New Chapter in the Paperback
The paperback version of the Buccaneer- Scholar is now available. It has a new chapter.
Although I wrote the book for young working people who work with their minds, it turns out the dominant market for it is parents of homeschooled and unschooled kids. So, I’ve added a chapter specifically for them. It’s deals with how to think and feel about your child growing up and making the jump to adulthood. Being self-educated is no obstacle for them, but we parents sometimes worry about that.
The chapter looks at three famous thinkers: Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, and Charles Darwin. None of these men found their stride until they were 27. My self-making son is 17, so that’s a comfort to me! Van Gogh, in particular, wrote a painful letter to his brother, wherein he poured out his heart about feeling aimless and frustrated. Just a few weeks later, he decided to be a painter… and made history.
See Van Gogh’s letter, here.
oh yay.
thank you so much James. what an incredible book, what a great addition.
Comment by monika hardy — October 22, 2011 @ 10:21 pm
Thank you for writing this book. I already decided to homeschool the kids several years ago… but I think you may have just helped tip me all the way over to unschooling. I also appreciate hearing about your own struggles with Imposter Syndrome (or feeling like any day everyone will realize it’s all a fraud, and you’re really just worthless), which I can never seem to shake off.
Comment by katie — October 24, 2011 @ 3:16 pm
Hi James,
I am sure your book would be very useful for self learners around the world. I noticed that it is not available in the Kindle edition. Are there any plans to make it available in the Kindle or even a pdf download ?
I maintain and develop a website for Computer Science self-learners, and I think the book might be very useful to the community.
Thanks
[James' Reply: The book IS available on Kindle. Here's the link.]
Comment by Parag Shah — October 31, 2011 @ 3:05 am
Great, now I have to read it again! In fact, in the time since I read your book a couple of months ago, I started reading books about homeschooling (and unschooling, specifically) and realized that your book was an excellent argument for it. (I also admit that before I began researching homeschooling, I left your book in the bathroom so that my husband would chance upon it. After doing so, without any persuasion on my part, he suggested that I try homeschooling our daughter!)
[James' Reply: Cool!]
As a person who was valedictorian at every graduation I attended (including School of Engineering in college) but who never developed much confidence in myself or my ability to truly learn or execute on my learning, I found your book both inspiring and energizing. Thank you!
[James' Reply: Thank you very much!]
Comment by Tana — November 7, 2011 @ 1:23 pm
I’ve always Been the “worst” student of the school … in all matters. In fact, I felt I was wasting my time there. Time that could make matters uplifting for me.
The problem is that society see the school as the only path to professional success. Self-education is now interpreted as rebellion/lawlessness. I have nightmares to this day with the school … it was really very traumatic for me.This is still a great torment to me.
[James' Reply: Well, society is poorly educated, isn't it? And in the midst of all that bad and downright toxic boneheadedness, people like us will rise anyway. The buccanneering life is sometimes a bit lonely, but it's what we are.]
Comment by lobocode — April 27, 2012 @ 4:59 am
Unfortunately it seems to me, some institutions encourage this perverse system that shapes society. For example, IBM. To joining IBM, there is a great difficulty …. IBM is known as a company extremely bureaucratic.
In fact, today I see a desperate move of some countries to change this conscience. In Brazil for example, there is a huge deficit in the area of information technology. Consequence of bad teaching in public and private institutions. The student if accommodates to the university….and not acquire experience… generating by consequence an enormous lack of manpower in the region.
But not only in information technology. The Brazil desperately are importing engineers from different fields…we have many engineers but few are well formed.. and with experience. Ultimately, society pays dearly for it … for this posture.
[James' Reply: IBM is quite dysfunctional. In my field of testing they have shown no leadership whatsoever since the 60's. I've worked with many large corporations, but not with them. And they send few people to the conferences, either.]
Comment by lobocode — April 29, 2012 @ 11:56 pm
James in your book you write that your son left school before you. That is, in seventh grade middle school. Which way he went and where he is today? you as a parent is proud of the way he chose to go? somehow his wife was against his attitude in allow your child to make this choice? And in his time, as your parents react?
[James' Reply: My son left school at the end of sixth grade. I'm happy with what he's doing right now. He's writing a novel. He lives nearby. Here's what I'm proud of: he has a strong moral compass. He sees himself as a man who will continue the tradition of writing in our family.]
Comment by lobocode — May 1, 2012 @ 7:09 am
I just want to say thank you so much for writing this book – I have been re-reading it and it just amazes me every time I learn something new. It also eases my fears and confirms my choice to unschool my kids and it reminds me to search for lessons in every situation I have before me.
I could really use your brain in some of the problems I have right now…Your thinking seems so systematic, logical and thorough – I guess it takes many years of buccaneering to get there
Anyway thanks for the book – I’ll have to get a new one for the new chapter since I have the old version.
Comment by Mux — November 18, 2012 @ 5:11 pm