Larken Rose hails from Bryn Athyn, a borough of 3000 inhabitants that sports its very own Gothic cathedral, castle, French chateau, English manor house, and schools system. In this national center of the Swedenborgian religion, the children of free thinkers and New Agers go to school with the kids of staunch conservatives, and battles are waged over the killing of dandelions and women in the priesthood.

In a town that produces interesting people, Larken Rose catapulted above the rest by challenging the federal government to refute his reading of the tax code and answer his questions before he would give them another dime. In 2002, he produced a video explaining his research and conclusions. The video sold briskly for several years until the government railroaded the 37-year-old vocal upstart into federal prison. His conclusions were never refuted; his questions never answered.

Rose’s interest in politics goes back to his youth. He was always passionately interested in the freedom of his fellow man, moving intellectually from conservatism through libertarianism to anarchism. How to be a Successful Tyrant is his first published work on the dynamics of tyranny, written between his conviction in federal court and his surrender to prison, where he is busy writing his next book.

Before going to prison, Rose lived with his wife Tessa and daughter Elyssa in a modest home in Pennsylvania, where they count the days until he returns.