Real Lives 
eleven teenagers who don't go to school tell their own stories

Eleven-year anniversary edition, with updates from all the writers

edited and with an introduction (and a new preface) by Grace Llewellyn

First published in 1993; updated in 2005. 

ISBN 0-9629591-2-X, $18, 320 pages, 6"x9" paperback. Includes index, appendix, recommended resources, and b/w photographs . 
nominee, Best  Books for Young  Adults 1994 
(American  Library Association)  

In 1993, eleven homeschooled teenagers described their lives in rich detail, and Real Lives quickly became a homeschooling classic. Erin's favorite teacher was her horse Nick, blind in one eye. Kyla flew to South America in September of what would have been her senior year--alone, except for her mountain bike. Jeremiah and his sister Serena published a newsletter on peace issues. Patrick, who hoped someday to design video games, had spent the past few years compiling portfolios of his writing and artwork. Rebecca worked at homeless shelters and, through Habitat for Humanity, built houses for people in need. Anne tended honeybees and plucked a bluegrass banjo. Ayanna kept pace with 50 pen-pals--mostly in Africa--while Kevin talked with people all over the world on his ham radio. Amanda performed with a violin quintet and worked through the mail with her writing mentor. Vallie answered questions at a marine science center; Tabitha answered the phone at a crisis line, and helped midwives at births.

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. 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.

For reviews (of the original edition), click here.
For two short excerpts, click here. 
For three longer excerpts, click here.
For the Table of Contents, click here. 

For a bio of Grace Llewellyn, click here.

Reviews of the original edition

"A wonderful book, a revolutionary book like Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book to set people free." 

--John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year, 1991, 
New York City Teacher of the Year, 1989-1991, 
author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling 
and The Underground History of American Education 

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"I am unashamedly wild about this book; I think it's one of the most exciting things to happen to (or to come out of) the homeschooling movement in a long time.....These kids are learning from the world and they're contributing to it, too. It's impossible to read this book and not understand that homeschooling is more than just sitting at home with a textbook." 

--Susannah Sheffer in Growing Without Schooling magazine

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"Compelling stories....Don't be fooled by your personal memories of teenage writing. This is NOT a stack of high school English essays waiting to be graded. Instead it is a fascinating study in self-teaching....Each essay is unique, both in style and content."

--Oregon Home Education Network News

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"...[The profiles] are nicely varied and each student's personal voice shines through as he or she explains why traditional education was abandoned and what has replaced it...." 

--American Library Association Booklist

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"These kids give me hope for a brighter future. Highly inspirational!" 

--Living Free Newsletter

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 "Rich in-depth biographical and philosophical essays 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..." 

--Library Journal

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 "Buy this book! Like its predecessor, The Teenage Liberation Handbook, it may stun some teens--more likely their parents and their teachers--but it is a mind-expanding experience. Here, eleven...'unschooled' teens write about...how they learn, socialize, study, and especially how their special interests and loves have directed their unconventional educations....These autodidacts' days embrace a challenging freedom unimagined by those of us bound by the limits and assumptions of the classroom....For those teens who always seem to travel to the beat of a different drummer, this fascinating book may point the way to a viable alternative. The rest of us should at least know that there are other roads to education and happiness than the traditional route. Real Lives is a consciousness-raising journey of a special kind."

--Kliatt Young Adult Book Guide

From Real Lives:

There are so many social/political issues that I am concerned about--and so little that I can truly affect at this stage in my life. In a couple years I’ll be allowed to vote, for whatever that's worth, but that's too far away anyway to be any real solace right now. This is where my newsletter comes in...Each issue, we publish articles by our readers on one subject (announced in the previous issue), sharing what we learn and providing a forum for homeschooled kids to share their views. Over the years we've explored such subjects as Apartheid in South Africa, the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, Native American Treaty Rights, Labor History, African-American History, and Women in History, to list just a few. We have a mailing list of dozens of families, some of whom have subscribed for more than 6 years. For many years the newsletter has been a central point in my education. It serves many purposes for me: it is a link to the outside world, a way to cultivate friendships, a valuable educational opportunity, and a forum for my opinions, feelings, and ideas on every imaginable subject. Through Homeschoolers For Peace, I have come to feel less isolated than I once did. Just knowing that there are other young people out there who share my political convictions has empowered me. Founding an organization and publishing a newsletter has given me a welcome sense of accomplishment and recognition, and has opened my mind to a lot of possibilities.

--Jeremiah Gingold