Facing the World Through Fantasy: An Interview with Justina Ireland

Alexandria Brown, Justina Ireland

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“Zombies are a writer’s best friend,” said Justina Ireland, young adult fantasy fiction writer and author of the New York Times bestselling novel “Dread Nation.” The novel explores an alternate Civil War where zombie-slaying biracial teenager Jane McKeene gets caught in a conspiracy and finds herself in a desperate fight for her life. In conversation with author and YA librarian Alexandria Brown, Ireland unpacks how she employs planet-hopping Star Wars characters, half-god assasins, and more to dig into complex questions about capitalism, science, racism, and inequality.