Escape from Childhood

More than twenty years after I first discovered it, I still consider this one of the most influential books I've ever read. It opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on civil liberties and the nature of the social contract. Holt writes from a stance that is patient and methodical, understanding that his ideas will seem radical to many readers. His thesis is informed by a detailed understanding of history, of law, and of cognitive development. It's an approach that sheds light not only onto the lives and rights of children, but far beyond. One of his central points is that if we imagine ourselves a free and democratic society, then we depend on citizens being informed and responsible and having a genuine understanding of the concept of individual liberty. If we deny people the opportunity to develop these sensibilities during their formative years, however -- if we treat them as beings without rights of their own, who must be obedient to the dictates of others -- then we cannot reasonably expect them suddenly to acquire the mental framework they need at the age of 18. We create for ourselves a hobbled citizenry, and we all suffer the result. Young people have been sheltered and fenced in to ever-increasing degrees over the last few decades in America. The distressing resurgence of authoritarian attitudes in American government in recent years, and the remarkably widespread public acceptance of same, should not be seen as an unrelated phenomenon.

Most discussion of what passes as "children's rights" today seems to fall into two categories. One is what I think of as the bare minimum of rights: the child's right not to be beaten or molested. The second uses the term as a euphemisim for parental rights: who gets them in a custody battle and when the state is justified in revoking them. Holt's thoughtful book is revolutionary because it does not fall into one of these categories. Instead Holt argues that children are not the property of their parents or the state, that they are human in their own right, and that they deserve all of the rights adult citizens already have. In the first few chapters Holt examines the current state of childhood in the West. In the second half of the book he details specific social, economic, political, and educational rights he argues children should have, and suggests how society might have to change to accomodate these rights. On the whole, Holt presents an argument profoundly sensitive to the plight of children without ever letting himself or his readers descend into sentimentality. My criticisms of the work, were I to list them, would be mostly technical in nature. With post-Columbine hysteria steadily turning schools more and more prison-like and innovations like the V-chip and Internet filters increasing in popularity, _Escape_ is just as relevant today as it was in 1974, if not more so. It's shameful that books like this are so difficult to find and so often out of print.

The New York Times called this book "astonishly cogent," and I agree. This is one of the most insightful and thought-provoking books I've ever read. Sadly, 30 years later almost nothing has changed. While the ACLU fights for the voting rights of convicted felons, a 17-year-old "child," no matter how sensible or informed, cannot cast a ballot in the United States. Millions of children are shipped off to school every day, where they are mostly taught to do as they're told (no matter how arbitrary or pointless) and above all, conform--lessons which will serve them all too well for decades to come. The transparency of Holt's writing should also be an example to authors everywhere. It is a tragedy that this book is out of print, and Holt no longer with us. The world desperately needs more like him.

This is my favorite book of the many Holt has written. It does not cover any aspects of learning/educational issues as do his other books. Instead it addresses the matter of looking at children as whole individuals who should be treated respectably, as any adult would want to be. Our culture too readily encourages parents, and adults in general, to use their voice in a excessively authorative manner which only serves to bully and demean children. No one would want to be spoken to or treated in such a condensending manner. This book will open your eyes to the damage we are doing to our beloved kids when we accept the cultural standard way of parenting. Highly recommended!

Without even noticing it, we diminish children in somany ways. Holt perceptively points out these ways, and offerspractical ways to treat children more respectfully.