Homeschooled: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Memoir – A Top 10 Amazon Book of the Month Coming of Age Story About Homeschooling

Stefan Merrill Block's memoir recounts his experience being homeschooled starting at age nine, when his mother withdrew him from school believing his teachers were stifling his creativity. While he received formal math instruction at home, Block was largely left to his own devices and subject to his mother's unpredictable decisions, including unconventional projects like bleaching his hair and implementing a crawling regimen to recapture his earlier childhood. The memoir explores the inception and rapid growth of the homeschooling movement in America, Block's early relationship with his mother, and the dysfunction that characterized their dynamic. It also documents his difficult transition back into public school, where he experienced bullying, and his eventual emotional journey toward forgiveness, love, and hope as he becomes a parent himself. Block reflects on both traditional and at-home education systems, examining an overlooked aspect of the American education landscape. The book presents a portrait of the complex mother-son relationship alongside a broader look at how unregulated homeschooling impacts millions of families.