Jenna Bush Hager’s latest pick for the Today show book club is Stefan Merrill Block’s Homeschooled.
Block’s memoir, published Tuesday by Hanover Square Press, is a recounting of his childhood in Plano, Texas, and being homeschooled by his mother for five years beginning at the age of 9. Block describes the experience as traumatic, and his reentry into public life when he was 14 was a jarring one. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Like Tara Westover’s Educated, a compelling and horrifying account, leavened with flashes of rueful humor.”
Hager announced the book’s selection on the Today show, saying, “I loved this book. It is a stunning memoir.…It is raw, it is honest, and it’s the very American story of one little boy.…He writes a beautiful mother-son story about forgiveness, hope, and how we heal. It is the perfect for the first month of the year and for our times. I loved it, I read it in one sitting.”
Block shared news of his book’s selection on Instagram, shouting out his friend and fellow author Emma Straub, writing, “I’m SO happy finally to share this news! HOMESCHOOLED is the January @readwithjenna @todayshow book. The greatest morning! I’m just feeling unspeakably lucky and grateful. THANK YOU, @jennabhager for all you do for books, for readers, and for writers. And none of this would have happened without our beloved @emmastraub.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
