whacked on the head with "why big government and centralization are bad."
Also, I wouldn't put too strong an emphasis on this stuff: I read plenty of the Babysitter's Club books, and yes, the entire Flowers in the Attic saga (I was young, okay?) It didn't hurt my intellectual abilities or interest in libertarian ideals. It's more important to have serious discussions (and not so serious discussions) about what you believe and why.
Note to the questioners asking about "what about the stuff that's not sci-fi/fantasy": literary fiction doesn't tend toward libertarianism, and really doesn't appeal to pre-teens. Most YA fiction is either fantasy or total dreck (or, in a few cases, semi-dreck hiding as "moral improvement.") Much of the total dreck is also fantasy, but so is almost all of the good stuff. Once you hit a fifth-grade reading level, enjoyable mainstream fiction dries up: even the mysteries and ghost stories are targeted for relatively entry-level readers. I'm trying to remember a non-fantasy/science fiction series that challenged me intellectually, but was written at that reading level, and coming up totally blank.
Also, science fiction and fantasy has a greater genre obligation to deal with Big Themes: everyone agrees that murder is evil and bad guys should be caught and being in love is preferable to being (miserably) alone, and so romance and mystery turn their attention to the question of how to find that murderer or get that pirate to fall in love with you. And political thrillers are both rare and tend to have to rely on all kinds of difficult research and alternative genre tropes (the mystery, the quest, the romance) to move the action along, just to keep the reader's attention. But you can address totalitarianism and personal agency and the rest of it quickly and easily (and interestingly/amusingly) when you put stuff into the far-advanced dystopian future or cast pigs and horses as your leads.
Perhaps you could give her the James Schmitz Hub books. Start with the various Telzey Amberdon stories. Try to pick up the older editions, not edited by Eric Flint.
For a mature 12r old, maybe Lord of the Flies. It may not be libertarian but it attempts to explore human nature from a perspective that libertarians must confront.
Jane Eyre surprised me at first, but is a good suggestion. How about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, for anyone ready to reade Bronte? And actually Jane Austen's works, and possibly even Dorothy Sayers--these are not precisely libertarian, but do feature strong, nonconventional, rational-minded women.
Suppose we tried to round up conservative, or environmentalist, or socialist books for a 12-year-old. I suspect that when you put the ideological litmus test (that is, a requirement that the book really be an effective vehicle for serious thought about some social or political worldview) together with acceptability for a 12-year-old, there, too, you'd have a highly biased sample of Literature As A Whole. Maybe even these would be biased toward science fiction?
You'd definitely have a bias toward utopian or dystopian literature -- because that's a strand of literature that explicitly deals with social policy in a literary way. And how do you write utopian literature today? The easiest and most natural way (though not the only way) is to set it in an alien world or a future world, which naturally overlaps substantially with science fiction.
(And often, books get lumped into "science fiction" for no reason other than that they take place in a future world, even if the "science" component isn't that important. Why, even 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale are sometimes called science fiction!)
Don't do the traditional Ender's series, though. After Ender's Game, read the political series, which starts with Ender's Shadow and culminates with Shadow of a Giant. A marked distrust of authority, especially if that authority is based on things other than ability, is prevalent in all of the novels.
I suppose the most revealing bit of the first book, from a libertarian aspect, was Ender's relation to Mazer Rackham. Once Mazer showed that he was more capable than Ender, both mentally and physically, then Ender dives in head-first to learn. It's not a bad lesson.
I got the book as a random present from my brother when I was young. I used to read fantasy at that time, but sci fi was not my thing, so I said "Thank you" and put it on my shelf.
Some months (maybe a year? or more?) later, I was bored, at home, and none of my books looked good. So, I picked up Ender's Game and have been enthralled ever since.
Once your child starts getting into it, I can't imagine him or her putting it down.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is, without question, the class of the field mentioned so far (that also qualifies for libertarian).
Another terrific book that isn't libertarian per se but has Ayn Rand as a tiny figurine espousing her views is Sewer, Gas, and Electric. Great stuff, and a shark named Meisterbrau.
The Cold Equations isn't libertarian and isn't well-written, but the central dilemma will fascinate a well-read 12 year old.
I'll agree there. Admittedly, I haven't read Anthem in over 15 years now, but as I recall there wasn't too much to recommend it other than its brevity. The essential message is "don't be afraid to think of yourself" and honestly, I really don't think that's a problem any adolescent has ever had. The non-conformist part of the message is good, but I think there are better sources (see below).
Of the two main Ayn Rand books, Atlas Shrugged is the better choice, especially for a girl reader. There is a very strong heroine character who truly demonstrates not just libertarian values but the affiliated virtues of risk-taking, drive, and leadership. However, it can be a bit dense for age 12, and the 20-page implanted essays masquerading as speeches could actually turn her off.
Regarding other classic dystopia novels, I would specifically advise against 1984 and Animal Farm, at least without external context. They are more anti-totalitarian than anti-government, and Orwell himself was a staunch Socialist. And Brave New World has subject matter I would call inappropriate for that age.
I'm going to stay away from SciFi suggestions, both because they'e been listed to death already and because I'm not sure that's an average girl's wheelhouse. Instead, I'd suggest one of these:
Howard's End - A beloved story about love and relationiships, it deals with early 20th century rich vs poor and how problems are solved by individual effort, not collectivism. Forster also values individualism over conformity, and does so in a less blunt fashion than Anthem.
Persuasion - Like most Jane Austin novels, it's a love story on the surface, but beneath it are undercurrents of traditional feminism (by 19th century standards) and the very libertarian notion of a self-made man. As well as the moral of following morals more than seeking an easy answer.
My wife suggests the Arthur Ransome books—_Swallows and Amazons_ and its sequels. They aren't politically libertarian but they are very strong on self-reliance, letting children take risks, and the like. One of the more memorable lines in the first book is the father's telegram answering the mother's question as to whether the children should be allowed to take a sailing dinghy out by themselves:'
"If not duffers won't drown. Better drowned than duffers."
Second, how can anyone think Asimov's Foundation trilogy is libertarian? I enjoyed reading the series as a kid, but when I thought back on it a decade later realized it was the sci-fi equivalent of trying to set up Plato's Republic, for goodness sake! Rule by the enlightened scientists.
Third, I'm shocked, given the numerous mentions of 1984 and Brave New World, that no one has mentioned the other dystopian totalitarian future novel that is much more explicitly libertarian and also much more fun to read: Ira Levin's This Perfect Day. It was written by Levin (who died recently) soon after he attended a series of seminars by Ayn Rand. Although much less well known than his other books (Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, The Stepford Wives, etc) it is a GREAT story and VERY libertarian, and probably appropriate for an intelligent 12 year old.
The "Door Guard" at the entrance to Justice is probably the most often-excerpted story from "The Trial." (And if you learned German in college , you probably read "Der Tu Hu:tter" in your third or fourth semester.) In this part of the book, the supplicant /needs/ what the government has to offer. But government institutions are structured, and bureaucrats are incentivised, in such a way that he will never even get close.
Now, with Ron Paul attracting so many conspiracy fabulists these days (not a criticism of the man, just an empirical observation), I strongly recommend the "Illuminatus!" Trilogy. Twevle years old is not too young to decide that everything is causally linked, and everyone is out to get you. Plus it's funny: "If you can't see the fnords, they can't eat you." "Never whistle while you're pissing!"
"It was as he suspected: in a rigid hierarchy, nobody questions orders that seem to come from above, and those at the very top are so isolated from the actual work situation that they never see what is going on below. It was the chains of communication, not the means of production, that determined a social process.. Nothing signed "THE MGT." would ever be challenged; the Midget could always pass himself off as the Management."
Ehh . . . on second thought, ignore that suggestion. (Or, to put it another way, the above is a "FNORD".)
I thought about recommending this (I read it for the first time shortly after Levin's death), and it's probably at her reading level, but there's a fair amount of sex that's a little more explicit than might be appropriate.
I also find it interesting that Sasha recommended Beggars in Spain in this thread. Because, although I really like it, I find it to be the anti-Atlas Shrugged. It's Atlas Shrugged where the people who are just smarter and better withdraw from society...and that's a bad thing.
How about put the books in an unsealed brown envelope and write PRIVATE on it and leave it somewhere you know they'll find it when you're not home? Or give them the books and say "These will be good when you're 18 but now you're too young to understand them."
I only have a 3 year old and he's still fascinated by anything I read to him.
I also read Utopia about that age (this is a good reference to discuss political philosophy)
As far a trying to influence the childs political philosophy, trying to do so intentionally and subversively is a mistake but recommending books and talking politics hardly counts.
Yeah, and don't bother talking about sex or drugs either. Let her experiment and find out what she likes best. [Liberals! They don't even know what the word parent means!]
When I was twelve, I was reading pop fantasy novels by David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Steven R. Donaldson (a bit mature for most 12-year-olds, admittedly), and Robert Jordan, in addition to Tolkien. I don't think it hurt my intellectual development in any meaningful sense.
A Storm Always Knows What It’s Doing
The following excerpt is from Victor Hugo’s “Ninety-Three,” the great Romanticist’s (“Les Miserables,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) last novel, published in 1874, nearly a century after the French Revolution, which served as the background for the book.
It is not, strictly speaking, a historical novel, one that attempts to take the reader back into a moment in history. Rather, Hugo uses that specific conflagration to develop characters and a plot in the interest of a universal theme, one that applies not only to the French Revolution but to subsequent wars, including the present.
The excerpt is a conversation between two leaders. Although Cimourdain, an ex-priest, and Gauvain, whom he had tutored, both fought to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic, their visions for that republic were vastly different. Their discussion represents two different aspects of the revolutionary spirit and echoes themes heard in modern political debate—now being played out with the background of the war in Iraq. Editor
During that supper, Gauvain ate and Cimourdain drank, a sign of calm in the former and of agitation in the latter.
There was a kind of terrible serenity in the cell. The two men talked.
“Great things are beginning to take shape,” said Gauvain. “What the Revolution is doing now is mysterious. Behind the visible work there’s the invisible work. The visible work is fierce, the invisible work is sublime. I can see everything very clearly now. It’s strange and beautiful. It has been necessary to use the materials of the past. Hence this extraordinary ’93. Beneath a scaffolding of barbarism, a temple of civilization is being built.”
“Yes,” replied Cimourdain, “from this provisional situation will come the definitive one. By the definitive one I mean parallel rights and duties, proportional and progressive taxes, obligatory military service, a leveling process without deviations, and above everyone and everything, that straight line, the law. The republic of the absolute.”
“I prefer the republic of the ideal,” said Gauvain. He paused, then continued: “O my master, in everything you’ve just said, where do you place devotion, self-sacrifice, abnegation, the magnanimous interlacing of benevolences, love? To put everything in balance is good, to put everything in harmony is better. Above the scales there’s the lyre. Your republic weighs, measures and regulates man; mine sweeps him up into the blue sky; it’s the difference between a theorem and an angel.”
“You’ve become lost in the clouds.”
“And you in calculations.”
“There’s a certain amount of dreaming in harmony.”
“And also in algebra.”
“I wish man had been made by Euclid.”
“And I’d like him better if he’d been made by Homer,” said Gauvain.
Cimourdain’s stern smile came to rest on Gauvain, as though to hold his soul fast.
“Poetry. Beware of poets.”
“Yes, I know the saying. Beware of breezes, beware of sunbeams, beware of fragrances, beware of flowers, beware of the constellations.”
“None of those things can feed anyone.”
“How do you know? Ideas are food too. To think is to eat.”
“No abstractions. The Republic is two and two make four. When I’ve given everyone what’s coming to him…”
“You’ll still have to give everyone what’s not coming to him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m referring to the immense reciprocal concessions which each owes to all, which all owe to each, and which are the whole of social life.”
“Outside of strict law, there’s nothing.”
“There’s everything.”
“I see only justice.”
“I look higher.”
“What is there above justice?”
“Equity.”
Now and then they stopped, as those gleams were passing by.
Cimourdain resumed:
“I challenge you to be specific.”
“Very well. You want obligatory military service. Against whom? Against other men? I don’t want any military service. I want peace. You want to help the poor, I want to eliminate poverty. You want proportional taxes, I don’t want any taxes at all. I want common expenditures reduced to their simplest expression and paid by the social surplus.”
“What do you mean?”
“This: first eliminate parasitisms—the parasitism of the priest, of the judge, of the soldier. Then make use of your riches. You throw manure into the sewer; throw it into the fields instead. Three-quarters of the land is lying fallow. Cultivate the soil of France, do away with useless pastures, divide the communal lands. Let each man have a piece of land, and let each piece of land have a man. You’ll increase the social product a hundredfold. France now gives her peasants meat only four times a year; well cultivated, she could feed three hundred million people, all of Europe. Utilize nature, that immense neglected helper. Make every wind work for you, every waterfall, every magnetic emanation. The earth has an underground network of veins; in that network there’s a prodigious circulation of water, oil and fire; tap the veins of the earth and bring forth that water for your fountains, that oil for your lamps, that fire for your hearths. Consider the movement of the waves, the ebb and flow of the tides. What is an ocean? An enormous wasted force. How foolish the earth is, not to use the oceans!”
“You’re in the midst of a dream!”
“In other words, in the midst of reality …And woman? What will you do with her?”
Cimourdain answered, “I’ll leave her what she is: man’s servant.”
“Yes, on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“That man also be woman’s servant.”
“Are you serious?” cried Cimourdain. “Man a servant? Never! Man is the master. I acknowledge only one kind of royalty: that of the home. A man is king in his own home.”
“Yes, on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“That woman be queen there.”
“In short, between men and women you want…”
“Equality.”
“Equality! You can’t mean it. Man and woman are two different creatures.”
“I said equality. I didn’t say identity.”…
Gauvain spoke with the composure of a prophet. Cimourdain listened. The roles were reversed; it now seemed that the pupil was now the master. …
Cimourdain looked at the floor of the cell and said, “And in the meantime what do you want?”
“What is.”
“You absolve the present time?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a storm. A storm always knows what it’s doing. For every oak struck by lightning, how many forests are made healthy! Civilization was in the grip of a pestilence and this great wind is curing it. The wind may not be selective enough, but could it do otherwise? It has such hard work to do! Before the horror of the miasma, I understand the fury of the wind. Furthermore, what does the storm mean to me if I have a compass, and what do events matter to me if I have my conscience!…
“If you add something to nature, you will necessarily be greater than nature; to add is to increase, and to increase is to grow. Society is nature made sublime. I want everything that’s lacking in beehives and anthills: mountains, art, poetry, heroes, geniuses. To bear eternal burdens is not the law of man. No, no, no more pariahs, no more slaves, no more convicts, no more damned! I want each attribute of man to be a symbol of civilization and a pattern of progress; I want liberty in front of the mind, equality in front of the heart, fraternity in front of the soul. No, no more yokes! Man is made not to drag chains, but to spread his wings. No more of man as a reptile! I want the transfiguration of the larva into the butterfly; I want the earthworm to change into a living flower and fly away; I want…”
He stopped. His eyes flashed.
His lips moved. He ceased talking. …
Cimourdain, pale, listened. Gauvain did not hear.
His reverie was becoming deeper and deeper. He was so attentive to what he saw beneath the visionary vault of his brain that he seemed to have stopped breathing. He occasionally started slightly. The gleam of dawn in his eyes grew brighter.
Also, as to the Golden Compass, these books are insanely hostile to the Christianity and the Catholic Church particular. That may not bother some people, and sadly might even be a plus for some, but you should know that before buying it for a child.
T. H. White's *The Once and Future King* has a libertarianish subtext
Since when does the market depend on "watery tarts distributing swords at random" (to quote Monty Python).
No wonder so many children are so screwed up. Do Leftists really believe that parents have no right ot duty to guide a child's development? People aren't fish, you know. You don't just spit them out and go on your merry way. I'm agahst!
[Maybe it's only indoctrination if it's Libertarian. I suppose anti-war and gay literature is always laying around the house and is not considered indoctrination.]
Goodkind would be perfect if you want to introduce the 12 year old girl to libertarianism that is fixated on torture, and S&M fantasies with evil checks fully clad in red leather. I would have suggested it, because I actually like the series, and I'm basically a little dumb when it comes to what is "age appropriate," but even I think Sword of Truth is a bit over the top for most twelve year olds. I'd hold off until 13 or 14 at least.
Who cares? Orwell need not have been a libertarian for his work to resonate with libertarians (as should be obvious from all of the Orwell recommendations in this thread). Nor does a book have to make an affirmative case for libertarianism in order to illustrate important libertarian themes; the negative case for statism can do so just as effectively.
I'm curious how you got from "don't indoctrinate your child with politics" to "don't teach your child anything". I'd call that a radical interpretation of the text.
We do believe in teaching them how to spell.
It is military SF, and maybe not age-appropriate because of sex and violence, but that depends on the parents and on how precocious the young reader is.
Points well taken. Goodkind may well be too much for many 12 year olds, at least for them to be explosed to deliberately, rather than discovered accidentally.
Interesting how so far we've had dozens of books mentioned, and often praised, because they are "anti-authoritarian," yet it appears that when the authority is some flavor or other of Christianity then it becomes a problem.
I would think libertarians would, as practically everything he believed in was an anathema to libertarians.
What kind of libertarian message is that?
Russell's work is also informed by a distrust of massive, centralized, authoritarian governments. In addition to "And Then There Were None", from his short stories I'd recommend "Allamagoosa", "Basic Right", "Diabologic", "Metamorphosite", "Now Inhale", "Nuisance Value", "Study in Still Life", and "The Ultimate Invader".
As far as L. Neil Smith goes, I'd only whole-heartedly recommend his short novel "Their Majesties' Bucketeers", if you can find a copy. For a 12-year-old, I'd specifically disrecommend his novel "Henry Martyn" unless she's an extremely intellectually and emotionally mature 12-year-old.
One of my biggest pet peeves with libertarianism is its penchant for hero-worship. In real life, that comes out in obsequious tracts on the wisdom, genius, and foresight of CEO's and investors. In science fiction and fantasy, however, it's a lot easier for an author to build up a larger-than-life figure as a military leader, warrior, or scholar (including, if the milieu allows it, one with supernatural abilities, such as a wizard or esper). Libertarian sympathies transferring to such nominally un-libertarian characters isn't too difficult an elision to envision: it's just a slight variation on that same recurring meme of hero-worship, of unqualified approval of someone who distinguishes himself (or is perceived to distinguish himself) as singularly, even superhumanly, capable.
Rocket Ship Galileo
The Man Who Sold the Moon
Farmer in The Sky
Starman Jones
Tunnel in the Sky
The Door Into Summer (I like this and read it as a child, there is a romance thread in it that should be pre-read by you)
Citizen Of The Galaxy
Red Planet
Starship Troopers
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (I like this and read it as a child, the family relationship system in the book should be pre-read by you)
You're not the only one. Anthem really bit. Ayn Rand's only tolerable novel was her first one, "We the Living," where she draws characters with two dimensions instead of one (as in Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead) or none (as in Anthem).
Oh, and That Hideous Strength is the only one of C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy that is even arguably libertarian.
London's short stories in the collection When God Laughs are an excellent place to start. They are very readable by youngsters, and they are poignant page turners. His better known classic novels are established fare for children and adolescents as well. He even wrote some more overtly political novels and stories, not very gripping but incisive (in the common, and not very pretty, political beliefs of his day).
And that nobody has suggested Mark Twain for children and young adolescents seems odd to me. Twain was certainly acceptable fare for many generations of children, and his classic novels are what we would call these days "politically incorrect".
For satirical sci-fi that kids can enjoy, with a strong political underlay, try Karel Čapek's War with the Newts, in English translation of course.
For just plain well written sci-fi for young people, anything by Andre Norton.
When I was a pre-teen, I read a lot of biographies. I would think an age-appropriate biography of Susan B Anthony or any number of women suffragists would be truly inspiring as well as morally libertarian.
In no way am I against parents educating their children. I fully support exposing children to Libertarian ideas (which I share, by the way). However, parents should also expose their children to competing views. Political philosophies are different than religion. They arent to be supported on blind faith. Parents training their children to hold the same political beliefs as themselves is one major reason why our country is so bitterly divided along partisan lines. Blindly supporting a political philosophy - without questioning its merits, the merits of competing philosophies, and arriving out your own personal conclusion - contributes to the "us against them" mind set and results in close minded adults who are unable truly evaluate or respect the views of others.
And if Orwell wrote essays about those things, I wouldn't recommend those essays to this guy's kid. I still don't understand why this makes 1984 a bad recommendation. If the book compellingly demonstrates the dangers of state power (it does), and doesn't argue in favor of Marxism (it doesn't), then why should libertarian readers care if Orwell was a Marxist? It's not like he's using the profits from the book to fund a communist uprising.
I am David (the best children's book I have ever read)
Enders Game
Harry Potter (All of them)
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
Interesting that I equate stories of independent children to libertarianism.
It's very readable for a 12-year old; it's not science-fiction [or fiction, for that matter], and it clearly explains - in only about 170 pages - the whole Libertarian philosophy in a very straightforward and easy to understand manner.
It's out of print, but there are several used book sites like Fetchbook that can probably find it [...in fact, I just checked - the cheapest copy is under a dollar].
Going back to when I was a kid (many many moons ago), I was an avid reader of all things Heinlein, although his juvenile stuff struck me as well, juvenile.
Also good: Ender's Game, and its sequels. The Foundation books. A Voyage To Yesteryear. The Giants trilogy, also by James Hogan (starts with Inherit The Earth). The Belgariad. The Riftwar Saga. And, for lighter fare, Robert Asprin's Myth-Adventures Of Aahz &Skeeve.