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Tuttle Twins #9
The Tuttle Twins and the Fate of the Future
Should we coerce others to get what we want?
The history of the world is a tale of some people bossing others around, but brave thinkers have always offered ideas for a better future where people use persuasion instead. And after Ethan and Emily watch a dystopian film portraying a future full of coercion, they realize that they need to learn how to avoid it.
Enter Murray Rothbard, author of Anatomy of the State , whose book teaches the Tuttle Twins that the fate of the future and all of humanity depends on thinking of ways we can work together peacefully, to build a better society without relying on coercion.
The history of the world is a tale of some people bossing others around, but brave thinkers have always offered ideas for a better future where people use persuasion instead. And after Ethan and Emily watch a dystopian film portraying a future full of coercion, they realize that they need to learn how to avoid it.
Enter Murray Rothbard, author of Anatomy of the State , whose book teaches the Tuttle Twins that the fate of the future and all of humanity depends on thinking of ways we can work together peacefully, to build a better society without relying on coercion.
64 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2018
5 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Connor Boyack
91 books239 followersConnor Boyack is founder and president of Libertas Institute, a libertarian think tank in Utah. In that capacity, he has spearheaded important policy reforms dealing with property rights, civil liberties, transparency, surveillance, and education freedom.
Connor is the author of several books, including the new Tuttle Twins series that teaches the principles of liberty to young children. Other books include Latter-day Liberty: A Gospel Approach to Government and Politics and its companion, Latter-day Responsibility: Choosing Liberty through Personal Accountability.
Connor's work has been publicly praised by former Representative Ron Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Tom Woods, and other nationally recognized figures. He is a frequent commentator on current events and has appeared in local, national, and international interviews to publicize and comment on his work.
Connor is the author of several books, including the new Tuttle Twins series that teaches the principles of liberty to young children. Other books include Latter-day Liberty: A Gospel Approach to Government and Politics and its companion, Latter-day Responsibility: Choosing Liberty through Personal Accountability.
Connor's work has been publicly praised by former Representative Ron Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Tom Woods, and other nationally recognized figures. He is a frequent commentator on current events and has appeared in local, national, and international interviews to publicize and comment on his work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 14, 2020
A children's book that flirts with the idea of anarcho-capitalism by setting up state regulation as "coercion", and a total free market as the best choice simply because citizens would have more choices. It assumes people would have perfect information and resources to make truly educated decisions, while also assuming services for the public good would be well funded simply by choosing what taxpayers would like to fund from a menu. The reason ideals like this work so well in children's book format is closer discussion and scrutiny almost always makes these basic assumptions fall apart.
Additional discussion of how simply having the choice between Public Service Provider A and Public Service Provider B isn't always best for the greater good would have been welcome. If you have private police departments, who decides what laws are enforced by what department? How are those officers accountable to anyone if a state apparatus, elected by the public instead of shareholders or consumers, can do nothing to "coerce" them? Situations like this will always default to...whoever has the most resources gets to decide for everyone else how things are done. Simply coercion from another angle.
Additional discussion of how simply having the choice between Public Service Provider A and Public Service Provider B isn't always best for the greater good would have been welcome. If you have private police departments, who decides what laws are enforced by what department? How are those officers accountable to anyone if a state apparatus, elected by the public instead of shareholders or consumers, can do nothing to "coerce" them? Situations like this will always default to...whoever has the most resources gets to decide for everyone else how things are done. Simply coercion from another angle.
May 5, 2021
This has been my least liked book of the series. It deals with the idea of dystopian government and polycentric law. I didn’t feel like it was very well explained, and I’m not sure I agree with the thinking it promoted.
I'm giving this 3 stars until I can think it over more carefully. I may change my rating.
I'm giving this 3 stars until I can think it over more carefully. I may change my rating.
May 28, 2019
Packet and discussion completed. Great end to our 4th grade homeschool Social Studies class. Student listened to the audiobook of Anatomy of the State to complete the workbook for this book. We will revisit the Tuttle Twins books again to dive deeper into the concepts presented in each book.
April 7, 2020
I'm not sure that I'm quite where Rothbard is on the anatomy of the state. But apart from the question of the legitimacy of government, the book is nevertheless thought provoking in its criticism of the status quo.
September 23, 2021
This one was good, but . . .
It's a little too abstract to make a ton of sense. This is a book, dealing with a book, that was found because of a movie, that goes back to . . . a book club . . .?
The overarching idea is one I agree with. The government shouldn't force people to support (read: fund) ideas, systems, or utilities they don't use and don't see the value in.
On a very local scale, my hometown has a municipal pool . . . which I've never been to. The town spends nearly $200,000 a year (for 3 months of use) on a pool only a handful of people in the town actually use. Why are my funds forced to go to this pool? Why do I have to pay for something I don't use, don't see the value in, and don't care if it exists?
On a larger scale school districts steal money from people who don't have kids, or whose kid's don't attend public school. The federal government pays for wars, abortion, prisons, and countless other stuff that very few people agree with.
Government and society would be better if people paid for the systems they used instead of being forced to pay for stuff they don't agree with. That would be a far better use of our taxpayer dollars, and would end much of the unnecessary and frivolous spending of the government.
Of course, a conversation would need to be made for things like roads (car tax, gas tax, etc. Both of which are HEAVILY taxed, where does that tax money go?), or the military (which is really the only thing the government should be in charge of maintaining).
It's a little too abstract to make a ton of sense. This is a book, dealing with a book, that was found because of a movie, that goes back to . . . a book club . . .?
The overarching idea is one I agree with. The government shouldn't force people to support (read: fund) ideas, systems, or utilities they don't use and don't see the value in.
On a very local scale, my hometown has a municipal pool . . . which I've never been to. The town spends nearly $200,000 a year (for 3 months of use) on a pool only a handful of people in the town actually use. Why are my funds forced to go to this pool? Why do I have to pay for something I don't use, don't see the value in, and don't care if it exists?
On a larger scale school districts steal money from people who don't have kids, or whose kid's don't attend public school. The federal government pays for wars, abortion, prisons, and countless other stuff that very few people agree with.
Government and society would be better if people paid for the systems they used instead of being forced to pay for stuff they don't agree with. That would be a far better use of our taxpayer dollars, and would end much of the unnecessary and frivolous spending of the government.
Of course, a conversation would need to be made for things like roads (car tax, gas tax, etc. Both of which are HEAVILY taxed, where does that tax money go?), or the military (which is really the only thing the government should be in charge of maintaining).
June 3, 2022
A weaker entry in the series.
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March 31, 2021A parent's review: A good book
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020
This is a children's version of the book "The Anatomy of the State" by Murray Rothbard. (This book continues on with the series of children's versions of books that have been read / should be read by libertarians.)
I myself have not read the Rothbard book (and since it is only 67 pages, it is likely that I might one afternoon or two), but these ideas that he brings down show up many many times in libertarian type works. And also other types of works that discuss human society: a state can be defined as "a monopoly on violence over a defined region."
But, by definition, a state involves violence – – even if only in extremis
This is a simple little read, it occurs to me to ask: Why didn't somebody think of this before?
A lot of times when people want to inculcate someone with a political agenda, the first place that they go is to schools so that they can catch children when they are young.
Why can't sauce for the goose be sauce for the gander?
The environmentalists have been doing this for a long time. (Think of how often you watch a cartoon where bad people are shown to be polluters, who are not polluting as a side effect of some productive economic activity. But, just doing it because they are "bad.")
And don't even get me started on the Gender Identity Disorder Self-Diagnosis Movement. (Drag Queen Story Hours all over the place. And I remember WAY fewer people with Gender Identity Disorder than when I was in Middle School and High School.)
If you have a worldview that you would like to impart to your kids, better that you catch them young and take the responsibility for their education.
The Libertarian world view has some number of parts, and this is a substantial one. (If there is no violence / threat of violence, then there is no state.)
The illustrations are great, and my sons liked them a lot.
Verdict: Strongly recommended
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020
This is a children's version of the book "The Anatomy of the State" by Murray Rothbard. (This book continues on with the series of children's versions of books that have been read / should be read by libertarians.)
I myself have not read the Rothbard book (and since it is only 67 pages, it is likely that I might one afternoon or two), but these ideas that he brings down show up many many times in libertarian type works. And also other types of works that discuss human society: a state can be defined as "a monopoly on violence over a defined region."
But, by definition, a state involves violence – – even if only in extremis
This is a simple little read, it occurs to me to ask: Why didn't somebody think of this before?
A lot of times when people want to inculcate someone with a political agenda, the first place that they go is to schools so that they can catch children when they are young.
Why can't sauce for the goose be sauce for the gander?
The environmentalists have been doing this for a long time. (Think of how often you watch a cartoon where bad people are shown to be polluters, who are not polluting as a side effect of some productive economic activity. But, just doing it because they are "bad.")
And don't even get me started on the Gender Identity Disorder Self-Diagnosis Movement. (Drag Queen Story Hours all over the place. And I remember WAY fewer people with Gender Identity Disorder than when I was in Middle School and High School.)
If you have a worldview that you would like to impart to your kids, better that you catch them young and take the responsibility for their education.
The Libertarian world view has some number of parts, and this is a substantial one. (If there is no violence / threat of violence, then there is no state.)
The illustrations are great, and my sons liked them a lot.
Verdict: Strongly recommended
May 8, 2021
I’ve been wanting to read The Tuttle Twins books for a long time. My mom bought this one for the kids and I decided to read it. This book really simplifies different concepts in ways that wouldn’t think of to explain to children. This is #9 in the series. I’m looking forward to reading the others.
June 22, 2019
Superb work on voluntarism for kids!
February 25, 2022
I love the Tuttle twins series. You should read it.
January 13, 2025
I've been hearing about the Tuttle Twins books for a long time, and I was really hoping these would explain economic concepts to my kids. While some of the books do, I just overall haven't liked them as much as I thought I would. This one was my absolute least favorite. It seemed to be arguing for anarchy, in a way. It oversimplified an idea that I think is really dangerous. Making government a free market that competes for our money? How does that not lead to the wealthiest people thriving while everyone else suffers? What if infrastructure of the poorest areas needs government attention, but the wealthy don't want to pay for it? It did lead to a great discussion with my kids, though, so I guess it accomplished that. My kids brought up a scenario I thought made a good example: Say there are several emergency services to choose from. One is fast, one is cheap, and one is efficient, but each one costs the citizen money. Imagine if you called 911, and they said, "I'd be happy to help you. First, I need your credit card information." My kids also brought up all the times in history multiple people tried to co-lead a country. It's never worked because one of the people or groups won't want to share power, and it will lead to civil war. I guess in a perfect world where no one is selfish, this might work, but in reality, it seems like a terrible idea. It also isn't at all the philosophy of government our country was built on (a Republic), so I found it really odd and confusing from these supposedly conservative authors. Finally, in a way, politicians already compete for us. Through votes. If we don't like a leader, we vote them out. I had a discussion about this with my kids, too.
Overall, a really weak book in this series. As for the series itself, I wish it stuck to just explaining capitalism and different facets of economics rather than kid versions of sometimes controversial books that are way to0 oversimplified
Overall, a really weak book in this series. As for the series itself, I wish it stuck to just explaining capitalism and different facets of economics rather than kid versions of sometimes controversial books that are way to0 oversimplified
December 16, 2023
As someone who is open-minded and enjoys children's books, I am reading some of these conservative(?)/libertarian(?) "propaganda" books aimed at children.
This one is WACKY. The kids watch a dystopian movie that makes them worry about the future. Then a family friend lends them a book about how "the state" (government as we know it) is bad. The implication is that we shouldn't pay taxes to the government, and that instead we should pay individually for all our services, including policing?! (What happens when the various brands of police become at odds with one another? Who makes the laws?) I don't know how widespread this belief is, but I have never, ever heard about it before. It actually sounds like a dystopia in itself!
I found it sadly amusing that one illustration depicts a character selecting from a list of things they can pay for individually - they have checked off "universal road access" and "football stadium" but not "education" or "parks" or "complete medical care."
There was also discussion of "coercion" vs. "persuasion," but no mention of voting - I can see how the government might coerce people to do things, but it's not a lot of American politics DOES involve persuasion.
My mind is just boggled by this book. I would love to know more about how this supposedly better form of society would actually work.
This one is WACKY. The kids watch a dystopian movie that makes them worry about the future. Then a family friend lends them a book about how "the state" (government as we know it) is bad. The implication is that we shouldn't pay taxes to the government, and that instead we should pay individually for all our services, including policing?! (What happens when the various brands of police become at odds with one another? Who makes the laws?) I don't know how widespread this belief is, but I have never, ever heard about it before. It actually sounds like a dystopia in itself!
I found it sadly amusing that one illustration depicts a character selecting from a list of things they can pay for individually - they have checked off "universal road access" and "football stadium" but not "education" or "parks" or "complete medical care."
There was also discussion of "coercion" vs. "persuasion," but no mention of voting - I can see how the government might coerce people to do things, but it's not a lot of American politics DOES involve persuasion.
My mind is just boggled by this book. I would love to know more about how this supposedly better form of society would actually work.
October 30, 2023
"The Tuttle Twins and the Fate of the Future" by Connor Boyack is a cool book where twins Ethan and Emily explore the idea of dystopian futures. They get all these thoughts after watching a movie for their book club theme, and it makes them wonder about the world!
Ethan and Emily are the heroes of the story. They use their brains to think deeply about the movie they just watched, and they even come up with ideas to make sure a dystopian future never happens!
What I really liked about this book was when Ethan and Emily watched a movie about dystopian futures. It got them thinking about some really big stuff! My absolute favorite part was when they went to Fred's house and read a book called "The Anatomy of State." It seemed like a really important book!
I think kids who are 7 or older would like this book. It's a bit harder to read and longer than the other Tuttle Twins books, but it's really interesting and makes you think about the future!
Ethan and Emily are the heroes of the story. They use their brains to think deeply about the movie they just watched, and they even come up with ideas to make sure a dystopian future never happens!
What I really liked about this book was when Ethan and Emily watched a movie about dystopian futures. It got them thinking about some really big stuff! My absolute favorite part was when they went to Fred's house and read a book called "The Anatomy of State." It seemed like a really important book!
I think kids who are 7 or older would like this book. It's a bit harder to read and longer than the other Tuttle Twins books, but it's really interesting and makes you think about the future!
May 22, 2025
I really enjoy reading the Tuttle Twin series to my children. This installment does a nice job summarizing and relating the lessons from the previous books, however, it doesn't end with a real practical solution. It basically challenges children to find an idea on how to change the nature of the State becoming predatory, how to end the monopoly of the State, or how to remove the need for government at all. It gives the idea that we can have hope in the future by placing our faith in our own actions for change. In reality, we are all sinful human beings. God created government, and the ultimate goal is faith in Him and not in ourselves. The future is set in stone (contrary to what this book preaches), in God's planning, but that doesn't exempt us from being faithful and following His commands to disciple the nations. It's because of God's sovereignty that we can trust in Him. This utopian image is not possible until the new heaven and the new earth become one.
January 24, 2022
I forgot I already read this one. And sadly, this is not a better installment of the Tuttle Twins books. Dystopia vs. Utopia. "The State" vs. some sort of pick and choose competitive governments. I'm really not sure how this sort of future could possibly work. This country is pretty well divided nearly 50/50 on what everyone thinks is the "right" way to run things. There are just some things that need to be done by one central organization. I have lots of thoughts on it, but typing it all out here, just isn't that important to me today. LOL
June 4, 2022
The least satisfying of eight of the first nine Tuttle Twins books. The book(let) presents the idea known as
polycentric law
, a little known concept outside the libertarian and anarcho-capitalist movements. Many families may disagree with the premise that polycentric law is preferable to the current system of law in the United States.
September 7, 2022
My biggest issue with this one is it has spoilers for multiple previous titles (pencil, golden rule, the law, food truck, surfdom) so if you're reading them out of order after the first one (like we are to correlate with lessons about the constitution and govn't) then you have to skip the spoiler parts or read them and know the outcome for something you plan to read later.
I also don't personally feel like I understand the concept they're trying to convey here. I definitely understood the strong message the state and coercion are bad but not how to practice persuasion instead.
I also don't personally feel like I understand the concept they're trying to convey here. I definitely understood the strong message the state and coercion are bad but not how to practice persuasion instead.
June 8, 2024
This is a series for libertarian families. This story has some good things, like people with diverse ethnicities and the family biking and doing projects together. It proposes a world without coercive government by the state, which seems impractical. (Thinking of the USA past, the founding fathers chose a federal government rather than keeping the Articles of Confederation.) Vocabulary like state, dystopian, jurisdiction and coercion are introduced. The book has a biography of Murray Rothbard.
November 18, 2024
This one is a little harder to understand than the others, probably because the concepts are more advanced but I always learn a lot reading these and my kids really enjoy them.
This book made me want to read more political philosophy books for adults. As much as I think the government is terrible at most everything they do, anarcho-capitalism is a bridge too far for me. But I think the ideas are worth exploring since we often just assume the way things are done is the default when there are really many options.
This book made me want to read more political philosophy books for adults. As much as I think the government is terrible at most everything they do, anarcho-capitalism is a bridge too far for me. But I think the ideas are worth exploring since we often just assume the way things are done is the default when there are really many options.
August 9, 2019
Read-Aloud: Wren, Willow Independent Read: Wren
The synthesis of all the Tuttle Twins books so far, this one is my favorite because it develops a holistic worldview of tolerance, non-violence, and respect for individual dignity which is the bedrock of libertarian philosophy.
The synthesis of all the Tuttle Twins books so far, this one is my favorite because it develops a holistic worldview of tolerance, non-violence, and respect for individual dignity which is the bedrock of libertarian philosophy.
November 10, 2021
Based on the book Anatomy of the State. It did explain the difference between persuasion and coercion. But not in great detail about how that is possible within the current state. I did like that it encourages you to find ways to give people options to reduce monopoly.
June 26, 2025
Great concept! May need to read again in a couple years when my kids are older. Early teens would be great for this topic.
Sadly, as we read, I could give examples of how I saw these principles in 2020.
Sadly, as we read, I could give examples of how I saw these principles in 2020.
June 29, 2019
Tonight the girls learned about the difference between society and the satiate, persuasion and coercion, and why a dystopia is one ruled by a coercive state monopoly.
August 19, 2020
This was the best of the books so far. It incorporated lessons from all previous books, and reminded me of a book called the Polystate. Very thought provoking material.
September 23, 2021
Builds well on concepts and situations of the previous 8 books in the series. I can’t wait for my kids to read it.
January 7, 2022
I liked it because they taught me about bad stuff the government does.
January 15, 2022
I love how we learn in this book what a state is and the difference between coercion and persuasion. I also loved the problem solving examples that they showed.
February 15, 2022
This book talks about the predatory nature of the State.
February 6, 2023
Not a very relatable or engaging book in the series. Went over the heads of my 9-year-olds.
December 4, 2023
Interesting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews