The Art of Growing Up by John Marsden - book review

When you pick up this book, put your ego to one side, leave your defences at the door. This is not a prescriptive text that will divide parenting and education into neat Dos and Don'ts. This is a manifesto. It is philosophical and historical and thoughtful and practical and bold. You need to see the big picture, not just how it relates to you personally.

Marsden talks frankly, drawing on his extensive experience and deep knowledge of pedagogical practices and theory. I didn't immediately agree with everything he said, but everything in there is worthy of consideration and contemplation. It's also wonderfully humourous and if you cannot detect this in the physical text, try the audiobook where the light-hearted, cheekiness comes through and you can hear the smile in Marsden's voice as he reminisces and reflects.
All that said, the first couple of chapters were tricky to get through on my first attempt. But soon the book gains momentum and by the second half it was just one fascinating topic after another:

Ultimately Marsden questions the very fundamentals of how we think of children, how we treat them, and how we teach them. He says that children should be given respect equal to that of an adult and points out the myriad of ways we treat children as lesser. He talks about the mental health of those who care for children, about the power struggles that can occur between authoritarian adults put in charge of children and their charges. He wonders why we rank children and questions how we define our successes: is the goal of parenting/education to produce a person with accolades and wealth, or to produce someone who is happy regardless of their place in the world? Sadly these are still radical ideas in Australia. This is just the tip of the iceberg, Art of Growing Up is deep and broad and detailed in the areas it covers. Not surprising given its the culmination of a lifetime working with and for children.

TL;DR version: rocky start, but I finished this book absolutely loving it. I believe my reading this book and considering its viewpoints will directly benefit the children in my life by making me a better adult and carer.