 First edition cover (UK) | |
| Author | Charles Webb |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book |
| ISBN | 9780312376307 |
| Preceded by | The Graduate |
Home School is a novel by Charles Webb that is the sequel to The Graduate . It was published by Random House in the United Kingdom in 2007. [1]
In the 1970s, [2] Webb himself had fought to have his boys homeschooled. The sequel was written about 40 years after the original book. [3]
Webb completed writing the book around January 2005. Originally he stated that he would not have the entire book published while he remains alive, because Canal+ would have automatically had permission to produce a film based upon the book without seeking Webb's creative input. [4]
However Webb arranged to have the book published after his financial situation had deteriorated; his family was facing the threat of eviction. [1] Because of the situation, he could not continue negotiations over the book. [5]
Random House published it in the United Kingdom. [2] The book deal was worth £30,000 (US$56,000, €44,000). [3] As part of the deal Random House was going to negotiate the sale of United States rights and other non-UK rights of the book. Because of this deal, Webb paid a French lawyer to check if he could retrieve the film rights. [5]
On May 2, 2006 The Times published an extract from the book. [6]
In Home School, Benjamin "Ben" Braddock and Elaine, are now married and living in Westchester County, New York, set about a decade after the events in The Graduate. Ben works in a library, while Elaine is a stay-at-home parent. They live in a house willed to Elaine by her since-divorced, now-deceased father.
They are fighting with their school district to allow for their sons Jason and Matt to be homeschooled. They turn to Elaine's mother, Glenda Robinson, for assistance. Mrs. Robinson decides to help them by flying to New York from California, armed with the intent of seducing and blackmailing the principal. [3] Webb stated that Ben chose to do homeschooling because he felt disenchanted with education, a message that was in the previous novel. [1]
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David L. Ulin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Ben, Elaine, and Mrs. Robinson "are just names, for the people here bear virtually no relation to the ones in The Graduate." [8] Ulin also described the three in Home School as "flat and lifeless, caricatures with no heart." [9] Ulin stated that Home School "is such a bad book on so many levels", a "failure", [8] and that it was a book which does not give reasons for the readers to care about the characters. [9] Ulin concluded, "After reading Home School I wish we'd never seen Benjamin and Elaine get off that bus." [9]
Kirkus Reviews wrote that Home School is "A bit of fluff sure to satisfy those clamoring for a Graduate sequel." [7]
Favorable reviews included those of Dennis Lythgoe, in Deseret News , describing the book as "very well-written and very funny". [10] Jerry Dowlen, writing for Books Monthly, opined that "The story gives us two 'families from hell' who defiantly insist upon normalising their cranky lifestyles and behaviour. It's a recipe once again for bittersweet comedy and edgy tension." [11]
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.
The Graduate is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life who is seduced by an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson, but then falls for her daughter, Elaine.
Sitting Pretty is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang from a screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert, adapted from the novel Belvedere by Gwen Davenport. The film stars Robert Young, Maureen O'Hara, and Clifton Webb, about a family who hires the mysterious Lynn Belvedere to babysit their rowdy children.
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus, written by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel, Madame Doubtfire, by Anne Fine. The film was produced by Mark Radcliffe, Marsha Garces Williams and her then-husband Robin Williams, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, and Robert Prosky. It follows a recently divorced actor who disguises himself as an elderly female housekeeper to be able to interact with his children. The film addresses themes of divorce and the effects it has on a family.
Elaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association award for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American children's literature."
Marti Webb is an English actress and singer, who appeared on stage in Evita, before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, "Take That Look Off Your Face", a UK top three hit, with the parent album also reaching the top three.
Malvern Preparatory School, commonly referred to as Malvern Prep, is an independent, all-boys Catholic middle school and college preparatory high school in Malvern, Pennsylvania, within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school is operated by Order of Saint Augustine and is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association.
Professor Branestawm is a series of thirteen children's books written by the English author Norman Hunter. Professor Theophilus Branestawm is depicted throughout the books as the archetypal absent-minded professor and his name is a variant of the word "brainstorm". The first two books in the series were first published in the 1930s, but the other 11 appeared much later, from 1970 onwards.
Denis Hale Johnson was an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet. He is perhaps best known for his debut short story collection, Jesus' Son (1992). His most successful novel, Tree of Smoke (2007), won the National Book Award for Fiction. Johnson was twice shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Altogether, Johnson was the author of nine novels, one novella, two books of short stories, three collections of poetry, two collections of plays, and one book of reportage. His final work, a book of short stories titled The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, was published posthumously in 2018.
Charles Richard Webb was an American novelist. His most famous work is the 1963 novel The Graduate, which was made into a 1967 film of the same name.
Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) in Burke, Virginia, United States, administered by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), is one of three 7-12 secondary schools in Fairfax County. The other two are Hayfield SS and Robinson SS. Lake Braddock opened in 1973. Its mascot is a bruin, and the school colors are purple and gold.
Elaine Rita Dundy was an American novelist, biographer, journalist, actress and playwright.
Catherine Webb is a British author. Under the pseudonym Kate Griffin, she writes fantasy novels for adults. As Claire North, she writes science fiction and novels based upon the work of Homer.
The Graduate is a 1963 novella by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. It tells the story of Benjamin Braddock, who, while pondering his future after his graduation, has an affair with the older Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's business partner, before falling in love with their daughter, Elaine.
Nan Talese is a retired American editor, and a veteran of the New York publishing industry. Talese was the senior vice president of Doubleday. From 1990 to 2020, Talese was the publisher and editorial director of her own imprint, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, publishing authors such as Pat Conroy, Ian McEwan, and Peter Ackroyd.
Michelle Moran is an American novelist known for her historical fiction writing.
Melanie Benjamin – is the pen name of American writer Melanie Hauser.
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories is a 2018 short story collection by Denis Johnson. It was published posthumously on January 16, 2018, by Random House. It consists of five short stories, three of which were previously published in The New Yorker and Playboy. Johnson finished the collection a few weeks before his death in May 2017.
Elaine Marjorie Brody was an American gerontologist and sociologist, who studied cases on elderly Americans tended to by caregivers. In a career lasting six decades, she was one of the first social workers to research her clients, particularly of "women in the middle", a term she used to refer to women who raised their children and cared for their elderly parents simultaneously. Brody contributed to the foundation of gerontology, and her works established a precedent in this field.
Albert Morton Lythgoe was an American archaeologist and Egyptologist. He is best known for his work for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and for the support he gave to the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb, he releasing several key Metropolitan Museum staff to assist Howard Carter.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)A long-delayed—though not necessarily eagerly anticipated—sequel to The Graduate
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