The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn

Some of his struggles were my own, especially bullying by overly conventional or just plain antagonistic teachers. The perspective I related to the most was that of Patrick Meehan, the identified-gifted kid who went through hell in public school and private school who finally left it all as a self-preservation measure. After a few the essays seemed to run together. The kids are really homogeneous, mostly girls (8/11), almost all white (9/11), and almost entirely from rural areas.

I wonder how many of them have gone on to homeschool their own children, since few of them had kids when this book was being put together (back in 2004-5). Spoiler alert: They're almost all a bunch of smug underachievers who grew up to do mainstream or downright unimpressive things. I web-stalked as many of this kids as possible (they're all a few years older than I am, and their experiences unschooling before the rise of the internet seem almost quaint).

This book is about unschooling, not homeschooling with a curriculum. From gaining admission to an Ivy League institution without taking the SAT to crafting a simple life centered on writing and gardening, they tell where life has taken them and where they have taken life, and offer hindsight and advice for others choosing to learn outside of school. Now those eleven homeschoolers have grown up and engaged the territory of adulthood, college, and career and the new edition of Real Lives includes updates from all of them. Vallie answered questions at a marine science center Tabitha answered the phone at a crisis line, and helped midwives at births. Amanda performed with a violin quintet and worked through the mail with her writing mentor. Ayanna kept pace with 50 pen-pals mostly in Africa while Kevin talked with people all over the world on his ham radio.

Anne tended honeybees and plucked a bluegrass banjo. Rebecca worked at homeless shelters and, through Habitat for Humanity, built houses for people in need. Patrick, who hoped someday to design video games, had spent the past few years compiling portfolios of his writing and artwork. Jeremiah and his sister Serena published a newsletter on peace issues. Kyla flew to South America in September of what would have been her senior year alone, except for her mountain bike. Erin's favorite teacher was her horse Nick, blind in one eye. In 1993, eleven homeschooled teenagers described their lives in rich detail, and Real Lives quickly became a homeschooling classic.

The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn