Customer Reviews

Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Childrearing

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This book is absolutely, hands down the best child-rearing book I have ever read. If I could give a new parent only one book, it would be this one.

Summerhill is a private English boarding school founded by A. S. Neill in 1921. Summerhill the book was published in 1960 and is not so much about the school (though of course the school figures prominently) as Neill's advice to parents based on almost 40 years experience raising hundreds of children. Neill's chief concern is not that students should be neat or polite or go to lessons, but that they be happy, left free to pursue their own interests without outside intervention, moralizing, punishment, shame, or coercion. Summerhill students are not required to go to class--and so being denied the right to go to class is considered a harsh punishment by the student council (while the adults do not punish the students, the all-student council will impose fines and other penalties if students transgress a school law.) And Neill's incredible claim is that his radical method of not interfering and letting kids do what they want actually works, producing happy, polite, intelligent adults.

Neill is an excellent writer--witty, forthright, and fabulous. While the book is outdated in parts, being 50 years old, these bits are entirely harmless and easily evident to the modern reader--as when Neill suggests that students play with their pencils in class because their parents have told them that masturbation is bad. (Neill is an ardent devote of Freudian theory.) This book is not the book for you if you think that freedom is bad, that sexuality should be repressed, and that punishment is the quick and effective route to raising children, but even still, I think you should give it a try. You might find something in Neill's long experience which helps you, too. As for the rest of us, no parenting bookshelf will ever be complete without it.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! its the first family & children friendly respecting children's feelings, needs, emotions & unique learning abilities from his 'Summerhill' private school in UK. He explains how giving attention to children's presence, asking them ??s & refecting their feelings, so they can discover their honest choices. It was the most popular 'children's liberation' bestseller in 60s, when Dr Rudolf Dreikurs MD was teaching 'Cooperative Parenting' classes in US, Euro & elsewhere. Neill was close friends with Wilhelm Reich in 50s who also advocated deep respect for childrens needs before school age. [Children: The Challenge : The Classic Work on Improving Parent-Child Relations--Intelligent, Humane & Eminently Practical (Plume). [Children Are from Heaven: Positive Parenting Skills for Raising Cooperative, Confident, and Compassionate Children].

I've learned & used Neill & Dreikurs ways of respecting childrens presense with social equality, empathy & compassion for what they feel, want, choose, decide, dream & reject with or without a good reason. Neill was a wise ?? asker of childern & ran a democratic school where everyone had choices to do, learn, play, feel & share with some agreements if needed. His charming ways of writing & talking to kids are revolutionary in parent-child relationships for friendly, deep or funny conversations. They even had weekly whole-school democratic meetings with students discussing to decide cirtical problem- solveing & preventing. Some US private 'free schools' tried to do that in '70s & were rarely successful like Neill at Summerhill since 1920s. [Children's liberation, (A Spectrum book)

An enlightened view of what is possible beyond "academic preoccupation". Neill is a man who truly understood human development.