Aya Katz

Aya Katz is a libertarian author, linguist, and primatologist. Her writing is geared toward an exploration of freedom and how we should go about getting and preserving it. The recurring themes in her books deal with justice and honor. Katz is internally motivated, and tends to take the side of people who act on internal rather than external compulsions.

Aya Katz's first novel The Few Who Count was published in 1983. This novel is written at a YA level and explores the concept of commercial chastity.This is the idea of not selling out for the profit motive alone, but pursuing business interests based on an internal driving force. In this novel, Hannibal involves his teenage daughter Caldwell in making business decisions for Carthage Corporation, which is a theme not often explored in this genre. Another key point discussed in this novel is about how the limited liability for corporations actually infringes upon free enterprise, and the rights of individuals should never be suppressed over the rights of the collective.

Vacuum County was Katz's first adult genre novel published in 1993. This tale begins with the young woman Verity being unlawfully accused of DWI in a small Texas town, where she is forced to stay against her will. The story branches out to cover a cast of characters and addresses the concept of how all people can work together to promote personal liberty, even if it is not a motivating factor for most people. Vacuum County was written prior to the Mount Carmel massacre, but explores the non-aggression principle. Sometimes the government must intercede in a time of crisis, but the novel discusses how this should only occur when individual liberties are at risk.

Our Lady of Kaifeng: Part One (Volume 1) is the second novel Aya Katz has written for an adult audience. This novel was inspired by Katz's experiences teaching at a Catholic university in Taiwan. This first part of this series takes place at the private Catholic girls' school Precious Blossoms in Kaifeng, China. Marah teaches business English to her female students, but she discusses historical figures such as Bonnie and Clyde, much to the consternation of the sisters who want her to stick to a more regimented curriculum. Overall, the first installment is apolitical in comparison to Katz's other novels, but religion, individual learning styles, and love and limerence are dissected. The idea of love and limerence harkens back to the novel The Few Who Count regarding internal motivation. One-sided love is often dismissed as being unrequited, but can be fulfilling to those who truly care for a person who may not reciprocate. Also, the idea of love and limerence can be also be applied to the concept of a deity since the faithful cannot see the God they pray to, which is a concept discussed in this novel.

In March 2016, Aya Katz published the sequel Our Lady of Kaifeng: Courtyard of the Happy Way (Volume 2) that follows the continuing adventures of Marah, Sesame, Father Horvath, and the sisters and students now living in a Japanese internment camp for westerners. Commandant Izu runs the camp and wants everyone to be happy and get along, but Marah does not agree with his socialistic ideals, or those of all the utopian thinkers now foisted together into such close quarters. This novel is a metaphor for society in general and analyzes how true contentment can only be achieved with the freedom to pursue individual dreams, which are often curtailed by group think.