On this subject, I probably have a better sense of the point at which
John Holt is driving at in this chapter than in most other ones. In the prehistory
article, I wrote that I had grown up on a homestead type operation. I
came from a large family and much of the work we did, we did by hand. I
can remember the first tractor arriving, when I was nine. Because I was
the smallest person who was big enough to do so, I can remember driving
it when I was nine.

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“We might think of human life as a sort of curve… for every human
being that curve is a single curve, a wholeness.” (P. 25)

This is something that most home educators come to realize somewhere in
their career. But it is easy to understand how parents who send their
children off to school for 12 or more years do not see it.

 “We do not, like some insects, suddenly turn from one kind of creature
into another that is very different.” (P. 25)

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I’m going to revise my earlier statement regarding a synopsis. In
reality, I will mostly be quoting the sentences or ideas that struck me
at first pass and writing some commentary on the quotes. With most
books when I read them, some things stand out the first time around.
But in many cases, I have reread a book a few times and noticed
different things during each reading.

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Today, Andrea and I stopped by a second hand book sale in support of a
non-profit organization. In 20 minutes or so, we had picked out about
10 books. As I got to the end of the last table, I spotted “Escape from
Childhood” in white letters on a black background. Then I noted the
author was John Holt. It was hardcover and we were running on a tight
budget so I put back 2 of the others I had selected. After getting
home, I checked for it on Amazon and found that every edition of it was
out of print.

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Holt, John, Escape From Childhood. New York, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1974.