Real Lives

Plot

It is estimated that today there are approximately 150,000 to 300,000 children being homeschooled in the United States. This book is different in perspective from those published over the past few years, such as Borg Hendrickson's Home School: Taking the First Step (LJ 3/1/89); Jane Van Galen's Home Schooling: Political, Historical and Pedagogical Perspectives (Ablex, 1991); Michael Farris's Home Schooling and the Law (Home Schooling Legal Defense Assn., 1991); and Christopher Klicka's Home Schooling in the United States (Home Schooling Legal Defense Assn., 1991). Here Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How To Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education (Lowry House Pubs., 1991) has edited rich in-depth biographical and philosophical essays solicited from 11 teens who tell why they made the decision (with the help of their families) not to be ``tamed'' or stifled by traditional schooling methodologies and regulations. The essays shed light on what happens during a typical day in the lives of homeschooled individuals, how the teens became as educated (and self-confident) as they appear to be, what motivates them to learn, their views on homeschooling versus traditional education, hopes for the future, etc. Many misconceptions about homeschooling are debunked. This is essential for all collegiate teacher education collections and for those public libraries where interest in the topic abounds.-- Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.-Library Journal.