The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 435 pages
• Published by: Lowry House Pub; Rev Exp edition September 1, 1998
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0962959170
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0962959172
• Book Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Review
You will not find this book on a school library shelf--it's pure teenage anarchy. While many homeschooling authors hem and haw that learning at home isn't for everyone, this manifesto practically tells kids they're losers if they do otherwise. With the exception of a forwarding note to parents, this book is written entirely for teenagers, and the first 75 pages explain why school is a waste of time. Grace Llewellyn insists that people learn better when they are self-motivated and not confined by school walls. Instead of homeschooling, which connotes setting up a school at home, Llewellyn prefers "unschooling," a learning method with no structure or formal curriculum. There are tips here you will not hear from a school guidance counselor. Llewellyn urges kids to take a vacation--at least for a week--after quitting school to purge its influence. "Throw darts at a picture of your school" or "Make a bonfire of old worksheets," she advises. She spends an entire chapter on the gentle art of persuading parents that this is a good idea. Then she gets serious. Llewellyn urges teens to turn off the TV, get outside, and turn to their local libraries, museums, the Internet, and other resources for information. She devotes many chapters to books and suggestions for teaching yourself science, math, social sciences, English, foreign languages, and the arts. She also includes advice on jobs and getting into college, assuring teens that, contrary to what they've been told in school, they will not be flipping burgers for the rest of their days if they drop out.

Llewellyn is a former middle-school English teacher, and she knows her audience well. Her formula for making the transition from traditional school to unschooling is accompanied by quotes on freedom and free thought from radical thinkers such as Steve Biko and Ralph Waldo Emerson. And Llewellyn is not above using slang. She capitalizes words to add emphasis, as in the "Mainstream American Suburbia-Think" she blames most schools for perpetuating. Some of her attempts to appeal to young minds ring a bit corny. She weaves through several chapters an allegory about a baby whose enthusiasm is squashed by a sterile, unnatural environment, and tells readers to "learn to be a human bean and not a mashed potato." But her underlying theme--think for yourself--should appeal to many teenagers. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Product Review
"Bursting with wise guidance . the sole inspiration for an endeavor we thought was out of the question." -- The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog

The TLH is more than a book. It’s a map . . Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always thought provoking -- In2Print Magazine, Fall 1997

The single essential book for those who value learning but not school a complete tool kit. . . -- LUNO (Learning Unlimited Network of Oregon), April 1992

Will . . . embolden homeschoolers to be courageously creative . . . and will encourage parents to trust their children’s choices. -- Clonlara Home Based Education Program

[Llewellyn’s] enthusiasm. . ., great faith in kids, and wonderful educational possibilities she presents will make her book tantalizing reading. -- Booklist, October 15, 1991

Reader Reviews
Most people were miserable in school. Most people have been convinced that school was good, even necessary for them. The unfortunate result is that many people believe that being miserable was good for them and will be good for their children. This is far from a healthy attitude. This book presents evidence that even the most ardent defender of the status quo will be hard-pressed to dismiss out of hand; the unschoolers who went to Harvard, the youthful acheivers in every field from theatre to animal science, the testimonials of parents who report that their 'dropout' kids are now happier, more relaxed, less sullen, and brighter. Though the author's tone is often that of the impassioned hippie lady, it adds to rather than detract from this essentially idealistic and hopeful book. This book is for all the teenagers, and all the adults who still have the spine to think that just maybe they didn't deserve to be miserable as kids.